An installment in our Appalachian Foodways series Before freezers reached mountain kitchens, canning sausage was a practical response to a stubborn reality. Ground meat didn’t keep the way whole cuts did. Once a hog was broken down, sausage became the most vulnerable part of the work. Families knew from experience that if it wasn’t handled…
An installment in our Appalachian Foodways series A strip of fatback in a hot pan offers a familiar scent. The sizzle settles into a steady rhythm, and the kitchen takes on a soft haze that Appalachian cooks knew well. Their gardens offered plenty of food but not much flavor. Beans carried their own comfort but…
An installment in our Appalachian Foodways series They call it that old mountain dew, And them that refuse it are few, You may go ’round the bend, But you’ll come back again, For that good old mountain dew The folks of the Blue Ridge Mountains take their moonshine, aka mountain dew, seriously. Moonshine liquor was…