Blind Pig & The Acorn

Cooking Squash In Appalachia

 

The typical way to cook squash in Appalachia-is fried. The actual procedure of frying is varied from cook to cook. Granny cuts her squash in circles-rolls it in cornmeal-and fries it in vegetable oil. She stirs it around in the pan and it becomes more of a scramble than individual fried pieces of squash.

 

The Deer Hunter and I fry our squash slightly different. We cut the squash in length wise pieces, dip it into a milk-egg-salt-pepper wash,

 

roll the squash in a cornmeal-flour-salt-pepper mix, and finally-fry it in either olive oil or vegetable oil.

 

Our method takes longer than Granny's-but the pieces stay intact-and retain more of a squash flavor. One of the Foxfire Books details frying squash-the little lady interviewed in the book, fried her squash in larger pieces like we do-but since it took more time to stand over the pan and turn each individual piece of squash-she told her children she'd fry one pan of squash-but if they wanted more they'd have to fry the next pan.

 

After getting a few tips from Matthew Burns, I fried a few squash blossoms. They tasted good-with a delicate squash flavor-but I probably won't be making them again. They did look very pretty-might be nice for a special meal.

Growing up-I never knew you could eat squash any other way than fried. As an adult I've discovered I like squash boiled-steamed-stuffed-grilled-and perhaps my favorite roasted. We dice up squash, zucchini, and onion-toss it with olive oil, sprinkle oregano-salt-pepper, and roast it in the oven (450) for about 7 minutes-YUMMY.

Did you grow up eating Granny's version of 'scrambled fried squash' like I did? If you've ever been to a summer time church gathering in the south-I'm sure you've seen it on the table.

Tipper

 

Yellow Squash

 

Yellow Squash has been a favorite veggie of mine since I was a child. This year's plants have just started producing what looks to be a bumper crop.

 

As you can see from the photo above-our plants are huge this summer. I think it must be the chicken litter-as well as the extra rain we've been getting.

 

I ask Pap and Granny if their parents grew yellow squash when they were kids. Granny said the state took their garden to build the new 4-lane, and she couldn't remember what her mother planted before that.

Pap said-they grew a different kind of squash. By his description-I'd guess it was a Cushaw. He remembered it lasted longer than yellow squash, was a light orange tan color and seemed tougher like a pumpkin. His mother cubed it then fried it with sugar and water-kinda like sweet potatoes.

Seems everyone in our area grows yellow squash now-Pap said it was in the early 60's or 70's when folks here started growing yellow squash.

 

In the follow days drop back by the Blind Pig to:

• See how to cook squash in the traditional Appalachian way (fried)
• See how to make old fashioned Squash Relish (so good in the winter)
• Come along with me as I try frying squash blooms for the first time ( I keep hearing about folks who do this and want to see if it's worth the trouble)
• Come along as I try drying squash for the first time (when I was a little girl-I so wanted to be a Cherokee Indian-I know they dried squash)

Do you plant Yellow Squash? Have you ever planted any other varieties of Squash?

Tipper

p.s. If you know someone who might be interested in the upcoming posts-please send them to the Blind Pig-I'd truly appreciate it!

Blind Pig & The Acorn's Corn Test

 

A few weeks ago, I mentioned having a test to see whether or not planting by the signs did indeed make a difference in the way vegetables grow. I had several folks sign up for the fun:  Becky of Twisted Fencepost fame, Nancy from Southern Blessings, Rick M., WKF, The Reddirt Woman herself-Helen, Martina, Warren who lives Among the Hills and a few other who want to remain nameless-(I think they're afraid we'll become famous for our discoveries)

 

The test got under way this week-we planted the first batch of corn on the 23rd-which is the best time according to the signs. We'll follow up by planting the second batch later this week when the signs have changed to barren unsuitable days.

If the weather will cooperates the corn should have enough days to mature-most of the participants (including me) live in the south-so it shouldn't be a problem-unless Jack Frost decides to make a very early appearance. I'll be comparing the growth of the different batches as we go along. (check in at Twisted Fencepost to see how Becky's test got started-Sign Experiment)

Corn variety is a hot topic around our mountain holler-seems everyone has a favorite and an opinion to go with it. Our favorite-Silver Queen-which is a sweet white corn. Not only does Silver Queen have a superior taste-it freezes great-and seems to hold that sweet fresh taste better than other varieties we've tried. Nothing better than corn fresh from the garden, boiled on the cob and served with butter-yum.

What about you got a favorite corn variety? What is your favorite way to eat corn?

Tipper

Suckering Tomatoes

This year The Deer Hunter and I have planted more tomato plants than ever before. Partly because we need to grow more of our own food due to the current economic situation-partly because we've had several tomato plants given to us.

We've planted hybrids-like Better Boys, Celebrity, Parks Whoppers, and Romas. But the ones I'm most excited about are the heirloom varieties we planted-they include, Brandywines, Lady Lucy, and Sweet Orange. We've had more than a few 'volunteer' plants come up from last year-so who knows what those will be.

The Deer Hunter has added support to most of the plants and some are already setting fruit.

I've heard all sorts of advice on growing great tomatoes-from putting lime around the plant to placing a dead fish in each hole as you plant. One tip I've always been confused on is the whole 'suckering' deal.

I've been told you should sucker the plants to ensure the energy and nutrients go to producing the actual tomato instead of producing extra plant growth. As tomato plants grow they can become heavy and unwieldy-the pruning/suckering also helps with that issue. However not all folks believe in suckering.

Many folks believe you get more tomatoes by letting all those suckers grow and set fruit. They do admit that the fruit will be smaller-but feel the number of tomatoes produced is more important than the size of the tomatoes produced.

As I researched pruning tomatoes this morning-I found some interesting tidbits:

~Never sucker or add supports to your tomato plants when they are wet.

~There are 2 different types of suckering-the simple method of removing the entire sucker-and the Missouri Method of only pinching off the tip of the sucker leaving the rest of the shoot to help in the photosynthesis process.

~Determinate plants usually don't need any pruning as they are 'determinate' in what they will produce (however some folks say you should sucker them below the first flower cluster)

~All those suckers you remove-can be planted-and grown into more tomato plants.

~At the end of the growing season-approximately 30 days before the last frost-the tomato plants should be topped of all new growth to ensure the fruit already set has ample energy to ripen before a killing frost.

Basically a boat load of contradictory advice is what I found! The Deer Hunter and I are following the advice of our elders and are suckering our tomato plants-but what about you do you sucker yours? Got any other tricks or advice for growing tomatoes? I'd love to hear about it leave me a comment!

Tipper

The Blackberry

 

Blackberry picking time is almost here-the berries are still green on the brambles around my house-but before long they'll be turning that luscious deep dark black color.

Folklore surrounding Blackberries I've heard all my life...

 

Blackberry Winter- a cold snap occurs each spring about the same time the Blackberry Blossoms appear. Happened this spring just like it always does. (kinda like our Dogwood Winter) Medicinal Remedies- Blackberries or Blackberry juice is supposed to help any kind of stomach aliment-diarrhea, dysentery, ulcers. The roots and leaves of the Blackberry are used to make a tea which is said to relieve sore throats, thrush in babies, mouth ulcers and gum irritations.

This morning I Googled Blackberry and found the following info-which totally surprised me.

*Blackberry is often called Bramble in other countries

*Blackberry briars are thought to protect your house from evil-especially from Vampires. Seems if you put the briars around your doors and windows-the Vampires can't cross over without first counting all the briars-which if your familiar with Blackberries, you know is almost impossible. (makes me wonder if the idea for The Count on Sesame Street came from this piece of folklore.)

*Native Americans used Blackberry stems to make rope/twine.

*Some folks think the Crown of Thorns was made from Blackberry Briars-and the berry itself is so dark to symbolize Christ's Blood.

*Some folks think when the Devil was cast from heaven-he fell into a Blackberry patch and therefore the fruit is cursed-and it's black because the Devil spit on it.

 

The eating is what I enjoy most about Blackberries-but coming in a close second is hearing them. Yes, I said hearing them-give this week's Pickin' & Grinnin' In The Kitchen Spot a listen and you'll see exactly what I mean-the tune-Blackberry Blossom-is so catchy you'll find yourself humming it for the rest of the day. (don't forget to stop the player in the top right corner of this page)

Hope you enjoyed the Blackberry lore-and the outstanding picking by Paul and Mandolin Man.

Do you like Blackberries?

Tipper

Moonphases In Appalachia

 

All week we've been discussing the theory of planting your garden by the signs of the moon. In Appalachia the folklore of the Zodiac Calender goes way beyond when to plant your corn-it sometimes serves as a guideline for everyday activities as well.

 

Schedule your next hair cut under the sign of Sagittarius, Aquarius, or Libra-and your hair will grow back faster and thicker.

 

Plan your next hunting trip during the sign of Taurus and you'll have better luck.

 

Cut firewood in the old of the moon-it'll dry faster-and burn better.

 

                      Leo is the sign for love.

 

Fence posts stay tight if set during the old of the moon.

Other sign advice:

• Paint during a dry sign like Leo-and the paint will last longer
• Wean a child from it's bottle or pacifier during Capricorn, Pisces, or Sagittarius
• Quit habits on the 2nd day of Sagittarius-the new moon-or in Pisces
• Never shingle a roof during the waxing of the moon or the ends will turn up
• Always slaughter when the signs are in the knees or feet-in the last quarter of the moon
• Cut hay in the old of the moon-in the waning days

Got anything to add to the list? Ever try any of the ones I listed? I'd love to hear about it-leave me a comment.

Tipper

p.s. Signs also dictate when you do your canning/preserving-I'll discuss that whole issue later in the summer.

How To Plant By The Signs

 

Planting during the right moon phase is easier than it sounds-basically you plant crops that produce their bounty above ground during the Waxing Moon-the time period between the New Moon and the Full Moon. You plant crops that produce below ground during the Waning Moon-the time period between the Full Moon and the New Moon.

Planting in the right Zodiac Sign is a little more complicated.

 

Click here to see a break down of the Zodiac signs-and what planting activity relates to each sign. The sign of Cancer (Crab) is the best over all for planting-coming in a close second is Scorpio (Scorpion), Pisces (Fishes) is also a good sign to plant under.

On the other end of the spectrum Leo (Lion) is the worst time to plant. Other no no planting signs include: Sagittarius (Archer), and Gemini (Twins).

Once you break it down into the different parts-planting by the signs isn't as hard to understand as I thought it would be-getting the weather to cooperate on the 'perfect' planting day may be a different story. If you Google 'how to plant by the signs' there are tons of links that offer very detailed guidelines. You can click here for the Zodiac Calender for June. 

The Deer Hunter pointed out to me-that my 'sign test' couldn't really be considered a valid test unless I got other folks to participate-by planting the same seeds I did on the same days.

 

So are any of you up for being part of the Blind Pig & The Acorn's Planting By The Signs Test? I'll supply the corn seed-if you plant it on the days I ask you to-and report back your findings on whether planting by the signs made a difference in production.

The next optimum time for planting corn will be June 23, 24, and 25. You would plant some of the corn seed on those days-and the other seed either before or afterward-preferably before as the signs leading up to those 3 days are 'bad' for planting corn.

One issue that may effect our test-your growing season. I know some of you are from way way out west-so it may be that it's too late for you to grow corn? I'll leave the growing season decision up to you.

Interested in playing along? I hope so-send your address to me at tipper@blindpigandtheacorn.com and I'll send you some corn.

Tipper

Planting By The Signs

Do you plant your garden by the signs? Do you know what planting by the signs means?

 

Man has looked to the heavens for answers since the beginning of time. Ancient Astronomers figured out the phases of the moon in relation to the paths of the planets and the sun. This led to the development of the Zodiac. The 12 signs of the Zodiac were named after living things and became identified with various parts of the human body. Soon afterwards, the signs of the Zodiac began to be used to predict various outcomes of both human life-and nature. Zodiac predictions have been found as far back as 1300 B.C.

The Foxfire Book explains the Zodiac like this:

Every day of the month is dominated by one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Each of the twelve appears at least once a month, and then for a period of either two or three days. All good planting calenders label each day with the sign that rules over it (depending on which constellation is foremost in the sky at the time), the part of the body and the planet associated with the sign, and the element it is most closely akin to. The following chart summarizes this information.

 

The rules for planting by the signs take into account the sign of the day and the moon phase of the time as well.

Pap never planted by the signs-and still doesn't-not necessarily because he doesn't believe in them-more that he always said "you just have to plant when you can plant" meaning-the time it took to plant a huge garden had to fit in with the time it took to have full time job, coach baseball, and coincide with agreeable weather conditions for planting.

The Deer Hunter and I haven't ever planted by the signs either-I wanted to perform my own experiment this year-plant a row by the signs-and a row not by the signs and see which grew better. I got the "not by signs" row planted but trying to get the "by signs" row planted has been impossible due to the rainy spring we've had. But I'm still going to try it-if the weather cooperates.

So-do you plant by the signs? Did your parents or grandparents?

Tune back into the Blind Pig for tips and rules related to planting by the signs in the next few days.

Tipper

Economic Downturn Causes A Resurgence In Old Time Ways

Over the past few days we've been discussing how reusing, repurposing, and recycling can be good for the environment-and good for the pocket book. The downturn in the economy has caused a need for thriftiness in most households-which has resulted in a resurgence of lifestyles that hearken from an earlier time.

 

The "backyard chicken" phenomenon is on the rise across the nation. Amazing how many urban dwellers are now raising chickens in their backyards. Frequently they have to petition the local government before acquiring the chickens-and frequently they win the battle due to the sheer number of folks who are exercising their right to have and raise chickens on their own property. (click here to read more about the issue)

 

Hanging clothes out to dry is on the rise among home owners. Two factors are contributing to the increase-the first needing to be "green" for the environment-hanging out your clothes saves on energy-therefore reducing the need to produce energy. The second reason-folks are trying to lower their energy bill. I grew up with a clothesline mentality-it was just something you did-hang the clothes out to dry. I also grew up without air conditioning. With the clothes dryer located in the kitchen-drying loads of clothes = an unbearable hot house. So hanging clothes out for us was a no-brainer, save money and have a cooler house.

 

Sadly the economic downturn has forced many people to cutback on health care. Many folks are trying to treat their aliments at home, to save money by skipping the doc visit and the prescriptions that often follow. Here at the Blind Pig-I've seen an increase in folks visiting my site to read about Appalachian Medicinal Remedies. Although I don't know for sure-I believe the increase in traffic is due to folk's interest in treating their illnesses at home-just like it was done back in the day. (to read more about the health care issue go here)

 

The Horticultural Industry-is one of the few sectors of our economy that is BOOMING. Seeds, plants, and other gardening related items have seen an increase in sales-in some case up 40% in the last year-pretty impressive given the decrease in other retail sales. As folks worry about the economy-and the rising price of food, more and more people are planting vegetables as a way to put food on the table for their families. Even folks like me-who were already gardening and preserving before the downturn-are planting a little extra-and planning on preserving a little extra too. The Deer Hunter and I figure-if we need it we'll have it-if we don't need it we will share it with someone who does. (to read more about this issue go here)

The economic downturn has also increased the amount of meals folks cook and eat at home. We hardly ever eat out-so that hasn't been an issue for us. But we have tried to cut back on expenses in other areas-*we switched over to compact fluorescent lightbulbs-and have seen our electric bill go down *planted a larger garden than usual so we can preserve more food for the coming year *tried to eat out of our pantry instead of buying additional groceries *quit giving the girls spending money *made a greater effort to make do with what we have and quit worrying about what we don't have.

So how about you-has the economic downturn caused you to go back to the old time ways? Has the downturn caused you to make lifestyle changes?

Tipper

p.s. Drop back by for the next post-to see how the economic downturn has effected entertainment.

Rain Barrels

 

Over the past few years rain barrels have become popular with both home gardeners and folks who are interested in water conservation. The south-including my area has experienced severe drought over the past few years too.

A month or so ago The Deer Hunter and I were cleaning up around the house-trying to get rid of stuff we no longer need or truthfully stuff we never needed in the first place.

The Deer Hunter used the blue barrel for water storage back in the day when he camped at a location with no water supply. After his camping situation improved-the blue barrel came to live under our front porch and became a favorite mud pie making station for the girls-it's almost the same height of a counter top. As we were loading the barrel on to the truck-one of us had an epiphany-why not make a rain barrel from the old storage container!

 

So we did. We've been having monsoon weather here-it's rained more days than not in the last 2 weeks. During one of the breaks The Deer Hunter installed the barrel. He diverted the gutter pipe into the top of the barrel;

 

made an over flow pipe-which connects back to the gutter system;

 

inserted a spigot in the bottom of the barrel; and

 

viola we have a rain barrel! We were totally amazed how quickly the barrel filled with water. Our new raised beds are in the back of the house near the rain barrel-so the water will be perfect for watering those plants.

When Granny was growing up-they didn't live close to a suitable source of water for washing clothes-so her mother saved rain water to do her washing with (there were 9 children-can you imagine the washing?). I recall David Templeton writing about his mother and sister's using rain water for washing clothes-and for washing their hair. What about you-ever saved rain water? What did you use it for?

Tipper

p.s. To read a great post about rain barrels-visit TennZen.