My most recent books are available from the following vendors: Appalachian Cooking at Amazon Appalachian Cooking at Barnes & Noble Unlike some other books devoted to the cooking of the southern Appalachian region, this one was written with home cooks in mind.  Succulents at Home at Amazon Succulents at Home at Barnes & Noble Are you planning to join the trend and add some houseplants to your interior decor, but don't want to spend a lot of time caring for them? Succulents are just right for you! Find out all you need to know about growing them in this handy guide. G ..read more

 With spring less than two months away, we are launching our new blog site. We will resume regular postings, and posts will cover a wider range of topics. We will continue to discuss Appalachian cooking and growing the heirloom vegetables that add authenticity. Our gardening coverage will expand to include ornamental plants, with a strong--but not exclusive--emphasis on plants that are native to the region. The photo, taken a couple of days ago, shows Crocus chrysantha interplanted with Sedum 'Angelina.' Several sedums are valuable for winter color, and Angelina is among the best, in our ..read more

 Early autumn brings an abundance of vegetables to the East Tennessee table. This variation on the Southern favorite, Brunswick Stew, makes use of that abundance. If you cannot find fresh green lima beans, frozen is fine.  You can add any proteins you like, along with an appropriate broth, and make this dish anything from vegan to wild-game-centric. The original recipe almost certainly involved squirrel and rabbit, and modern versions feature both chicken and pork. You can add green beans or other legumes to increase the protein for a vegan version. John's Brunswick Stew 4 servings ..read more

When one of my friends outside the South asks me how we can endure the heat and humidity of August, I reply that the reward is August peaches. You can get them earlier, but those varieties are not nearly as good, in my view, as the ones that arrive in August.  When I was a kid, we lived on a gravel road in the country, and every year around my birthday, a man came through the neighborhood in a pickup truck laden with baskets of fresh, luscious peaches. There were two varieties. Georgia Belles were yellow-fleshed, red-skinned fruits that my grandmother preferred for canning. Grandpa usual ..read more

Fresh peas are perhaps the best thing about early June. I created this pasta dish to showcase our pea harvest, along with the first tender zucchini and carrots from our garden. My preferred variety of shelling peas is Green Arrow. This cultivar produces abundant pods, born 2 to a stem, each with up to 12 peas inside. The flavor is exceptional. Spaghetti with Chicken, Vegetables, and Ricotta Sauce 2 servings 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast filet Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon butter 1 teaspoon olive oil 1/2 cup chopped fresh carrots 1 small zucchini, sliced 1/2 cup fres ..read more

The coronavirus pandemic has been an unmitigated disaster for the restaurant business. So much so that pundits predict dining out will never be the same, even after the virus is no longer a significant threat. As a result, more people are cooking at home, and the approximately 50 percent of our food dollars that once went to restaurant fare is now being redirected to grocery purchases and other expenses. We are cooking at home as people used to do in the 1950s, before there was a restaurant on every corner. Home cooking for the entire family calls for casseroles and crock pot recipes, as wel ..read more

With everyone cooking from the pantry, I thought I'd share this recipe for a vegan take on gumbo. It is based on traditional recipes that are eaten during Lent. Because it can be made from odds and ends and lots of substitutions are possible, I present it not as a "recipe" so much as a "template" for your own ideas. No two cooks make this the same way, so feel free to experiment all you wish. As written, the recipe is vegan. You can add meat, such as bacon, andouille sausage or ham, if you prefer. If you do that, saute the meat first in the oil, remove it with a slotted spoon, and add it back ..read more

With closures of all sorts of events and venues across the country, a lot of people are going to have time on their hands this spring. What better way to spend it than by growing some fresh vegetables? Even a relatively tiny space can produce a good yield, if you plan well. There is still time to grow some spring crops, mostly fast-maturing greens like arugula and heat-tolerant lettuces such as various romaine cultivars and the ever-popular Black Seeded Simpson. This pale green heirloom has been a favorite in East Tennessee for generations. If you want to try growing it like my grandfather di ..read more

This recipe is the result of my attempt to duplicate the famous United States Senate bean soup, which has been served in the Senate dining room every day since 1903. The original was flavored with Smithfield ham hocks. I have substituted a small amount of country ham, in order to reduce the number of servings to 2. The recipe is easily multiplied, if you are feeding a crowd. Good bread, or cornbread, and a green salad would make a complete meal. You can buy country ham scraps in vacuum packs wherever country ham is available. Canned beans are a great convenience food. You can also start with d ..read more

The holidays are over and winter seems determined to keep the gardens dormant, despite a recent spate of record-setting warmth. Now is the season for comfort food. I have re-envisioned a recipe from the 1970s, when vegetarian diets were all the rage among counter-culture types. I have also scaled it down to four servings. The original recipe calls for a crust made with butter and cream cheese. It was never the easiest pastry to handle, and it was seldom possible to make the pie turn out picture-perfect. That problem is circumvented by using any good commercial piecrust. Note: it has been my ..read more