Today I’m sharing the sixth video in an ongoing series which shows evidence of the goodness that abounds in Appalachia.
In this video you’ll get a peek at some of the food we’ve been eating along with pieces of our daily life—from music making to wood chopping.
Hope you enjoyed the video!
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Thank you for sharing your way of life with us. I sure do enjoy watching your videos and reading the comments of your friends. I say friends because it makes me think of a placque that my Mother used to have that read, “Make new friends, but keep the old. The new are silver and the old are gold.” I’m glad we have become friends thanks to your Appalachian ways that are also part of my life.
I enjoy watching the video, especially the Deer Hunter’s tire trick when splitting wood. I would tease him and say a lazy man will find the easiest way to do a hard job but the truth is a lazy man wouldn’t be splitting wood with a go devil in the first place. I have split a lot of wood in my life but never thought of the tire trick.
I also mean this is a teasing way, if you don’t use Duke’s mayonnaise in South Carolina especially the upstate of South Carolina you are not considered a true southerner. If you read Dukes website you will see in the early 1900’s that a lady from Greenville would make sandwiches and her own mayonnaise and sell them to the textile workers. This is how Duke’s mayonnaise started. This may not be totally correct it has been a while since I read the story but I think it is close.
A vine ripe homegrown tomato, fresh loaf or light bread, Dukes mayonnaise and a quart Mason jar of sweet ice tea. This is what an old man dreams about. Can’t wait until summer to get a good tomato sandwich.
I forgot! I was going to mention bread and butter pickles. I made some last summer and they are long gone. When I finished the last jar something popped in my head. I dropped a boiled egg in the brine that was left. A week or so later I took it out and tasted it. It was better than an egg pickled in pickle beet juice so I boiled a dozen and made up some of the same brine I had used for the cucumber pickles. I put some sliced Vidalia onions in the jars with the eggs then poured the hot brine over them. When they cooled I put them in the refrigerator. I had a quart and a pint jar. A couple of weeks later when Missy came she liked them so much I gave her the quart and I kept the pint. That is some goooood eating! I think I will make some more and see what they taste like in a tater salad!
Loved this video….have never added sweet pickle to my potato salad nor I do not recall ever having tasted it…but it sounds good. The tire on the tree stump such a terrific idea save many a sore back. Enjoyed all of your activities in a normal day….tx. for sharing.
I like a good tater salad. I sometimes put bell pepper in mine along with the celery and onions. I mix the mayonnaise, peppers, celery, onions and sweet pepper relish together separately and add it the taters and eggs as needed. I also use the mixture in tuna or chicken salad. I don’t add mustard or vinegar to any of them. I used to until I discovered Dukes mayonnaise. With it you don’t need either. I’m not advertising for Dukes, in fact by itself it’s not very good. To me the vinegar and mustard are a little overwhelming, but in a recipe that needs them it’s got you covered.
I like to add a little chopped pimento to my tater, chicken or tuna salad. It does nothing for the taste but it does make it look pretty.
I certainly liked this video. At first, I thought you were making carrot cake. I have a carrot cake recipe that has pineapple in it. I have not made it in years. My husband makes apple-craisin muffins and they are so good. We like the craisins (dried cranberries) better than raisins. Every church supper and Homecoming had bowls of potato salad. I always looked for Mama’s bowl, because I liked hers the best. I thought I was the only one left who used a wooden clothes drying rack. Air dried clothes last longer, and it saves on the electric bill. I have two racks, one was Mama’s. It’s probably as old as I am. I still hang clothes outdoors.
Never thought of using the tire when spilting wood. Great idea!
I always enjoy seeing your videos. I’m determined to try making the 14 day pickles this summer. I make a sweet pickle that is soaked in lime water. My mother-in-law taught me how. I was tickled to see you cutting up your eggs the same way I do but I never get my taters cubed up as pretty as yours.
Another excellent video! 17 below zero this morning up here. Again I wish I would have stayed in North Carolina. To Ron- read your watch in military time..divide that number in half and line it with the sun. North will be at the 12 o’clock.
Thank you sir! That is good to know. I love that kind of lore.
Love your videos! I just love the jamming. I live in Minnesota, but have roots to the Ozarks and Appalachia. My kin left Tennessee in 1840 and settled on the border of Missouri and Arkansas. So much of your Appalachian culture I have seen in my relatives from Missouri.
Amen, Deer Hunter! Function over looks anytime. You ever hear of a Lock-Stitch Awl? I think you would like one. They work great on tough materials like leather or canvas. I have had one for a very long time. Don’t know if they can be found anymore.
I see you are a watch with hands man. Me to. Never made the switch to digital and don’t want to. One reason is that a watch with hands can be used as a compass. The method is fairly simple but I don’t have it memorized yet. I need to because I want to teach our grandson how to do it (though he may never have a watch with hands!) If I am not mistaken, sketch maps of the country were made way back in the 1800’s by using a watch to figure out both direction and distance with distance being time x a rate of travel such as miles/hour.
I wonder if your splitting block could be mounted on a turntable, like maybe a car axle? That way you could stand in one clear space with good footing and swinging room and have 3/4s or so of a circle to pile the wood. Would need a little more of a plan though to quickly move the block being split to the position you wanted each time. That might be the hardest part.
This past week-end I made a double batch of those muffins for friends who had a death in the family. I didn’t have enough muffin pans so just placed the cupcake liners in a cake pan close together. Those were flat and square but baked okay. Later I remembered seeing jar rings used under cupcake liners in a cake pan so I will try that next time.
We make a sweet relish from cucumbers too large for pickles and use it in things like potato or tuna salad. Now you’ve made me hungry for potato salad! Thanks again.
I’m impressed with a man who can sew. Once I worked for a couple in a small town store. One day she offered to pay me to sew some buttons on his shirts because she, a school teacher and mother of two little boys, didn’t know how. I told her I wouldn’t let her pay me to sew them but would teach her how for free. She never
accepted my offer.
With all that firewood and good food, you all will be prepared for the bitter cold weather that is coming this week. My life is much like yours and I wouldn’t want to live any other way.
That guitar is bigger than you, Tipper, but I see you and your daughters can “ jam” with the best of ‘em and sound awesome. Your tunes pick up my spirit. I see the green house is getting into full swing and I’m excited for you all. Your muffins and tater salad looked very beckoning. I wish you health, happiness and a wonderful spring. I never thought about buttons until I found out your daughter collects them and they are very interesting indeed! Btw can the GREAT WOOLY WORM ( who accurately predicted this winter by being ALL BLACK) get a big thank you for getting it right. He never gets any gratitude and he’s 100 percent accurate as a meteorologist. Thanks, Mr. Wooly!
Good way to start the day…..Now that I’ve got my exercise watching your video, I can get another cup of coffee. Haha…..I’ve made potato salad using Mom’s recipe but she used dill pickles…..I’ll have to try to get some of those sweet pickles…..I have split many a cord of wood using a sledge hammer and wedges along with a single bladed axe in my day but never thought to use a tire…..Maybe that’s why my back hurts to this day…..Ahh, but those were good years…..I just happen to enjoy the years I have now even better…..Blessings and thank you to your days too!
This certainly is good weather for Russian Tea! I love your silent movies with no words needed, just life being lived. In some fashion that I don’t fully understand I find them comforting.
Good Job!
Looks like a busy time of year at you’ll’s house.
Potatoe salad and coleslaw recipes seem to vary across the country, yours looks perfect.