Memories, recipes, and Tales of an Appalachian Boy.
It’s really warmed up the last few days around East Tennessee, where I live today. We went up to mom & dad’s this morning and found mom in the garage splitting kindling. When I refer to mom & dad in the present day, it’s really Mick’s parents. We asked her what in the world she was doing making more kindling. She said it was such a nice warm day, she thought she would get it done. She has a room in the garage that she spends time in with her cats, listens to a basketball game on the radio sometimes, and keeps a fire in the stove from October to March. In the house, they have central heat, but she builds a fire in the garage every day. Even when it snows, she will clear a path to the garage and build a fire so she can warm up from being out in the snow…. clearing that path. It makes her happy, so as long as she can do it, she will and we will look on in wonderment.
The drive up was beautiful. The fields are all clear, but not yet turned over. It won’t be long before they are prepared for corn, tomatoes, soybeans, and maybe some tobacco. I saw bundles of tomato stakes at one farm as we drove by. Some of the fields are beginning to green up. You can see forever to the ridges in the distance. Daffodils are popping up in the front yards of long ago abandoned shacks. I imagine some of these were once vibrant homes of sharecroppers. I wish I had gotten a picture of one we drove past. The roof was beginning to collapse, the porch steps almost gone, but in an almost perfect row were the daffodils standing tall and bright yellow. Hope rising, as decay reclaims timbers to the soil.
Dad has already turned the garden once. He is waiting for another snow so it will add some nitrates to the soil. They were talking about getting some cabbage out soon. They do grow some of the most beautiful cabbage. Mom knows I like to make cole slaw, so they put out some just to give us. I always prefer to use fresh cabbage instead of pre-shredded and bagged. I think it makes all the difference in the world. When you shred fresh cabbage, it releases much more flavor into the slaw.
Mary showed me how to make cole slaw many years ago and over time I developed my own recipe. I keep it simple. I don’t add carrot or onion, although many do. I stick with traditional cabbage, but if you want to add purple cabbage, it’s entirely up to you. As I said, I keep it simple, and the recipe is a simple formula:
1 head of cabbage
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup soured milk (mix 1/2 milk and 1/2 vinegar) You could also use buttermilk
1/4 cup of sugar
salt & pepper to taste
I shred the cabbage on what Mary called the ole knuckle buster, toss it into a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. I taste it after it is mixed and add whatever is needed for taste. Sometimes it’s a little more salt, sometimes more vinegar, and sometimes more sugar. I like the blend of tangy and sweet, with that bite of fresh cabbage. Then I like to let it set for a couple of hours in the fridge.
![]() |
The ole knuckle buster, as Mary would call it. It’s quick and easy to use. I prefer it over a food processor for shredding the cabbage. |
![]() |
Got all my ingredients together. I usually sour the milk first and let it sit while I shred the cabbage. |
![]() |
Mix well and adjust for taste. |
Memories, recipes, and Tales of an Appalachian Boy.