Farming Heroes by Joshua Heston Truck patches were special things, ripe with humidity, a hard sun and an occasional rattlesnake. Looking like nothing so much as a great big garden patch, truck patches filled with the everyday vegetables of the Ozarks — for picking, eating… and selling. There is cultural heritage — and then there…
Orchards by Joshua Heston Except for wild plums and black cherries (which don’t exactly grow in orchards anyway), fruit trees were originally imported. Peaches, originally bred in Asia, became a symbol of the Old South…and of Central Missouri as well. More than one summertime tourist to the Ozarks could not pass up the appeal of…
Growing Food by Joshua Heston Arkansas peaches. Missouri vineyards. Strawberry pickin’. Turnip greens. Summertime tomato canneries. Late fall apples. Think about how much fruits and vegetables are associated with old times, old-fashioned ways, and, of course, the Ozark hills. StateoftheOzarks’ Food Growin’ section is established to remember the old days when we actually knew from…
Joe Benjamin by Joshua Heston Pen and ink artist, Joe Benjamin, is not only extraordinarily talented, but also one of the nicest of folks you’ll ever hope to meet. Five of Joe Benjamin’s 17 Silver Dollar City craftsmanship awards. Photo credit: J. Heston He and his wife, Janice, moved to Branson from the Quincy, Illinois,…
Will Mayfield College by Clint Lacy The Will Mayfield College stands as a symbol of a once prosperous era for Marble Hill, Missouri. The small town of approximately 1500 people serves as the Bollinger County seat which lies in the Eastern Ozark foothills of Southeast Missouri. “The area that would eventually become known as Marble…
Ozark Easter by Dale Grubaugh Howdy folks! It’s Easter and this here is my story: Easter was always a big time at our house when I was a youngin’. All the city kinfolk would come for the weekend. There would be lots of food and fun. We kids would help color the boiled eggs and…
Heritage Chickens by Joshua Heston I was reading a blog about a rural Arkansas road trip and discovered my chickens. They weren’t actually my chickens. They would not, for example, recognize me if we were to meet. But they looked just like my chickens. It was a little surprising. You see, I have some heritage…
Lessons on the Mountain by Joshua Heston There was once a time when you could scarcely keep me out of the timber. These days, the rigors of editor-in-chief keeps me close to the studio and desktop. For the last couple of years, I’ve kicked myself for not getting out to the mountain in early spring,…
…A Country Summer’s Death by Joshua Heston Monday night I drove back from Arkansas late. The air was warm, blustery, the moon waxing. It felt like summer, but different. The breeze was sharp, then soft, then sharp. Fitful, as though uncertain. Thickened oak leaves shivered and the dust billowed from the gravel road. I reached over and cranked…
Been thinkin’ about… A Magical Halloween Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. For me, Halloween was a week of spookiness complete with a trip to the dime store for candy and picking out a mask, then home to scare my big sisters (who were often obliging enough to pretend to be frightened).After sunset…