• “Cymlings”

    According to culinary historian Michael Twitty, cymlings “have a special place in early African American history as they were one of the few squash commonly grown and consumed by the enslaved community.” And certainly this recipe hails from a plantation where that fact is relevant. “The Plains” (also known as Ophan’s Gift, demolished in 1958)…

  • PawPaw Cream Pie

    Update: Go to this post for a better recipe or Pawpaw Pretzel Pie I made this pie twice this year. Once with very ripe fruit and once with the ripebut firm and white flesh seen above. I strongly recommend the latter. If you are lucky enough to find some farmed paw-paws then this pie will…

  • Tomato Catsup

    What does one do if they have too many tomatoes and no plans for an afternoon? Must be time to make a condiment. Catsup, Ketchup… most people think tomatoes when they think of ketchup. In truth, the Tomato is a newcomer to the ketchup game, with previous recipes involving anything from walnuts to mushrooms to…

  • Steaming Crabs

    Crab season is finally in full swing for those of us who cling to the ‘late-summer through Thanksgiving is crab season’ principle. In my opinion, September is a great time to enjoy crabs because the weather is usually amazing, the last of the corn and watermelon are demanding to be eaten, and the frenzy of…

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    Old Wye Mill Spoon Bread

    Recently, en route to Chincoteague, we made a stop at the “Old Wye Mill” in Wye Mills. We arrived just as this historic mill was winding into production, producing the week’s run of corn meal, grits or flour. This mill has been “nearly continuously grinding grain since 1682,″ and nearly a century after that produced…