Plate 1. Shmoo In The Cradle (Jonathan’s Pumpkin or White Cushaw), February 5, 2008. As a side note, this particular cushaw weighed in at 20.5 pounds. Now that’s prolific! — the editor Cushaw by Donny Heston Unsuspectingly, I took a packet of Jere Gettle’s white cushaw seeds and planted four hills, each a hoe-handle length…
Plate 1. Harvest-time maple leaves, Roark Mountain. October 5, 2008. Dried Fruit from How They Lived In The Ozarks by Chick Allen Chick Allen, fourth generation in the Ozarks — of Indian blood — was born in a log cabin on the James River. This is the story of the way the early Indians and…
Grandma Gwinn’s Ginger Bread by Joshua Heston I remember my great grandma, Lula [Benge] Gwinn, although she passed away when I was only four. She lived in all-but forgotten Leroy, Iowa, in a tiny, shingle-sided house surrounded by lilacs. Although she lived her whole life up in the rolling hills and hollers of Lucas County,…
Ozark Cooking by Joshua Heston I think it is darned near impossible to separate Ozark culture from Ozark cooking. And with culinary sensibilities long-inherited from a tradition best described as “Southern by way of the Cumberland Gap,” I’m happy to now preside as editor over this section. Berliner Pfannkuchen | Corn Bread | Cushaw Pumpkins…
Fried Morel Mushrooms by Joshua Heston & Dale Grubaugh Mushroom hunting can be tricky business. Not easy to find, rarely in the same place twice — and important not to confuse with poisonous toadstools — this is not a sport for the uninitiated. However, frying mushrooms is another story entirely. If you can fry bacon,…
Plate 1. War Eagle Cornbread, May 11, 2009. Corn bread by Joshua Heston You wouldn’t think that a simple cake — and it is more of a cake than a bread — would garner so much attention. Or come in so many varieties. Cornbread does. A staple of not only the Ozarks but rural America…
The George Kieffer Murals of the Fox Theatre by Joshua Heston In the old Fox Theatre — the Abundant Life Covenant Church since 1985 — on the Springfield Square, a series of murals celebrating the history of Springfield, Missouri, are displayed. The murals are the work of George Kieffer and each demonstrate his craftsmanship, his…
Plate 1. Crispy battered, flour-rolled okra. Few things make an Ozark summer better. Miss Shirley’s Fried Okra There is cornmeal-rolled fried okra. There is flour-rolled fried okra. And then there is Miss Shirley’s Fried Okra. This recipe calls for includes homemade pancake batter and a cast iron skillet, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Ingredients:…
Prologue to The Three Spheres by AJ Blanton The history of their connected worlds divide over the prejudice existing between the witches and humanoids. The treaty of the ancient rulers are broken due to an unsettling evil presence that has slithers its way into the minds of the humanoids. The people have become unwilling pawns…
Watermelon Fairy by Paul Thompson Jumping out of the cracked watermelon was this little tiny guy about the size of Farmer Fowler’s hand. He was funny looking! He had a green hat with a red feather sticking jauntily out of the hat. His face and legs were orange and his stomach was a big black…