Welcome to Food For The Southern Soul’s Blog. I will post pictures and comments from our travels, experiences and what I have learned in this wonderful land of ours. We are so fortunate in the South to have food and the people who create so close at hand. Please let me know your thoughts and ideas as we journey together.
February 2015
“In the late 20th century Americans turned to aromatic rice. Whether it was the earthy perfume of Basmati (popularized by health food stores as early as the 1970s) or the floral splendor of Jasmine (made popular by the Thai restaurant boom of the 1980s), diners began ordering rice that excited the nose. Until this change in taste, Americans preferred non-aromatic rices–rices whose wholesome texture, ability to marry disparate flavors in Jambalayas and perloos, and subtly of flavor permitted them to be consumed day after day. Carolina Gold Rice was the non-aromatic standard for over a century. At the end of the 20th century Dr. Buford Merle Shepard of Clemson University and Dr. Gurdev Kush of IRRI collaborated in breeding an aromatic version of Carolina Gold. Using old school pedigree breeding techniques they created a short stature gold hulled rice with the traditional plush mouth feel of Carolina Gold, yet with the fragrance of an East Indian cool weather rice. Dr. Anna McClung refined the plant until it produced stable seed. The result was Charleston Gold, a splendid and productive rice that has been embraced by Lowcountry cooks requiring a grain that can hold up to heavily spiced dishes.”
January 2015
It’s that time again ~ the 32nd Annual Lowcountry Oyster Festival at Boone Hall! Sunday January 25th. Gates open at 10am. Not an oyster fan?? You’re in luck! The BlackJack Barbecue BIG RED RIG will be parked and ready to serve up our award-winning pulled pork ‘cue.
Remember, in addition to be tons of fun, this event raising funds for some of our favorite nonprofits ~ The Ronald McDonald House, Hollings Cancer Center, Charleston County Schools Science Materials Resources and Hospitality Heroes. Eat your fill of oysters and barbecue and support some fabulous organizations? That’s a power win all the way around!
At Food for the Southern Soul, 2015 is off to a stellar start! Thanks to all our loyal customers who chose our gift boxes as your go-to holiday gifts this year. We know your friends and family will enjoy our handmade products in the coming weeks.
We’re gearing up for big changes in 2015 including new products, new labels and new adventures. We can’t wait to start our year at Big Rock East in Raleigh ~ one of the largest sporting trade shows in the country ~ January 9-11th. As the only food distributor invited to attend, we can’t wait to spread a taste of the South, and we’re sure our Wild Game Marinade will rock their world!
Please check back in regularly for all the goings on at Food for the Southern Soul ~ you don’t want to miss a thing! As always, mention “#getyourcueon” when ordering products on our website and receive a 10% discount on your total order.
Cheers to 2015!
March 2014
White vs Yellow Stone-ground Grits
Customers ask me all the time which of the two color grits is better. In my experience, the taste differential is minimum. Yellow and White corn that is milled into cornmeal and grits have similar properties. But when presented on the plate with beautiful shrimp at supper or with eggs and bacon for breakfast, the discerning chef may choose the grits based purely on color and how it relates to the other items on the menu. Many people who were raised on white instant grits choose yellow stone-ground grits because now there is a choice. For those who can’t make up their mind, we offer Mixed Stone-ground Grits. Below are several recipes for cooking them from the traditional recipe to creamy and even an overnight crock pot recipe. See if you can find the secret ingredient. Let us know how you like it.
A Southern Tradition
A true Southern favorite, our stone-ground grits contain the nutritious heart of the grain, which is slowly ground on granite mill stones for the finest quality product. This time-honored process guarantees Charleston Favorites freshly ground grits have the delicious taste and rich texture that have been a Southern tradition for decades. To protect product integrity, store in the refrigerator or freezer as our grits contain no preservatives or additives.
Cooking Directions
Classic Southern Grits – Pour measured amount of grits into a bowl. Cover with water and stir. Drain off excess water and the floating chaff and hulls. Add rinsed grits and salt to 3:1 ratio of boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently. Add additional 1 part water at this time when grits have thickened and stir for correct consistency. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Servings Grits Water Salt
4 ½ cup 2 cups ½ tsp
8 1 cup 4 cups 1 tsp
Charleston Creamy Grits: Follow Classic Southern Grits recipe and use ½ part soda water and ½ part cream or milk during last 10 minutes of cooking time.
Slow Cooker (Crock Pot) Stoneground Grits
Serves 10
Use your slow cooker to create delicious and creamy grits. They cook while you sleep and are ready for breakfast the next morning.
Ingredients
• 2 cups Charleston Favorites Stoneground Grits
• 6 cups boiling water
• 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
• ½ cup club soda
• ½ cup whole milk
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. Lightly spray inside of a 6-quart crockpot with cooking spray.
2. Pour measured amount of grits into a bowl. Cover with water and stir. Drain off excess water and the floating chaff and hulls
3. Stir together rinsed grits, salt and hot water in the crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.
4. Remove lid. Stir in the club soda and whole milk until the grits are an even consistency.
5. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
February 2014
Charleston Gold in the Field
by David F. Shields
The Rice Paper Carolina Gold Rice Foundation Newsletter Spring 2012
n April of 2011 Charleston Gold Rice, the
aromatic offspring of classic Carolina Gold,
received approval for production growing—in
time for planting in the 2011 growing season. The
USDA approved the variety name, and The CGR
Foundation released seed for cultivation. The
product of 10 years of breeding and refining by
Foundation board member and Clemson
University scientist Merle Shepard and rice
breeder Gurdev Kush, with growouts overseen by
Dr. Anna McClung, Charleston Gold combines
the classic gold hulls and wholesome mouth feel
of Carolina Gold, with the short stature, disease
resistance and productivity of two important
modern rice strains. Heeding the global turn in
taste toward aromatic rice, Shepard and Kush
insured that the grain would have an earthy
fragrance similar to that of the best Indian rices.
The qualities immediately attracted growers.
Its qualities attracted Jimmy Hagood to enter for
the first time into rice planting. Proprietor of
Food for the Southern Soul and an award-winning
Barbecue pit master, Hagood visited with
members of the Foundation Board who offered
seed and assistance on the project. The crop at
Lavington Farms on the Ashepoo River, an
ideal rice habitat, proved productive and
vigorous. At harvest time, CGR Foundation board
members again stepped in to assist Jimmy
Hagood and his crew in the harvest, milling, and
packaging of the crop. Since both Glenn Roberts
and Campbell Coxe had grown the variety, they
knew first hand Charleston Gold’s qualities in the
field and in the mill. [See Jimmy Hagood’s
account of working with Charleston Gold below]
At harvest time the news of the splendid crop of
Charleston Gold found a ready audience in the
meeting of The American Food Journalists
Association at Middleton Place. Dr. Merle
Shepard spoke to the assembly of the creation of
the variety. The food writers had the opportunity
to see for themselves the splendors of the new
rice. The Charleston Post & Courier
underscored the importance of the rice’s
introduction in a feature article dated October 15,
2011.
The most concrete measure of the success of a
new introduction is its appearance on the market.
Bringing Gold to Charleston
By Jimmy Hagood
The Rice Paper Carolina Gold Rice Foundation Newsletter Spring 2012
Here are some of my thoughts from the
experiences the Hagood Family had with the
Carolina Gold Rice Foundation, Charleston Gold
Rice and working with you, Glenn Roberts and
Merle Shepard. We began speaking with Glenn in
March 2008. I have known Glenn for the past 10
years, through the Southern Foodways Alliance
and Carolina Gold Rice Foundation. He has
always been so encouraging and helpful by
assisting our family with the various aspects of
planting, harvesting, milling and reaching the
market with a finished product. In our discussion
in the early years, we were hesitant to begin the
process. My father, Ben Hagood, was very
concerned about committing our inland ricefields
for rice harvest. Over the past 15 years we have
reclaimed these historic fields for growing corn
and millet and then flooding to support the wood
duck and teal population. Our upper field is used
as a reservoir especially in drought years. This
would have been the field designated for growing
CGR.
Beginning in 2011 our discussions resumed and
what became apparent was the new strain,
Charleston Gold Rice, would be well suited to
plant in our lower field, the field that we drain
each year after duck season and then plant with
corn in the spring and flood in the fall. Because
the Charleston Gold Rice is planted in dry conditions this
seemed to be a perfect fit. After Glenn, Merle and
David visited our farm in January 2011, we began
taking the steps for planting in late spring. We
received shipment of the seed in late April and by
mid-May we planted 4 acres of ChasGR. The
field is predominately peat and we are able to
keep most of these 80 acres moist by maintaining
water in the perimeter and center canal
throughout the summer. By late September the
crop was in very good condition. We began
harvest in the second week of October. We
learned that the AC 72 pull combine was difficult
to use in the peat and moist soil. We even spent a
day harvesting by hand with 6 men. Once the
larger combine was secured the remaining plots
were harvested in one day. In the 4 acres we sent
8000 lbs to Anson Mills and Campbell Cox for
milling. The yield was approx 4500 lbs. We are
now marketing this crop as the 2011 Lavington
Farms Charleston Gold Aromatic Rice. We have
distributed this product in 1# bags to most
grocery stores in the Lowcountry. We have also
sold in bulk to many local restaurants through GrowFood Carolina.
See our product label that we developed and
contracted Clay Rice, the grandson of Carew rice.
This family have been silhouette artists in
Charleston for 3 generations.
We are excited about continuing our relationship
with the Carolina Gold Rice Foundation, Anson
Mills and others to produce the 2012 ChasGR and future
crops. We have learned a tremendous amount in
the past 12 months and look forward to farming
this year’s crop. Thank you to all that has made
this possible for the Hagood Family and
Lavington Farms.
December 2013
Cane Syrup Day : This is an annual event where my uncle, friends and interested bystanders gather to celebrate the authentic sugarcane harvest, squeezing its juice and cooking for hours until the juice thickens to syrup. It is a remarkable time for working, telling stories and tasting a product that truly transformed the worlds diet centuries ago by adding the sweetness of cane sugar to all cultures of the Americas and Europe. Below are pictures of the event and ways to use cane syrup in our cooking today.
The cane is harvested after the first frost, usually in mid November, and is stored in a cool dry place until the first week of December – our usual cane syrup making time. Blue Ribbon cane is our varietal choice.
The cane is then pressed through two turning barrels that are powered by our tractor. This juice is filtered through several layers of t-shirts and burlap to screen out woody particles from the cane stalk.
A very hot fire of pine sap wood is started after 80 gallons of juice is poured in our cast iron kettle that dates back to the 1800’s. It was made in a foundry in Savannah, Ga. The juice begins to swirl after thirty minutes.
Our hand-made tools make the cooking process easier. There are skimmers that remove the impurities that rise to the surface and cooling pots whose bottoms have punched holes to aerate and cool the juice when the boil reaches the top of the outer cooking ring.
When the juice thickens and begins to drip slowly from the pan we know that the process is working.
Friends and family gather to see how its going but mostly to socialize and ask questions like “when will it be ready to take home”.
After 5 hours of cooking and reaching the perfect amber color and thickness, we pour through linens to filter the finished product.
80 gallons of juice yields 8 gallons of syrup…truly a labor of love.
I have found cane syrup to be versatile in recipes ranging from wild game marinades, glazing a grilled tenderloins, sauteing shrimp and even in a vinaigrette salad dressing. But it truly takes on ethereal qualities on cornbread and pancakes.
May 2013
May is always very busy. This year the Big Red Rig was on the road across the South. Louis Hassell and I drove to Memphis in May to attend the World Barbecue Cooking Championship, the Super Bowl of Swine. We were joined by sons of my Sewanee roomates and we struck a pose on top of the Rig.
We cooked for two business groups at our site location, including Collier Insurance Co. who has sponsored us for the past 12 years. They always have a surprise visitor and this yearit was the Memphis Griz, the mascot of the NBA team who were in the playoffs at the time.
Not only do we cook for hundreds of people, we also enjoy eating at some of Memphis’ unique joints.
