Wildflower Kitchen

08/27/2023

Goals!

❤

08/20/2023

It’s that time of year, when most folks start thinking about pumpkin spice and everything nice, but folks ‘round here got something different on their minds! It’s boiled peanut season! 🥜

From necessity to delicacy. A southern staple.

The peanut originates from South America however, it was quite a while before it actually made its way to American soil. The Portuguese took the plant over to Africa somewhere around the 1500’s, where it then became a culinary staple. It was brought to the colonies aboard slave ships where it was then introduced on the plantations of the south. they did what they had to do conserve the excess crop. They boiled them in salt to preserve them.

During the American Civil War many letters, journals and memoirs spoke of the “Goober Pea” and how it saved the lives of many of the soldiers in the fields. food was scarce and peanuts were available, they were roasted and boiled around campfires to keep their bellies full. They used peanuts for much more than a source of nutrition, because they were plentiful, the oil was used for machinery and other purposes.

During the early 1900’s the scrumptious snack took off and was served at southern weddings in the fall months, they were considered quite fashionable among party’s and large events! Boiling peanuts then spread across the south from Virginia to Florida and by the 1920s peanuts were considered a major crop by farmers.

Though many like them crunchy, us southerners know the true delicacy that lies in it’s boiled goodness. It is an acquired taste and not all enjoy the texture, I feel sorry for those folks, lol! There’s something that truly smells like home when you get a pot rollin’.

Many enjoy them in plain salt while others like to spice it up. These beauties were purchased at Food Pride of Grifton, a local grocery store that has made the lives of our citizens much easier and has been a saving grace. We also purchase them from King’s Produce off Highway 11 where Mr. King and his crew keep many folks in the surrounding area stocked with the freshest produce around.

I boiled them for a couple hours and let them sit and soak in the flavors. the longer they sit the better they are. Once boiled you can can them or freeze to enjoy them all year long!

08/17/2023

The muscadine grape is known as America’s first grape. In 1584, one of the first things that the first explorers sent to the New World by Sir Walter Raleigh observed on Roanoke Island was that the land was overflowing with grapes. What the explorers saw was probably the agricultural work of the local Croatoans. These grapes undoubtedly provided sustenance for the early settlers of the Lost Colony.

Roanoke Island is home to the oldest known grapevine in the United States. This four-hundred-year-old scuppernong “Mother Vine” has a trunk two feet thick and once stretched across half an acre.

The muscadine grape is a nutritional powerhouse. Like many intensely colored fruits, vegetables, and berries, the muscadine grape is a rich source of polyphenols. The skins and seeds of muscadine grapes are particularly rich in the polyphenolic compound resveratrol, which has been studied for its anti-oxidant benefits in numerous diseases, including cancer and heart disease. However, many of the health benefits of the muscadine have been linked to other polyphenolics, including ellagic acid. A recent study at NC State University found that a compound contained in muscadines, green tea, and chocolate may inhibit the Covid-19 virus!

Native Americans dried wild muscadine grapes long before European explorers discovered the continent. They used the grapes not only as a food source but also as a source of blue dye. More recently, muscadine grapes have made their way into pies and jellies and the southern favorite, muscadine wine.

Muscadine and Scuppernong grapes are different than most grapes you can buy from the store. Their taste is so unique and sweet. They have a tough skin and large seeds. You can pop the skin and get the juicy flesh out, beware of the large seeds! It’s a pastime I will never forget, walking with my daddy to go out dove hunting in early September and stop for a sweet treat along the wood line of a field. They are commonly known as “fox grapes” or “possum grapes”.

What’s your favorite memory of these historic and magical tasty vines? 🍇🍷

08/17/2023

It’s been a while my sweet friends! So many things have been happening in life lately, the loss of my mother, her fight with Pancreatic cancer, and so many community happenings that I am involved in along with being a wife, mama, sister and daughter. with that said, I am excited to focus on the things in life that make me happy and will be shining more light of my ”Wildflower” heart. 🌻🌿🤍

12/05/2022

Braxton has a little cough, I realized I didn’t have any medicine, so this mama used what she had on hand. This homemade cough syrup is awesome! He’d been coughing every 10-20 seconds and I haven’t heard him cough since taking some.

1/2 cup water 💧
1/2 cup honey 🍯(raw organic is best but I only had regular on hand)
About a teaspoon of grated ginger
A tablespoon or so of lemon juice. 🍋

In a small saucepan heat honey and water as the honey is thick and will mix together easier * DO NOT bring to a boil as you will deplete the honey of it Antibacterial properties*

In a jar add your lemon juice and ginger. Once the honey and water is incorporated, mix together in the jar. 🫙

1 TBS for adults and 1 TSP for children every 4-6 hours as needed.

This cough syrup will last a couple weeks in the refrigerator.

11/24/2022

You lose about half your eggs when peeling them? Making your deviled eggs look like they’ve been pecked by their mamas 😂. I get so mad because of it. Well look no further for the perfect peeled egg. You will thank me later. All you need is a jar. Put boiled egg in and give it a good shake. The shell peels off in one piece!

10/30/2022

What is a collard?

The collard green originates from Greece but was picked up in Southern Africa and brought to the colonies with its culture. the green was stewed down in a “pot likker” boiled until tender in along with salted pork. Slaves used scraps from the plantation home kitchen to feed themselves and adapted their way of cooking the greens to what they were given, thus using the “undesired” portions of smoked and cured meats. It was brought into the plantation homes by the plantation slave cooks who used their way of cooking to feed the family. It became a southern staple that has comforted the homes of millions. The “pot likker” is sure to cure was ails you, I’ve dipped a many a cup while having a cold and it was so soothing! Containing many vitamins and nutrients, you are sure to feel better after a cup.

Below is a step by step to cooking some delicious cabbage collards that are sure to stick to your bones.

1. Start the pot! In a good amount of chicken broth, tenderize your meat. This pot is accompanied with smoked neck bones and a country ham bone preferrably using Streak of Lean but the Piggly Wiggly was out. Bring this to a good roaring boil for about 30 mins while we prepare the collards.

2. Clean the collards good! They are a green so the attract the worst of pests! Soak them, swat them in the palm of your hand or “spank” them as I said when I was a child and pull the stem away from the leafy flesh, soaking them once more for good measure.

3. Once the collards are clean, dump them in with the meat still boiling. Cover and boil until tender. The collards will be a lighter green at first once they get tender they will be a deep green. Please note, they will cook down so to feed a larger family, you will need a “mess”!

4. Once cooked till tender, you will need to separate the meat from the collards. After this , using a colander and a large bowl spoon the collards out and strain. You do not want to dump them, with grease and anything they could possibly be left behind, it will settle to the bottom. You do not want to mix this with your delicious collards!

5. Chop it up! Chop with using a collard chopper, some like them more whole and some like them fine, I like mine in the middle. Chop them and serve with any of your favorite meats such as ham, chicken, barbecue.

These greens are sure to be a hit for any meal

09/13/2022

Love this!

08/23/2022

Did you know that Rose of Sharon is not only a beautiful addition to your garden, it’s also used in medicine and in the kitchen. Today we are focusing on its medicinal properties.

Medicinally, Rose of Sharon's flower buds contain mucilage, a gooey medicinal compound made of polysaccharides, found in most species of the mallow family. Mucilage can be used to heal burns, wounds, gastric ulcers and internal and external inflammation and irritation, such as sore throats or urinary tract infections. It also aids in controlling high blood pressure, a great source of vitamin C, Crohn’s disease and IBS. Externally, it aids in soothing eczema, psoriasis, acne and more.

This is a tincture made with 40% alcohol. Fill the jar, cover with vodka (you can use any spirit of your choice, vodka is a neutral) and store in a cabinet for 6-8 weeks taking out and shaking it a few times a week.

Use about a teaspoon daily for ailments.

08/21/2022

I find this quite interesting. THEY think we are stupid, not all walk blindly in this country!

08/21/2022

How many of you just love a good ole pot of collards? Collards feel like home to me as I’m sure they do to a lot of you.

I remember the best collards being served in my mama’s kitchen and my grandmama’s kitchen. This afternoon me and my husband stopped by Mr. King’s produce stand and bought these beautiful collards. It’s rainy and cloudy so we thought they would be a welcome side to the beef tips and gravy we decided on.

This time of year it takes a little longer to cook these leafy greens and it is preferred to have them after a frost hits them. The frost converts the starches into sugars making them sweeter to the taste, it also restructures the cells making them more tender.

I am boiling my collards with chicken stock and also a fresh piece of streak of lean. Cant wait for these to be ready!