Page from American Primitives written by Robert W. Miller “Museum of Appalachia, Norris Tennessee“
Blind Pig reader Sallie sent me the photo above so that we could see a homemade corn gritter.
Here’s what Sallie said:
“I can’t find a picture of a gritter except this one. In all my years of working in primitive museums I’ve seen several. Most are not like this one where the tin is nailed to just the wider flat side of the board. The handle cut into the board was an extra. Most are simply curved around a piece of the board and the edge of the tin is nailed to the narrow side edges of the board. They were usually longer than a large ear of corn and 5-6” wide or more. The tin curved above the board anywhere from over an inch to maybe 2-3”. I saw a beautiful (simple) one once in an antique store I thought would make a nice wall sconce but didn’t buy it and later regretted it. Hope this helps those trying to envision one.”
I found this photo and illustration on WCU’s online exhibit on Horace Kephart.
The page shares the following text about gritted bread.
“‘Gritted Bread”- When green corn has just passed from the tucke, or soft milky stage, and has become too hard for boiling, but is still too soft for grinding into meal, make a “gritter,” as follows: Take a piece of tin about 7×14 inches (unsolder a lard pail by heating, and flatten the sides); punch holes through it, close together, with a large nail; bend the sheet into a half cylinder, rough side out, like a horseradish grater; nail the edges to a board somewhat longer and wider than the tin. Then, holding the ear of corn pointing lengthwise from you, grate it into a vessel held between the knees. The meal thus formed will need no water, but can be mixed in its own milk. Salt it, and bake quickly. The flavor of “gritted bread” is a blend of hot pone and roasting ears – delectable! Hard corn can be grated by first soaking the ears over night.”
I found it interesting that no additional liquid was needed, seems like it would be helpful especially if the corn was hard enough to first need soaking overnight. Like most recipes there are many variations when making gritted bread.
Here’s another interesting tidbit from the page.
“Curiously, while Kephart’s research notes for Our Southern Highlanders indicate that “Gritted Bread” is “not so palatable,” he praises it as “delectable” in Camping and Woodcraft.”
Last night’s video: One of the Best Suppers of the Summer.
Tipper
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Matt & Tipper!! I had full intentions to wish you both a Happy Anniversary this morning then forgot!! So back again: HAPPY 31st ANNIVERSARY!!! I hope you’re enjoying a beautiful day and celebrating each other, and all the memories you’ve made since beginning your ‘story’ – may each page you continue to write going forward be just a happy & beautiful!
I remember my grandfather Goforth gritting bread using a gritter he made. The results were quite tasty.
Thinking about gritted knuckles!
Miss Tipper, thanks for posting this neat article and the amazing photos. Those peas and okra are right up my alley. I always get me some field peas and fix a big old pot of them with okra. If I can’t get okra I just wait until they are available. I also love okra just about anyway too. Fried being my favorite way with delicious summer tomatoes sliced. My mouth is watering up again. I like cornbread, but it’s not my favorite. Daddy’s favorite treat was buttermilk with leftover cornbread just before bedtime. It used to make me gag. . Though now I believe I could eat it just as he did. Our cornbread always had a little sweetness to it. Not like Jiffy Mix of course. Well I’ll be looking forward to all the end of growing season meals, you always come up with such good food, like your cobbler with just juice. Unbelievable. Have a great day everybody and I’ll see you later, by that I mean your next video of course. God bless everyone today tomorrow and always. From South Mississippi
It ain’t just good it’s DELECTABLE according to the critics. I will say I bet there were a few gals with sore and scraped up fingers…apparently it’s worth the risk. And is it just me or old ways becoming new and fashionable again? It does seem so. I’d love to have a corn gritter just to have something to show and discuss. It’s a great topic. I enjoyed every comment!
How wonderful that Sallie did some ‘homework’ on gritted bread and even had pictures of what a gritter looked like back in the day! Most interesting read Tipper & Sallie! People sure were inventive back then, and in a way sort of reminds me of old laundry washboards. Thank you for such an interesting read, ladies. 🙂
Mom had a grader that was made from a large tin can with both ends removed. I think she used it for making kraut. She had a smaller can with a sharp opening that she used instead of a knife to chop the cabbage into smaller pieces. She was not that old when I remember her using the homemade chopper in the 70s, but she loved to continue the old-fashioned practices she grew up with.
Well, some more good “wayback” information. Looks to me like the fella sitting in the chair had a real setup that would work just fine. That is what happens with handcraft type work. There comes to be a way that “seemeth right”, kinda like left or right handedness. Glad you did these three posts because now I can see how gritted bread fit into the rhythm of farm stead life. Being what it was, when it was it would have been a small batch, made to use then activity so couldn’t be a big undertaking. And that you showed in your own video with the kitchen grater. Even that one small example illustrates living in harmony with the seasons and the annual round was full of such examples of doing “when the time is right” or “in season”. Many of us have few such seasonal relationships now.
Your gritted bread look delicious!! I think I’ve mentioned before that my dear Grandmother made the best blackberry cobbler I’ve ever ate. It was fabulous! Tipper, she always used a pie dough on the bottom, had a few blackberries in but more of the juice and than she had a top made with pie dough baked to a beautiful flaky crust. Makes my mouth water just to think of it:) I haven’t had an appetite since I had walking pneumonia but I think one of my Grandmother’s cobblers would certainly cause it to return:) I love okra anyway you cook it, so those peas and okra, oh my goodness what a great supper!
My ignorance is bright and well this morning! Could the coarse side of a food crater be used as a corn gritter? The picture of the corn gritter or a similar shaped ping pong paddle remind me of something the elementary school teachers of my school years would have used on a misbehaving boy’s rear end. I think MOST of them would have removed the tin! If your parents found out, they would use a leather belt or hickory switch to finish up on the job the teacher had started.
Thanks Tipper, I have heard of gritted cornbread but never knew much about it. I remember my mom speaking of it, that when she was a child in the 20’s and 30’s they ate it. Our corn here is already dried but I may build one of these and try it. Reading your blog is like going to school learning interesting and useful information. I graduated high school 54 years ago and haven’t used algebra once.
Ron, that makes two of us! On the last day of every month I say, “Another month and I didn’t need algebra.” I can handle letters, and I’m not bad with numbers, but when they put them together, well, they lost me.
I am one year behind you, 53 years, and like you and Gene, I have never used any of my two years of algebra along with biology and some other things I had to take. I blow my families younger generation minds by doing basic math in my head before they can figure it out on their smart phones. I took bookkeeping as a prank my senior year-3 boys and about 30 girls, lo and behold, It has been useful. Passed by my high school this morning, the classrooms were tore down a few years ago, in the last few weeks they have tore down the gym and auditorium. Nothing left but memories and a pile of rubble they were hauling off.
I find this information interesting in that I’ve never heard the expression “when green corn has just passed from the tucke”(spell-check didn’t like that one!) and that the corn could be soaked in water overnight. Making the gritter from a lard pail, was a reuse/recycle of something they had and so common for many things.
Judging from your video I’d have to agree with Mr Kephart and say delectable is an accurate description of gritted bread.
Well I’m gonna try this. I have let a few ears get to the stage I think I can. We’ll see. I’ll have to watch the video again. I believe my husband and I have seen these in shops. We love to go to antique shops and flea markets. We didn’t know what it was, but certainly will now. I’ll be on the lookout now.
Thank you!
Sounds interesting. I never was a fan of corn bread but watching your family eat it with almost every meal my wife tried making it your way. We watch every video. Now I’m the one asking for corn bread. A group of us, mainly her family members, meet every Saturday night to play domino’s and one time someone brought cornbread with orange juice in it and it tasted great. So gritted corn bread sounds interesting. Thank you for the post. Have a blessed day..