Good morning to all, and we hope everyone is doing just great! Thanks for stopping back by to see us this morning.
Well, first off we took Deb yesterday and had her port put in to start chemo treatment next Wed., the 15th. She’s doing absolutely fine, and ready to start “kickin some butt!” She’s got the Doctor speaking in her terms now too, as the last thing he told her this past Monday was… “Let’s start kickin some butt!”
Deb just kinda rubs off on you if you’re around her much at all.
Anyway, this is where we’re at, and once again I can’t express how much your love, prayers and support have meant to her, and our entire family as well. Thank you all!
Well, ole Bonnie’s served up another column for you guys today. I begin to think I’m finally getting on the same wave length with her, and dern if she don’t chunk me another curve ball!
That woman is a mess, and not only IS she a mess, she knows she’s one too, and just loves it!
I was telling you guys a while back that she kept dropping lines about something called ramps, and shoot, I had no idea what she was talking about. Then I got to looking around, and sure enough, there are ramps and people love eating them.
Evidently Bonnie has now decided it’s time to further along my education into mountain vittles as she asks me about creasy greens and…poke sallet.
I purchased a book not far back called, “Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, and Scupperrnong Wine,” by Joseph E. Dabney, and published by Cumberland House Publishing, Inc.
I’ve talked about it prior to today, and stated how much I’ve enjoyed this thing, and I’m here to tell you once more, that this book is just a hoot to read. It’s very informative on Appalachian cooking and lore, and lists just a ton of recipes.
It has many little interviews with some of the elders in the area, and is filled with little quotations of the types of lives they lived, and their families before them. I find it really interesting and I’m sure many of you would as well.
Anyway, I had talked a little about this book before as I’d said, and going through the comment section of our site one evening, I come across this one from Mountain Gal herself…
Well, the ramp pudding was new to me. Shucky darn! Thought I’d had ‘em ever which way one could fix ‘em! We had ramps and ‘taters three nights ago. The Texans loved ‘em; Steve wouldn’t touch ‘em. I do double bag them when I freeze them just to make sure the odor doesn’t “escape” into the freezer. I have four ramp beds now. YEA!!!!
We used to have ramp festivals way back in the woods. One that we liked was on Devil’s Courthouse Creek Road up near the Blue Ridge Parkway. A bunch of friends and neighbors just got together, pitched a tent, and dug and cooked ramps for at least 3 or 4 days. Another way I like them is to fry out some good bacon, take it out of the pan, put freshly washed and cut up ramps in the drippings to tender them, then pour in a jar of tomatoes and let simmer for about five minutes. Meanwhile, you have a Dutch Oven of rice cooking on the campfire. Serve the ramps over the rice with a hunk of corn pone and it’s some mighty fine eating.
Okay Dub, so you now know all about ramps. A couple of months ago when it was still rather chilly up here I had a good bait of creasies. Does that book say anything about our famous creasy greens? How ’bout poke sallet?
I thought, Good Lord Bonnie’s baitin me up again!
Now I have to say that I was AWFULLY confused about the latter food she was referencing, and honestly was wondering what they must be drinkin up there in them mountains.
I Googled it up and they kept sending me to a dern porno site…sure did! Embarrassed me to know end!
I hollered down to Deb, and asked her to come up and look into this for me…and she did.
Well, in just a couple of seconds she looked at that site I was on, and then asked me why in the world had I Googled up such a site as this. I told her it was some type of food that Bonnie wanted to know if I had ever heard of??
She looked at the title of the dern porno site, then looked at the food Bonnie was asking me about, then Deb started shakin her head back and forth. I knew I’d done something but wasn’t sure quite what just yet??
Deb’s muttering to herself something about how’d she ever get hooked up with me in the first place, and then said “DUB…Bonnie’s asking about poke Sallet…NOT poke Sally!!” It WAS an honest mistake on my part though…hee, hee hee!
You guys really don’t think I did that…right?
POKE SALLET…yes ma’am, I have heard of that, and my Nanny Murphy used to eat this quite a bit. She was born and raised up around Huntsville, Ala. and Mom says they ate it quite a bit, though I personally have never eaten it. I always thought of it as “poke salad.”
I used to ask Mom why she didn’t fix it at all, and she always said she didn’t know how to fix it properly and it was poisonous.
This plant is poisonous if not cooked, and I’m guessing harvested correctly. How bout giving us the scoop on that end Bonnie, I’m sure everyone would like to learn about it, plus I may misquote. Also, I’d like to know how you cook it Bonnie.
But anyway, according to “Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, and Scuppernong Wine,” the word poke comes from the Algonquin Indian term pucone, while sallet comes from an ancient English expression referring to “a mess of greens.” Actually the British version comes from Latin sal-a spread of salted greens. Pg. 273
Here’s you a song about Poke Sallet…”Polk Sally Annie,” by Tony Joe White.
You can learn more about Poke Sallet here.
Creasy Greens. According to the book Bonnie, these are the first greens to appear…wild watercress, or more familiarly known as “creases,” “creasy greens,” “field cress,” or “cressies.”
Evidently these are a part of the many different varieties of the green family…watercress, mustard, lamb’s-quarter, dandelion, turnip, collard, poke sallet…
It also says that many cooks like to mix these different style greens up and “wilt” them by parboiling them a few times, and then frying them in bacon grease along with chopped onions, or ramps.
So thanks to Bonnie, I’ve been schooled once again by this Mountain Gal who lives up on her mountain with her husband, Steve. Thanks again Bonnie for all your contributions and help. We don’t know what we’d do without ya!
Quickly, I was informed the other day about a goof up I’d committed in regards to a young fellers name! I had spelled Dale’s grandsons name R…A…C…E. Well, he made it quite clear to me that this WAS NOT the correct spelling. The correct way is R…A…Y…C…E! With a Y!
I told him that they don’t spell Nascar Race that way, but I don’t think he cared how they spelled it! So, I apologize for my ignorance Mr. Rayce!
Deb and I had come home the other day, and he had been helping his grandpa down here. Just as soon as I got up on the porch, he nailed me over his name! I told him that was just what he should have done…if something ain’t right, then don’t just sit there with your mouth shut, Speak up!
After hearing him, I think he’s got the openin his mouth part down pat! Good for you, Rayce!
You guys have a super day today, and thanks for stopping by again.
God Bless you all, and as ole Deb says, “Keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!”
Dub and Deb