My Mountain Memories: Popcorn & Hee Haw

When I was little, my brother and I would spend the night with my Granny and Pa Holloway. We loved getting to stay over and always had a good time. Granny would usually cook one of our favorite suppers for us to enjoy...grannies are good like that. After a long day of quilt fort building and games, we'd settle in for the evening for my favorite thing: eating a big pot of popcorn and watching Hee Haw. 

I wasn't born until 1979, so I only got to enjoy the reruns. I remember my Granny telling me that her Daddy liked to watch it too. Grandpa Wilson (Granny's Daddy) died when I was 2 so I don't really have any memories of him but always loved that I got to enjoy something that I knew he liked too. My Pa liked the show more than my Granny and I always hoped that there would be something funny enough on the show to make him laugh until he lost his breath and slap his knee. He had one of those laughs that would get you tickled too. 

My favorite memories from Hee Haw are the "Pfft, You Were Gone" song, Archie Campbell telling the story of Rindercella, and Grandpa Jones' supper report. My son enjoys the show too and still asks, "Hey, Grandpa, what's for supper?" Here's a clip I found of Hee Haw's Rindercella over on YouTube if you've never seen it or would like to watch and laugh again. Roy Clark, Minnie Pearl, & Buck Owens will always evoke happy childhood memories for me.

My Pa was the official popcorn popper at my grandparent's house. He would take my Granny's big yellow pot (that she still has and I hope to have some day), pour in a little oil, heat it up, and pour in the popcorn. After he put the lid on, we'd all wait to hear that first little pop. He'd shake the pot around on the stove eye to keep the popcorn from burning and take it off the heat once the popping slowed down. What a treat! Even when we finally got a microwave, this was and is my favorite way to make popcorn. 

A couple of nights ago, my little family was watching a movie and I got a craving for popcorn but wanted something salty AND sweet. I decided to whip up a batch of Salted Caramel Popcorn. It's really not a hard recipe to make but will take a little time.

Salted Caramel Popcorn

• 1/2 c. popcorn kernels
• coconut oil or preferred oil for popping
• 3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 c. light corn syrup
• sea salt

Preheat oven to 300*. Add coconut oil to a large pot until there's enough to cover the bottom of your pot. Heat for a few minutes and add popcorn kernels. Place lid on pot and listen for the first kernels to begin popping. Slightly shake the pot back and forth over the stove eye until popping slows down and then remove from heat. I like to look through my popcorn and remove all unpopped seeds once it cools for a few minutes. In a saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and about 1 tsp of sea salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 4 minutes without stirring. While your caramel mixture boils, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. After the 4 minutes, remove from heat, pour, and mix the caramel over the popped corn. Once mixed, pour the covered popcorn onto your lined baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Place sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring the mixture every 10 minutes. Pour mixture onto parchment paper spread out on your counter until cooled. Enjoy!

 

Warning: Highly addictive! 

Please let me know if you get a chance to make this delicious sweet and salty snack! I'd also love to hear about any of your favorite memories of Hee Haw or spending the night with your grandparents. You can leave me a message down below in the comments section. And remember, if you ever lall in fove with a prandsome hince, be sure and slop your dripper! 

This post was originally published here on Appalachian Mountain Roots on 01/04/17.

Annie Watson: Mother Of A Legend

Do any of you happen to enjoy Appalachian based folk and country music? If so, do I have a story for you! I recently came in contact with a man named Stacy Thomas after he posted a video of his grandmother, Annie Watson, singing an old folk song. Take a listen to this recording that was made in 1969 when Mrs.Annie was 74 years old. 

The Churning Song (Come, Butter, Come)

Nancy Adina "Annie" Greene Watson was born in Watauga County NC on March 22, 1895. Her parents were George Washington Greene and Mary Elizabeth Greene. She was the third of nine children. In describing her childhood she said her family was very poor. "We could not afford a coal oil lamp so our only light of a night was from a stick of rich pine (fatwood) stuck in a crack inside the fireplace." 

At age 16 she met and married 19 year old General Dixon Watson. General soon built them a cabin on the Osborne mountain near Stony Fork, NC on land granted to his Great Grandfather, Thomas Watson, for his service in the Revolutionary War. 

Their lives were hard but no more difficult than everyone else in their small, close nit community. General worked at all sorts of jobs from sawmill to carpentry to cutting timber and of course farming his land while Annie kept up all the chores of keeping house and raising 9 children. 

They attended Mt Paran Baptist Church, some three miles from their home every Sunday. General was the "singing leader" for the congregation. General died of cancer in 1949. Annie never remarried and lived the rest of her life at the home place on the Osborne. She died in 1985 at the age of 89. 

Her sixth child, Arthel Lane Watson, better known as Doc Watson went on to a career in music. Watson's influential guitar playing and his singing of traditional Appalachian music won him seven Grammy awards including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2003. He was presented the National Medal of Arts Award in 1997 by President Clinton. 

Many of you will recognize the name, Doc Watson, especially if you're from NC. Every year, there is a festival called Merlefest in Wilkesboro, NC. It was hosted by Doc prior to his death and is named in memory and honor of his son, Eddy Merle Watson, who was killed in a farm tractor accident. 

Doc is pictured back row, second from right. 

Doc wasn't the only musician in the family. In 1963, he and several family members released an album, The Watson Family. It was re-released on Smithsonian Folkways on CD in 1990 with additional tracks from the 70s. (Source:Wikipedia)

I had read about the song that Mrs. Annie sang above in the first Foxfire book but had never heard anyone sing it. Now I can't get the tune out of my head! Do any of you remember hearing it? I've always been a fan of folk music, new and old. I know that the people who came to this country probably couldn't bring many possessions with them but thankfully, they were able to bring songs and their love of music. It is and I believe always will be a part of the Appalachian DNA. 

Appalachian Traditions: The Courting Dulcimer

I've been amazed at the things that I've dug up while researching some love related customs in Appalachia. This week, I'm going to tell you about a courting practice that involves an instrument: the courting dulcimer.

Photo credit: http://www.instrumentalsavings.com/

According the Encylopedia of Appalachia:

"In some parts of the region, especially in eastern Kentucky, a young couple might be allowed to visit without parental supervision if they played the "courting dulcimer," an Appalachian instrument possessing two fret-boards. As long as the nearby parents could hear both sets of strings being strummed, they could leave the couple unobserved, knowing that the young man and woman were properly preoccupied."

I don't know about you but now that my son is getting closer to a dating age (we call him Dude and he just turned 15), I think this is an EXCELLENT idea. Kidding...maybe. I really do think it's a romantic way to spend time with and get to know someone, don't you? You can go here to hear "Rosin the Beau" on the courting dulcimer.

I've always LOVED to listen to a dulcimer and I would love to learn to play one. For some reason, Celtic and folk music ballads can move me to tears. No words are necessary...the music speaks directly to my soul. 

Have you ever heard of the courting dulcimer? Do you have any pictures or family stories to share? Let me know in the comment section below. I read every single comment that y'all leave and I love hearing from you!

Childhood Memories: Popcorn and Hee Haw *Recipe for Salted Caramel Popcorn included.*

When I was little, my brother and I would spend the night with my Granny and Pa Holloway. We loved getting to stay over and always had a good time. Granny would usually cook one of our favorite suppers for us to enjoy...grannies are good like that. After a long day of quilt fort building and games, we'd settle in for the evening for my favorite thing: eating a big pot of popcorn and watching Hee Haw. 

I wasn't born until 1979, so I only got to enjoy the reruns. I remember my Granny telling me that her Daddy liked to watch it too. Grandpa Wilson (Granny's Daddy) died when I was 2 so I don't really have any memories of him but always loved that I got to enjoy something that I knew he liked too. My Pa liked the show more than my Granny and I always hoped that there would be something funny enough on the show to make him laugh until he lost his breath and slap his knee. He had one of those laughs that would get you tickled too. 

My favorite memories from Hee Haw are the "Pfft, You Were Gone" song, Archie Campbell telling the story of Rindercella, and Grandpa Jones' supper report. My son enjoys the show too and still asks, "Hey, Grandpa, what's for supper?" Here's a clip I found of Hee Haw's Rindercella over on YouTube if you've never seen it or would like to watch and laugh again. Roy Clark, Minnie Pearl, & Buck Owens will always evoke happy childhood memories for me.

My Pa was the official popcorn popper at my grandparent's house. He would take my Granny's big yellow pot (that she still has and I hope to have some day), pour in a little oil, heat it up, and pour in the popcorn. After he put the lid on, we'd all wait to hear that first little pop. He'd shake the pot around on the stove eye to keep the popcorn from burning and take it off the heat once the popping slowed down. What a treat! Even when we finally got a microwave, this was and is my favorite way to make popcorn. 

A couple of nights ago, my little family was watching a movie and I got a craving for popcorn but wanted something salty AND sweet. I decided to whip up a batch of Salted Caramel Popcorn. It's really not a hard recipe to make but will take a little time.

Salted Caramel Popcorn

• 1/2 c. popcorn kernels
• coconut oil or preferred oil for popping
• 3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 c. light corn syrup
• sea salt

Preheat oven to 300*. Add coconut oil to a large pot until there's enough to cover the bottom of your pot. Heat for a few minutes and add popcorn kernels. Place lid on pot and listen for the first kernels to begin popping. Slightly shake the pot back and forth over the stove eye until popping slows down and then remove from heat. I like to look through my popcorn and remove all unpopped seeds once it cools for a few minutes. In a saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and about 1 tsp of sea salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 4 minutes without stirring. While your caramel mixture boils, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. After the 4 minutes, remove from heat, pour, and mix the caramel over the popped corn. Once mixed, pour the covered popcorn onto your lined baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Place sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring the mixture every 10 minutes. Pour mixture onto parchment paper spread out on your counter until cooled. Enjoy!

 

Warning: Highly addictive! 

Please let me know if you get a chance to make this delicious sweet and salty snack! I'd also love to hear about any of your favorite memories of Hee Haw or spending the night with your grandparents. You can leave me a message down below in the comments section. And remember, if you ever lall in fove with a prandsome hince, be sure and slop your dripper!

Appalchian Bluegrass Gospel: Thank You Lord, For Your Blessings On Me

This gospel song was written by James Easter who is part of the group, The Easter Brothers. The Mount Airy, NC band was formed over 60 years ago. Other popular songs by this group are "The Darkest Hour" and "They're Holding Up The Ladder".

A friend of mine shared a couple of lines of this song on Facebook and it instantly made me smile. You see, my mom sang this song just about every morning that I can remember. We didn't have much growing up but my parents taught me to be thankful for what we did have. She passed away over 20 years ago and I hope she'd be proud that I'm trying to teach my son to be thankful for what he has too.

Thank You Lord, For Your Blessings On Me

Written by - James Easter and the Easter Brothers 1975

Copyright - LeFevre-Sing Publishing Co.

As the world looks upon me, as I struggle along

They say I have nothing, but they are so wrong

In my heart I'm rejoicing, how I wish they could see

Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me.

Chorus: There's a roof up above me

I've a good place to sleep

There's food on my table

And shoes on my feet

You gave me your love Lord 

And a fine family

Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me.

Now I know I'm not wealthy, and these clothes they're not new.

I don't have much money, but Lord I have you.

And to me that's all that matters, though the world cannot see

Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me.

Chorus: There's a roof up above me

 I've a good place to sleep

There's food on my table

And shoes on my feet

You gave me your love Lord

And a fine family

Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me.

Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me.

I hope all of you can find something to be thankful for this holiday and every day. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! 

Meet Willis Plott: Jaw Harp Musician

Willis Plott at the 2016 Mountain Heritage Festival

As I was walking around looking at the different demonstrations at the Union County Mountain Heritage Festival, I heard a very distinctive "boing-boing" sound coming from the 1861 John Payne Cabin. I knew I had to meet whoever was making that sound! 

Mr. Willis Plott is a man of many talents. He is very skilled at caning chairs, making baskets, and playing the jaw harp. After I introduced myself, Mr. Plott told me that he is from the Gumlog community of Towns County, GA. When asked how long he had been playing the jaw harp and he said, "Well, I'd say about 40 years. It's not as hard as you'd think." 

I didn't know a lot about the jaw harp so I was curious to find out more about the history of the instrument and it's role in Appalachian music. 

"The Jew’s harp (sometimes called juice harp or jaw harp) has been played in many cultures but is most closely associated with Europeans. In Appalachia, the instrument was traditionally played as both a solo and an ensemble instrument. The Jew’s harp is played by using the mouth cavity as a sound chamber and by plucking a reed positioned inside the body of the instrument. Most Jew’s harps found in Appalachia have been commercially manufactured out of metal." Encyclopedia of Appalachia

I bought one of the jaw harps that Mr. Plott had available and he gave me a few hints to help play it:

• Rest your upper and lower lips on the top and bottom of the frame and leave your teeth slightly apart.
• Pluck the harp while pushing or pulling. While the "tongue peace" is moving, breathe across the instrument while silently pronouncing A-E-I-O-U. This shows you how to create different sounds by changing the size and shape of your mouth.
• Breathing in different ways and moving your tongue slightly also changes the sound...just like whistling. You would think that you would need to hum but that isn't true. You simply breathe across the mouth piece. 

If you would like to purchase your own jaw harp, you can do so here. I'm sure I'll be hearing plenty of "music" as soon as my son figures out how to work mine! Is there anyone you know who plays the jaw harp?