As I walked through the Abingdon Farmers Market in early March, looking for a particular farmer to interview, I completely forgot my goal when I was drawn to the vivid fungi at the Thurston Family Far...
The Commons and the Uncommon If you have ever been to the Commons in Abingdon, you will notice that there really isn’t much that is common about it. It’s an eclectic hub full of interestin...
Searching for Your Local Food Source Do you care where your food comes from? Who grew it? Who raised it? Are they local?Plenty of us who ask these questions gladly frequent farmers markets and farm st...
I have always loved food with a story. So, when I first heard about an elusive, intensely flavored wild onion, or Ramp, that drives foragers wild every spring, I knew I had to dig deeper. I wanted to ...
Frances’ Macaroni and Cheese “Frances!” I jog her down, catching her in the foyer of The Church of Jesus Christ. “Frances, your macaroni and cheese was the star of the show aga...
It is a bitter pill to swallow, yet a necessary one: Some of our food is fake. The “Extra Virgin Olive Oil” you drizzle on your salad might be colored sunflower oil. Some people dilute tha...
I smelled them before I saw them. I was shin-deep in a creek, just off the main road, pushing through briars and humidity. I’d studied maps and looked for the right mix of shade and wet soil, bu...
In the Appalachian Highlands, “putting up” or canning isn’t just a chore or a challenge; it is the boundary between the abundance of summer and the lean gray of winter. For many gene...
In the pages of Smoky Mountain Magic—that beloved culinary bible compiled by the Junior Service League of Johnson City in 1960—there sits a recipe that feels less like instructions for dinner and more...
In August, the Appalachian Highlands are drowning in corn. Silver Queen, Peaches and Cream, Hickory King—it comes in by the bushel. The challenge hasn’t changed in 200 years: How do we keep this...
