Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food

While there is quite an array of vegetables associated with cool or cold weather in the southern Appalachians, squash hold pride of place. When one thinks of squash, they basically fall into two categories—summer squash and winter squash. Both have long been important in the Appalachian diet. Native Americans introduced many members of the squash family to early settlers, and that was especially true of long-keeping winter squash such as pumpkins. As part of the traditional “three sisters” pattern of agriculture, pumpkins, cushaws, candy roasters and other “keeping” squash could, once established with a good start, pretty well look after themselves as they sprawled across a corn patch and used their large leaves and wide-ranging vines to hold most competing vegetation at bay. Winter squash furnished pies and breads as well as being eaten on their own. Summer squash (which have already been covered earlier) such as yellow crooknecks, zucchini and pattypans could be fried, stewed, used in soup mixes, served as a key ingredient in succotash and savored in other ways. For their part, winter squash enjoyed the distinct advantage of keeping well. When stored in a dark, cool root cellar or amid a bed of straw beneath a protective corn shock, they lasted well into winter or even into spring.

Squash formed frequent table fare for most Appalachian folks and were, along with “keeper” root crops, particularly important during the period from autumn’s first killing frost until the earliest greens became available the following spring. There were, however, a few other cold-hardy vegetables to be enjoyed for much of the fall—if, indeed, not on into winter. The recipes that follow offer a glimpse into this wide-reaching culinary tableau, and keep in mind that there are recipes for dessert or sweet preparations for many of the fall/winter foodstuffs in other chapters.

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A plow horse and a trio of women plant a field in potatoes. Courtesy of Hunter Library, Western Carolina University.

Combine water and chicken stock in a saucepot and add squash, potato and salt. Cook for about 45 minutes at a simmer until vegetables are soft. Mash vegetables with potato masher or spoon to desired consistency. Add cream and cook for 3 minutes. Goes wonderfully well with a cake of cornbread.

NOTE: This soup keeps very well in the refrigerator and is as good warmed up as when it was first made.

Cabbage is one of the relatively rare three-season vegetables (which can be grown or survive in the garden in every season except winter) in the Appalachians. From when it first becomes available in the spring onward, it looms large in regional diet. Cabbage heads keep well when harvested and last into summer if simply left in the garden, and second plantings for fall are possible throughout most of the region. Indeed, in the North Carolina mountains that are our homeland, cabbage has long been a traditional fall crop widely grown for market. When it comes to making coleslaw, one of the most common uses for cabbage, there are as many variations to the dish as there are stars in the sky. Here’s my simple version, one our family greatly enjoys.

Shred cabbage and place in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix desired amounts of sour cream and mayonnaise along with milk and sugar in a small bowl. I aim for twice as much mayonnaise as sour cream. Pour mixture over cabbage and toss well. Allowing the coleslaw to marry in the fridge for several hours improves the flavor.

TIP: Shredded carrots and finely minced onion can be added to this simple coleslaw recipe for additional flavor and color.

3 cups butternut squash, cooked and pureed (pumpkin and cushaw work equally well)

Combine the first six ingredients and mix well. Pour into a buttered baking dish. Combine the rest of the ingredients, incorporating butter until you reach a coarse-crumb consistency. Sprinkle mixture on squash puree and bake at 350 degrees until top is brown (about 25 to 30 minutes).

NOTE: This recipe can be used as a sweet side dish, much like a sweet potato casserole, or as a dessert.

This is a dandy recipe combining two winter vegetable stalwarts, squash and kale. Any type of winter squash can be used, but butternut squash works especially well. Amounts can vary depending on how many people you plan to serve.

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Tipper Pressley with an armload of winter squash. Corie Graddick.

Dice winter squash and sauté until tender in a mixture of butter and olive oil. Season to taste with salt, pepper and whatever other appropriate seasonings you enjoy. Once squash is tender—but not falling apart—remove from pan. Add a couple handfuls of chopped kale and cook for a few minutes. Additional butter or oil may be added before cooking kale if pan is quite dry. Once the greens are wilted, add the squash back to the pan and toss gently to combine the two.

TIP: This recipe makes a wonderful side dish to accompany most any meat or fish.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place cushaw on a large baking pan in one layer. Drizzle olive oil over cushaw and stir to coat. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 20 minutes. Take cushaw from oven and stir. Sprinkle cushaw with pepper, rosemary, garlic and Parmesan cheese. Put pan back in oven and bake until done, about 10 minutes longer.

Having been raised by parents who reached early adulthood in the depths of the Depression and for whom frugality was a byword, I’ve always been a staunch adherent to the “waste not, want not” school of thinking. That certainly applies to drying and saving seeds rather than buying them and to utilizing the garden’s bounty to its fullest. Other recipes in this collection deal with pumpkin flesh, but it’s a mistake to overlook the savory seeds inside this member of the winter squash family. The seeds are tasty and nutritious, and they make a fine snack.

To prepare pumpkin seeds, put them aside when you work up the pumpkin, and while it is roasting in the oven, separate the seeds from the stringy fiber to which they are attached. Save plenty for pumpkin planting in the next garden cycle (putting them in a small bag and storing them in the freezer assures viability) and then toast the rest.

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A batch of pumpkin seeds. Tipper Pressley.

To toast, lightly coat the cleaned seeds in cooking oil, spread them out atop a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt and place in a 375-degree oven. Toast until they begin to show a hint of brown and then remove. The seeds can be eaten whole or, if you have the patience, cracked and the kernel removed. I eat them whole and figure that along with the fine taste, I’m getting some fiber.

Easily grown in the home garden and readily available at the grocery store, acorn squash are much smaller than most types of winter squash (a single one is just right for two ample servings). This recipe is simple and requires little prep time.

With a sturdy butcher knife, cut each squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and pulp. Lightly score the flesh, being sure you don’t cut all the way through. Place the squash halves on a cookie sheet or in a baking dish. Place a pat of butter in each cavity and then pour the brown sugar over it. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until squash is tender. Serve hot as either a sweet vegetable dish or dessert.

TIP: Molasses, cane syrup, maple syrup or honey can be substituted for brown sugar.