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Mountain Cornfield

July 22, 2026

corn growing on steep land

Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Mountain Cornfield

This image looking down a hollow includes a corn crop in the foreground and mountains in the background. B 64 is written on the negative. The photographer, “Doc” Kelly Bennett (1890-1974), was a prominent pharmacist in Swain County, NC. Owner of the Bryson City Drug Company, Bennett served as alderman and mayor of Bryson City, on the Swain County Board of Education, as well as several terms as NC State Senator and NC State Representative. He participated in numerous other initiatives and organizations. Known as the “Apostle of the Smokies,” Bennett was an instrumental figure in the movement to create the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He was also an avid photographer, skillfully documenting a wide variety of people, places, and events in Swain County and the surrounding area.

Southern Appalachian Digital Collections


What a lovely mountain cornfield Bennett captured. If you look closely (going to this page and clicking on the photo allows you to enlarge it considerably) you can see a couple of trees growing in the corn as well as the stump of a tree. A small shed or corn crib is visible on the right side.

I’m thankful our cornfield is on level ground and that it has no trees nor stumps growing among the rows.

plate full of cooked vegetables

We had our first fresh corn last night. It was so good! Also on the menu was our first mess of Mother Stallard beans, meatloaf, cornbread, and Granny’s simple salad of cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes from the garden.

Summer suppers are the best eating of the year.

Corie and Austin’s tomatoes are getting ripe quicker than our’s and they have been sharing with us.

Last night’s video: Sourdough Bread, Flower Butter & Pesto from the Yard – It was a GRAND Day!

Tipper

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2 Comments

  1. Lucky only planted around five tomato plants because we decided we weren’t canning anymore with just the two of us. Well, those tomatoes have produced at least 3 bushels. I have canned and shared tomatoes with the family and still plenty of green ones on the vines. This is the first year that we have had beautiful large carrots. We have had messes of fresh green beans and I put up some Icicles Pickles from a recipe that a dear neighbor from church gave me years ago. The recipe has to be well over a hundred years old. I also got all of my jellies made. Canning is just in my blood and I can’t stand to let food go to waste. God is so good to us all. Have a wonderful day.

  2. Your meal looks delicious! I made meatloaf the other day too for dinner. We do have a few tomatoes on our one plant that seems to have survived, but they are still green. Thankfully three of our surviving cucumber plants are producing well. To pair with our meatloaf I made a cucumber and onion salad, cooked carrots and potatoes. My hubby had bread and butter with his, because that’s what he wanted. I’ve been making more sandwiches than I should now days since it’s just been way to hot to cook, even with air conditioning my kitchen seems to be the hottest room in our house. I made my meatloaf in my slow cooker, which it turned out way better than I thought it would and it didn’t heat up my kitchen. Sometimes I forget how handy the slow cooker really is use in the summer.

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