Tracy McCoy
Publisher/Editor
706-982-9197
Cindi Freeman Manager | Marketing
706-982-0216
Melynda Hensley Marketing | Graphics
706-970-0765
D’Anna Coleman
Assistant Manager Graphics
706-782-1600
Lucas McCoy Graphics | Writing
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A Note from Me to You,
Oh the sights and sounds of Christmas! I don’t care how close kin you are to Scrooge, the right combination of holiday music, the warm scents of pine, oranges and cinnamon and the twinkling lights of the tree are enough to make you celebrate. The holidays are always a time for families to gather. The wonder in a child’s eyes when they get a glimpse of Santa and see the tree loaded with gifts is magical.
The opportunity to share the world’s greatest gift, the birth of a Savior, with your children and family is the ultimate joy of Christmas. Our children need to hear about Jesus so take the time to make sure your children know what this holiday is really about. Thinking about all of the gifts you could give them, an introduction the one who loves them most is the best a parent can offer.
Our wish for you is a Christmas of joy and contentment. Jump into the season with both feet, decorate the house and yard, hum those songs you grew up singing, make this Christmas special for someone else, adopt a family, prepare a meal for someone in need and make this a special holiday!
Don’t miss the story on our cover artist Angela Bawden, her gallery is Soul Intention Gallery and you should visit, you’ll be glad you did. Don’t forget about Clayton’s Christmas Parade and please stay till the end because there’ll be something new and very special this year. Spread the word!
Merry Christmas sweet friends and Happy New Year too!
TracyDECEMBER 2024 | VOLUME TWENTY-ONE | ISSUE TWELVE
Writers & Contributors: Peter McIntosh, Victoria (Tori) Carver, Lorie Thompson Pastor Michael Rogers, John Shivers, Liz Alley Dick Cinquina, Susan Cookson, MD, MPH, FACP, R. Mark Holloway
Mark your calendar for the Rabun County Christmas Parade
Saturday December 7th at 5:30 PM on Main Street Special surprise ending, so stick around so you don’t miss it! Spread the word!
On Our Cover: Angela Bawden Her Soul Intention is Rich and Meaningful
Tracy McCoy
Angela Bawden, a native of Utah, grew up surrounded by the vibrant world of art. With a father like DJ Bawden, an accomplished sculptor, and grandparents who were artistic—a woodcarver grandfather and a sketch artist grandmother—it’s no wonder that Angela was destined for creativity. Combine her inherent talent with years of exposure, and you’ve got an extraordinary artist on your hands.
As one of fourteen children, Angela shares her artistic passion with several siblings. Fast forward to today, where she has a blended family including three daughters, and a son. Their story includes a significant leap of faith, but before diving into her current journey, let’s explore how she got to where she is now.
In high school, Angela enjoyed drawing but didn’t pick up a paintbrush until her twenties. Her first painting was a mural she created for her daughter’s room in her home, which sparked her love for painting. This newfound passion resulted in Angela quickly became recognized as a mural artist, transforming walls and windows for local businesses. The process involved scaling scaffolding and spending countless hours on each piece. It was physically demanding, involving a lot of reaching and bending, so Angela decided to focus more on her family and pivot her career into the artist she is today.
Building a home studio allowed Angela to create what she wanted, not just what was commissioned. For her first painting on canvas she followed along with Bob Ross. Though being a full-time artist proved challenging, the fulfillment she gained was unparalleled. In 2015, her work found a home in a local gallery, marking the official birth of Angela Bawden Art.
With her work now in the public eye, art enthusiasts and collectors began to take notice, and her career took off, turning her dreams into reality. However, the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic brought significant changes. Galleries were forced to close their doors, leading to a decline in sales, but Angela found herself spending more time in her home studio, which allowed her to build her inventory. Her deep-rooted dream of owning her own gallery felt more urgent than ever, as her passion for artistic expression and love of animals consumed her.
This next chapter is a story of divine orchestration. Derek and Angela felt a pull towards the Appalachian mountains and set off exploring western North Carolina. With her Scot-Irish roots, Angela felt a connection to the area. They traveled in an RV, embarking on a five-week journey of prayer and exploration that took them through Georgia on the way to the mountain communities of western North Carolina. After spending a little over a month exploring North Carolina, both Angela and Derek felt drawn back to Georgia. They came back to the Peach
State and began researching the area. They discovered Rabun and, more specifically, Clayton and they just knew. The area felt right, and although owning a gallery was just a dream, sometimes God’s plans unfold faster than we anticipate.
While exploring Clayton, they found a lovely space on Main Street that once housed Cage Free Boutique. They took a moment to kneel in the center of the building and prayed. Eventually, they purchased the space, turning Angela’s dream into reality with the launch of Soul Intention Gallery. The gallery, blessed and surrounded by prayer, exudes a welcoming energy. Angela didn’t want a high-end “boujee” gallery; her mission is to make art accessible to everyone. While her original pieces are priced accordingly, she also offers Giclée prints on canvas and fine art prints starting at just $20. Remarkably, Derek crafts the canvases, adding floating frames that enhance her artwork. The couple forms a wonderful team, warm and inviting to all.
Angela’s artistic range is impressive; she works with oils, acrylics, inks, plasters, polymers, resin, and gold leaf, often blending several mediums into a single piece. When I asked if she starts with a clear vision for her artwork, she explained that she does, but each painting seems to take on a life of its own, evolving as she creates. As she works, she might add plaster or gold leafing over layers of oil and acrylic, showcasing a unique process where she feels like both a facilitator and an active participant. Her art is intentional, characterized by a remarkable blend of detailed realism and abstract elements that defy simple description. With her roots in mural painting, Angela’s gallery features large, breathtaking pieces that create a relaxing and inviting atmosphere.
The other five artists represented in Soul Intention Gallery are curated or have been invited to display in the gallery. While the art from others on display is different from that of Angela, it is equally poignant and impressive. I personally invite you to visit Soul Intention Gallery; it is a sublime experience. I encourage you to stay a while and take in the art. Seating is scattered about for a reason. Let your eyes soak in the detail and the hours of work that went into every brushstroke. You will sense her heart and get a glance at her soul in her work.
Soul Intention Gallery is located at 55 North Main Street in Clayton, Georgia. For more information, please call 706968-0298. Follow Angela Bawden Art on social media at @ soulintentiongallery.
Finding Art
North Georgia Arts Guild Mythology and Assemblage: The Magical Mystical World of Helen Rogers
TRICIA MOORE
Nestled in the countryside of Rabun Gap, Georgia is a cottage studio named the Blue-Eyed Bandit where the fantastical creatures and assemblages of Helen Rogers originate. There, one is happily greeted by an adorable mixed lab rescue puppy named Bartram before entering this enchanted studio.
Originally from New York, Helen now calls the mountains of Northeast Georgia home. She states that she and her husband have had the cabin on nine acres for years, but only moved here permanently during the pandemic. With an undergraduate degree in chemistry and a doctorate in analytical chemistry, Helen retired from her job with the CDC in Atlanta in December of 2018. She now works six hours a day Monday through Friday creating her art. Starting out, ceramics was her chosen medium, and she loved to draw as well. Now she still reserves one of those days for ceramics while using the other four for her assemblages. In addition, she still manages to find time for drawing and creating miniature story books.
Helen commented that it was her dog’s fault that she got started with assemblage. As dogs are prone to do, her dog would tear the appendages off his stuffed toys. And Helen would stitch them back on. For the fun of it, she started sewing additional and/ or mismatched appendages onto the toys - creating her first assemblages. During the pandemic, she took online workshops in assemblage, resulting in the imaginative and complex pieces she now creates.
Always drawn to “fantasy like creatures,” Helen has immersed herself in the study of mythology, legends and folklore. While some of her pieces are based on the legends and mythology of countries
she traveled to in her job, she finds plenty of inspiration right here in the United States. Particularly interesting is her work based on her study of cryptids.
Cryptids are creatures found in mythology and legends that have not actually been proven to exist. Big Foot, Okefenokee Joe, pukwudgies, wendigos, the Lock Ness Monster, and even the lovely unicorn are all examples of this. Helen states that “this is the way we interpret the wild world, the unknown out there. It’s the way we understand our world.”
When asked where she find the materials she uses in her assemblages, Helen replied, “Flea markets, auctions, garage sales, dumpster diving.” Knowing the kind of work she does, friends find things to contribute as well. It is fortunate that Helen has a relatively large storage area for the various objects she has collected for possible use in her work.
Helen also sculpts pieces or portions of pieces from a material called epoxy sculpt. This is a two-part compound mixed together to form
a material that is particularly good for blending pieces, sculpting detail, and creating special effects. Even though it is more expensive, Helen prefers this to polymer clay mainly because of the quality of the detail she can achieve with it and the fact that it air dries. Each piece that Helen creates requires many steps along the way including the application of multiple layers of colors. It is easy to see the time and meticulous effort that she puts into each piece to achieve the professional looking finish that she does. Helen laughingly commented that she is “working to be a Renaissance Woman.” Given all her talents, skills and accomplishments, she is well on her way to becoming just that.
When Helen gives talks about her work, she likes to approach them from “an educator point of view.” This was evident in her fascinating and educational program for the guild. We were treated to a well-organized slideshow of her work, history, and many of the things that have influenced her work as well as a display of many of her pieces.
When asked about doing workshops, Helen replied that she has done some in the past and hopes to do more. She and her friend and fellow ceramic artist Mindy Chaffin currently have a show at Gallery 441 which opened Saturday, November 30, with a Big Foot Tea Party. The show features “Fantastical sculpture and Fundamental pottery” and runs through December 14. This is definitely a must-see event. Helen can be contacted through her email address at helenrogersclayart@icloud.com.
Tricia Moore is a retired teacher, having taught both English and Art in public and private school settings. She is currently an active member of the NGAG and has held several positions on the board. With her background in both art and writing, she feels that writing the NGAG featured artist article in the Laurel of Northeast Georgia is a good fit and something that she will greatly enjoy doing.
Visit Clayton
The Outdoors
Adventure Out
PETER MCINTOSH
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’re aware that Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the forests around here. Not near as bad as a lot of places, but all of our beautiful trails were virtually impassable. But thanks to some hard working volunteers, the Georgia section of the trail has been cleared. It’s not perfect, but you can hike it now without any problems. Thank you Sean Michael and your amazing team!
To honor these good folks, we’re going to take a pleasant hike, about two miles each way, along the newly restored Bartram Trail from Warwoman Dell to Martin’s Creek Falls. Warwoman Dell is a beautiful picnic area just outside of Clayton. For our hike, park in the first parking area and the Bartram Trail, (blazed with 2 X 6 inch yellow plastic rectangles) is just up the road on the right. There’s a small stream there, Becky Branch, and you can see the remnants of an old fish hatchery. After an ascending couple of short switchbacks, the trail opens onto Warwoman Road. There’s a historical marker there honoring our trail’s namesake, naturalist William Bartram. After carefully crossing the road, you’ll see a blaze leading into the woods. You could go that way, but what I recommend is going a little down hill and picking up another trail, paralleling the Bartram, on the other side of the creek. This is so you don’t cross over the small viewing bridge at Becky Branch Falls until the end of your hike. Ascending this trail, the waterfall comes into view and soon you’ll turn right on the Bartram Trail, away from the noisy stream. The trail now runs along the mountainside above Warwoman Road. There was a fire here sometime back so this section of the trail offers nice winter views. After crossing an old logging road, the trail now gently descends. After crossing another road, this one well maintained by the forest service, the trail leads you into some dense Rhododendron, along a stream, across a small bridge, across another small stream via stepping stones, and away from Warwoman Road. After going into and out of several lovely forest coves, the trail joins an old roadbed running alongside Martin’s Creek. There’s a stunning rock gorge here with the stream coursing noisily through it. Enjoy this gorge from a safe distance please. Just upstream from the gorge is a nice little waterfall and an open camping area on the other side to the creek. The trail enters another open camping area, with a bridge crossing Martin’s Creek. But before crossing the bridge, look around, you’ll be returning to this spot from a different direction. After crossing the stream and ascending a little more steeply, you’ll see the creek scenically stair stepping down on your left. You’ll then come to a “T” shaped viewing platform at the base of Martin’s Creek Falls. This is a beautiful cascade, one of my favorites. Now departing the waterfall you can continue along the Bartram Trail, descending along the other side of the creek which will return you to the open camping area where you crossed Martin’s Creek. This is one of the few times I’ll ask you not to follow the blazes. If you start heading uphill away from the stream, you’re going the wrong way. Pick up the blazes leading downstream, and you’re now on your way back the way you came with a little stop off at Becky Branch Falls. This cascade is a nice reward, very near the end of your hike. After
a well deserved rest at the waterfall, continue across the bridge and descend on the other side of the creek down to Warwoman Road and back to Warwoman Dell. And as a bonus, there’s a third very small cascade at the western end of Warwoman Dell. Just go up to the big pavilion at the end of the road and follow green blazes. The little waterfall was created in the mid eighteen hundreds when rock was quarried from this spot for the Blue Ridge Railroad. You can read about the history of the B.R.R.R. on markers in Warwoman Dell. Of course you’re also minutes away from Clayton in case you want to get out of the cold. Perhaps visit one of Clayton’s many eating/drinking establishments, Happy hiking!
P.S. The photos I used in the article are my way of conjuring a white Christmas. One can always hope!
As we come to end of year ‘24, I’ll wax poetic just once more:
A bit of cold weather is nothing to fear, Let’s get out on a trail where the water runs clear. An invigorating hike is good for the body, Then come back to town for a Holiday Toddy!
To see more of Peter’s photos or if you have a question or comment: www.mcintoshmountains.com
To see the trail fixers in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cagTcugYZ5Q
Peter McIntosh is an accomplished professional photographer. His photography is displayed in collections across the country. His passion for nature and the outdoors is what fuels his column. His work is available as fine art prints. Peter offers one on one and small group instruction on camera operation and photography. To see more of Peter’s photos, or if you have a question or comment, visit Peter’s website: www.mcintoshmountains.com
Firmly Rooted
VICTORIA “TORI” CARVER
Amaryllis, paperwhite, and poinsettias are synonymous with the holiday season, and since Christmas is upon us, I’d like to talk about the ever stunning and popular Amaryllis. I’ve been selling Amaryllis bulbs for the holidays for four years now, which has officially turned into a tradition I look forward to each year.
I offer both unplanted Amaryllis bulbs for those who want to grow their own, as well as fully potted Amaryllis plants, complete with soil and decorated with moss. While that might sound simple, what makes my bulbs stand out is their size. In the Amaryllis world, size really does matter! The larger the bulb, the more spectacular the show. Our bulbs are typically 34/36 cm in circumference - much larger than what you’ll find at big box stores. It takes years to grow bulbs this big, which makes them rare and, of course, a bit pricier. But trust me, the incredible show is worth every penny. These larger bulbs produce more flower stems and more flowers per stem than their smaller counterparts.
Now, let’s talk about timing. Many people want their Amaryllis to be in full bloom for Christmas Eve dinner, but predicting exactly when an amaryllis bulb will come out of dormancy and start blooming is a bit like reading tea leaves. While it’s not an exact science, we can make an educated guess that gets us pretty close.
The bloom cycle of amaryllises vary depending on the type of
bulb, so knowing which variety you have is key. There are two main types of amaryllis bulbs: those grown in the Southern Hemisphere (like in Peru and South Africa) and those grown in the Northern Hemisphere (such as in Holland).
Peruvian amaryllis (also known as Christmas-blooming amaryllis) usually take 5 to 7 weeks to bloom from the time they are planted. Though that’s a two-week window, Amaryllis flowers last for over a week (sometimes up to two), so there’s some flexibility in timing. You can even speed up or slow down their bloom by adjusting their environment: a warmer, brighter room (72°F+) will accelerate growth, while a cooler spot (65°F) will slow it down.
On the other hand, Dutch amaryllis typically take 8 to 12 weeks to bloom so if planted in November, you can expect flowers to appear around late January or early February - perfect timing to brighten up those winter blues.
We offer a wide selection of Peruvian and Dutch bulbs on our website. This year, I’ve also added smaller bulbs to the collection, perfect for those seeking a more budget-friendly gift option. If you are looking for a recommendation, check out Dancing Queen. She is probably one of my all time favorites. And don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar with growing Amaryllis; each purchase comes with detailed instructions to guide you through the process. So, don’t hesitate to give these fabulous holiday flowers a try - you won’t regret it!
Victoria (Tori) Carver is a flower farmer. From the thousand bulbs and plants that she puts in the ground each year she creates lovely bouquets. Tori and her husband and children make their home in Clayton, where they are a treasured part of the community. If you are interested in Firmly Rooted Flower Farm please reach out by email to firmlyrootedflowerfarm@gmail.com or phone 706-490-0041. You will also enjoy their website at www.firmlyrootedflowerfarm.com
Faith in Christ
GThe Babes
PASTOR MICHAEL ROGERS
rowing up, Christmas was one of the most exciting times of the year for me. After opening presents at home, we’d take a short trip to my mawmaw’s to celebrate Christmas with all of my dad’s family. I have so many wonderful memories from those days, and I miss them and many of the people who shared them with me so much.
Life has been fascinating to watch unfold over the years, moving through different stages. Though the stage of gathering at my mawmaw’s has passed and many loved ones are no longer with us, a new stage has come along that I enjoy even more. Now I have grandkids and a nephew, and the joy they bring me is indescribable. Oh, how I love them! We have some wonderful Christmas mornings on the mountain when everyone gathers at Mom’s house. Calling Christmas a “wild and joyful time” now is an understatement!
Christmas is different now than it was in the ‘70s and ‘80s when I was growing up, but it’s even more joyful. In fact, I feel the joy of Christmas throughout the year when I come home after a long day to be greeted by all the grandkids and at times my nephew. It’s like Christmas all over again.
After a long day battling the challenges life brings, I usually head home to the lively energy of my four hyperactive grandchildren and my nephew, who manage to raise the roof of my house. It’s a wonderful sight that touches me deeply, filling my soul with joy as I step through the door many evenings throughout the week. I learned years ago that the enemy strategically plans situations to try to bring me down, especially on Mondays, following a fulfilling Sunday at church. Many evenings, I come home feeling a bit worn out and disheartened, but when I walk in and see the whirlwind my grandkids and nephew have stirred up, it brings me so much peace and helps heal my mind after a day filled with battles.
Hearing my grandchildren constantly singing praises to God strengthens me. They love singing old Bible school and Sunday school songs, regardless of the situation. Though they’re still young, the older ones truly believe in the Lord, and we often have conversations about faith. The oldest has had conversations with me and my wife about the Gospel, Death, and Heaven. I’ve always
been amazed at how the gospel can and does touch the hearts of the little ones and I’m thankful that even at a young age the Holy Spirit is dealing with their little hearts. I have faith that God will bring them all to salvation and repentance through the good tidings of the Gospel message one day. The strength I gain comes from their pure, childlike faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Sitting and listening to them honor God, whether while playing, eating, riding scooters, knocking each other in the head, or putting puzzles together, is the highlight of my day. I’m grateful to their parents for raising them in the Gospel and for the blessing of this daily medicine for my soul.
My favorite Psalm is Psalm 8, which speaks in verse 2 about “the babes.”
Psalm 8
1 O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?
In this Psalm, God speaks of His glory and strength revealed even in the lives of small children. Their faith is pure, untouched by worldly cares, and this purity of faith brings strength to those who seek it. It’s a reminder that God often displays His greatest glory in what appears weak or simple.
1 Corinthians 1:27
“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”
There is no better place for God to reveal His strength than through small children like my grandkids, whose simple faith can
Michael Rogers is the pastor of Wolf Creek Baptist Church. He and his wife Susan have three grown children and three wonderful grandchildren. Michael works at Tallulah Falls School as Director of Plant Services. He enjoys spending time with family and flipping houses. Michael considers it an honor to be part of R4G to help with the furtherance of the Gospel.
uplift anyone struggling with life or weary, offering them exactly the encouragement they need.
Maclaren once said, “The word here rather means a strength…that, out of such frail material as children’s speech, God builds a tower of strength, which, like some border castle, will bridle and still the restless enemy.”
So, if you find yourself battling against the adversary and the powers of darkness this Christmas season, perhaps you, like me, can find strength by spending time with the children and letting their faith, power, and innocence restore your soul or maybe just maybe bring you to salvation in Jesus Christ. Thank God for the babes! And, as the great Charles Spurgeon put it:
“Aha! Aha! O adversary! To be overcome by behemoth or leviathan might make thee angry; but to be smitten out of infants’ mouths causes thee to bite the dust in utter dishonor. Thou art sore broken, now that ‘out of the mouth of babes and sucklings’ thou art put to shame.”
In verse 4, David asks God a profound question: “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” Some days, I feel as though I haven’t felt God’s presence at all. But when I walk into my house, surrounded with the joy of my grandchildren and nephew, seeing them sing and dance to the Lord, I can only thank the Lord for being mindful of me and visiting me. I know He has blessed me with far more than I deserve. I hope you and the babes have a wonderful time celebrating the birth of our savior, may you have a Jesus Christ filled Merry Christmas in 2024.
A Taste
The Family Table
Lorie R. Thompson
The fall and winter seasons bring time for family. My Father’s family, the Rameys, kick off the holiday season with a heartwarming Thanksgiving celebration at my Aunt Opal and Uncle Hugh Ivesters’ home. We gather for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, a gift exchange, and Christmas carols. This festive event marks the official start of our family’s holiday season, filled with love and togetherness. Traditionally, we celebrate with my mother’s McKay family on the first weekend of December. There are long tables laden with food, round tables crowded with cousins and their families, and an afternoon to “catch up” with them. I feel blessed to have these large extended families and enjoy their fellowship. We have history! Our parents were brothers and sisters, and we grew up together. It is a pleasure to see the cousins and their families. December includes work parties, friend celebrations, Church functions, and more, culminating in the Christmas holiday. By the time we get to the actual holiday, I have overeaten and cooked too much, and I am looking forward to the quiet days of January. Our Christmas Eve celebration is a cherished family tradition. My brothers, sister, nephews, nieces, and their families all come together. Each family member brings their best dish to share. We eat, talk, sing, and read the Bible story of Jesus’ birth. My favorite part is when we go around the room, and each family member shares what they are thankful for in the year. It’s a comforting, sometimes emotional, and always joyful time. Even the year my mother passed away two weeks before Christmas, the family celebration was a source of comfort, knowing she would have wanted us to continue. Looking around the room, I saw the legacy she and my Father left behind, which comforted me. Christmas Day is often anti-climactic for me. Traditionally, we share breakfast with my children and their spouses and open our gifts. The rest of the day is quiet and a time to rest and reflect. For most families, the high note of the holiday is Christmas dinner, but for me, Christmas dinner needs to be easy to get ready and served. Our Christmas night meal is generally a warm stew or soup and delicious bread. You could reverse this and make this your Christmas Eve meal if you do a huge Christmas dinner. Let me share some of my favorite easy-to-make and easy-to-serve meals.
I love chowders. They are hearty and flavorful. I love the creamy, classic New England-style chowder and the spicier, vegetable-forward Manhattan style. Let me share both recipes with you.
For the Manhattan Clam Chowder
6 Slices of bacon, cut into pieces
2 T Butter
One onion, chopped
Two ribs of celery chopped fine
Two large carrots, chopped fine
1-2 T minced garlic
2 T tomato paste
2 C potato, peeled and chopped
2 C Chicken stock
Three cans of chopped clams
Two bottles of clam juice
Bay leaf, Parsley, Old Bay seasoning
In a large pot, fry bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and reserve for garnish. Sautee celery, onions, and carrots until they start to soften. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp red pepper flakes.
Add 2 T of tomato paste and cook 1-2 more minutes.
Add cubed potatoes, chicken stock, clam juice, and bay leaf. Cook with a lid on for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add one can of diced Italian-style tomatoes and three cans of clams. Cook for an additional 10 minutes. Add 1 T of chopped Parsley and 1 tsp of Old Bay Seasoning. Taste for salt and pepper, adding more if needed. Serve with oyster crackers and crisp bacon pieces.
Both of these chowders are delicious. They go beautifully with biscuits or crusty garlic bread to make an easy and satisfying meal. You can make them ahead of time and reheat them, or since they are made with canned goods, they dont take up any room in the overcrowded holiday refrigerator.
To make the New England Clam Chowder
6 Slices bacon, chopped
2 T of butter
One large onion, finely chopped
Two ribs, celery, and one large carrot, very finely chopped
2 T minced garlic
2 T of cornstarch or flour- See Note
3 C peeled and cubed potatoes. (Cut them uniformly)
Two jars of clam juice
2 C of chicken stock or broth
One can of evaporated milk
Two cans of chopped clams
Salt, pepper, Parsley, Old Bay Seasoning
In a large Dutch Oven, cook bacon until crisp, removing it from the pan and reserving it for garnish. Add 2 T of butter to the bacon drippings. In the pan, add the onion and celery and cook until softened. Add the garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Add 2 tsp of salt and pepper to your taste. Add the potatoes, clam juice, and chicken stock and cook for 10 minutes. Add the evaporated milk and clams. Allow to simmer for 20 -30 minutes. Add chicken stock if it is too thick—season with Parsley and 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning.
Serve with oyster crackers and Red Lobster biscuits.
Note—if you use flour as a thickener, add it to the onions and celery and allow the flour to cook with the vegetables. If using cornstarch to thicken, add it to the chicken broth and whisk until smooth before adding it to the chowder. I prefer the taste of the flour, but the corn starch works if you have anyone who eats gluten-free.
I know how hectic the holidays have become. Some years after the holidays, I realized that I was so busy doing everything that I never really took the time to enjoy it! Cook something a little less complicated. Order the gifts already wrapped. Do what you need to do to simplify and streamline your time. Commit to pause and think about your blessings. Enjoy the small moments.
We use the phrase ‘Spend’ your time... Think of your time as a currency, just like money. Look at where your time goes, count the cost, and decide if your time is worth where you are ‘spending’ your time. The most valuable ‘spending’ of my time is with my family, especially during the holidays. It’s these moments that make the holiday season truly special.
May you spend time with those you love and enjoy this holiday season. Cook good food and enjoy eating together. Laugh a lot. Tell family stories. Give gifts. Read and share the story of Jesus’ birth from the Bible and reflect on that. Pray together with your family for the upcoming year. Breathe, enjoy and repeat.
Merry Christmas.
Lorie Thompson is a REALTOR at Poss Realty in Clayton, Georgia. Her expertise in her industry is second only to her culinary talents. Lorie is a dynamo in the kitchen. Honestly if she prepares it, it will likely be the best you’ve ever had! Lorie and her husband, Anthony (Peanut), make their home in the Persimmon Community. Lorie is the proud mom of Joe & Charli Thompson and BJ & Kendall McCauley.
Dining in the Mountains
Be at Home Somewhere Over the Rainbow
John Shivers
The home at 712 Sonya Road in Clayton will cause you to seriously question whether you’re still in Rabun County, or somewhere in the French countryside. The architectural tapestry created by tall roof peaks, rounded doorways and windows, mountain stone, and board and batten siding make it challenging to know exactly where you are.
What you can be sure of is that this home with 3,544± square feet on three levels delivers unmatched living that starts with 240± degree majestic views of the mountains and Lake Burton. Enjoy morning coffee on the open veranda, or evening cocktails on the screened porch. Watch magnificent sunsets by a warm blaze in the outdoor fireplace. It doesn’t get much better. And you might even see a rainbow.
With five bedrooms and five baths divided between the main house and the self-contained apartment over the two-car detached garage, this home built in 2014 delivers a ton of living opportunity. Almost every room boasts spectacular views.
From the soaring two-story foyer your guests will naturally gravitate to the living room – dining room topped with a high vaulted tongue and groove pine ceiling, walnut flooring, and a massive stone fireplace. The conveniently adjacent kitchen offers “the chef” quality stainless steel Thermador® appliances housed in custom-painted cabinets topped in granite. An island with bar seating and a breakfast area only adds to the high-end kitchen’s perks.
With a vaulted tongue and groove ceiling, stone fireplace, and windows overlooking those fantastic views, the owner’s quarters include an en-suite bath with heated floors, double vanities, tub and shower. A second main floor guest bedroom and bath are waiting to welcome family or guests. Two more bedrooms with a shared full bath, a reading nook / home office and abundant attic storage complete the home’s upper level.
A cozy game room with a stained pine ceiling and pine wainscoting anchors a large part of the terrace level. With another stone fireplace, bamboo flooring, and a fully functioning wet bar with a wine cooler, this area screams “kick back and relax!” When you want to compete, you can always challenge someone to a game of darts, and a home gym is right next door.
The detached two-car garage includes a second-floor apartment complete with vaulted tongue and groove ceilings, interesting architectural angles, lots of glass, living area, sleeping alcove, full-size kitchen, and bath. The Community HOA has a designated Lake Burton access area with private dock and dock house complete with bathroom and kitchen that further expands your enjoyment footprint.
Agent Julie Barnett with Harry Norman REALTORS® Luxury Lake and Mountain is ready to take you over the rainbow with MLS # 10341871. Reach her at 404-697-3860, or at the Harry Norman office, 706-212-0228.
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Creating a safer home for a person with Alzheimer’s
When caring for a patient with dementia of any kind it is crucial to go through the house room by room to identify potential problems and safety issues. First, correct any immediate dangers, such as loose stair railings and poor lighting, and then work on other ways to ensure the person will be as safe as possible at home.
Here are a just a few ideas to make their environment safer:
•To prevent falls, mark the edges of steps with brightly colored tape so the person can see the steps as they go up or down stairs.
•Use brightly colored signs or simple pictures to label the bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen.
•Limit the size and number of mirrors in your home and be specif ic about where you put them. Mirror images may confuse a person with Alzheimer’s.
•Make the walls a lighter color than the floor to create contrast. Avoid busy patterns.
•Install safety latches on storage cabinets and drawers designated for breakable or dangerous items.
•Set the water heater to 120°F to avoid scalding tap water.
•Place decals at eye level on sliding glass doors, picture windows, or furniture with large glass panels to identify the glass pane.
•Consider a “NO SOLICITING” sign for the front gate or door.
•Use smoke detectors and natural gas detectors and check their functioning and batteries frequently. People with Alzheimer’s may not be able to smell smoke or an unlit gas stove.
•Install nightlights and/or automatic light sensors.
•List emergency phone numbers (such as ambulance, poison control, and doctors) and the person’s address near all phones.
Store potentially dangerous items in a locked area or remove them from the home. These items can include:
•Prescription and over-the-counter medicines
•Alcohol
•Cleaning and household products, including paint thinner, match es, rubbing alcohol, and laundry detergent pods
•Poisonous plants
•Guns and other weapons, scissors, knives, power tools, and machinery
•Gasoline cans and other flammable items
For more great information and a place that you, the caregiver can meet others who are in your shoes, visit the Caregiver Support Group in Rabun County. They meet Tuesdays at noon in the lower level of the Clayton Presbyterian Church located at 150 N. Street, Clayton, Georgia. For more information please call Suzanne Muir at 706-782-2167.
DBabies & Mothers
Susan Cookson MD, MPH, FACP
ecember is a time when over a quarter of the world, including residents of our northeast corner of Georgia, celebrate the birth of a healthy child born to a healthy mother in the Middle East. In the last two millenniums there have been many advances in infant and maternal health. In fact, one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century was healthier babies and mothers, resulting from better hygiene and nutrition, greater access to health care, and technological advances.
However, this achievement for babies and mothers is eroding. In fact, much of our healthcare system is eroding. This is shown in the latest report of the Commonwealth Fund, an organization founded in 1918 to enhance the common good in health care. This eighth report since 2004 compares the performance of healthcare systems of 10 developed countries and found that the US is performing the worst overall in the areas of access to and process of healthcare, healthcare administrative efficiency, and health equity and outcomes for the population (www.commonwealthfund. org, Sept 19, 2024).
This erosion is found in our infant mortality rate (babies dying in the first year of life). In 2022 it rose 3%, the largest increase in two decades. Georgia ranks ninth highest for the rate of infant mortality of the 50 States. For Rabun County in 2022, infant mortality was one of the 10 leading causes of premature deaths, but not a cause of premature deaths for the state as a whole. For three of the six years (2017-2022), Rabun County had a greater infant mortality than our Public Health District (13 total Counties) as a whole. And this rate continues to rise for 2023 and 2024 (Singh, JAMA Ped, Oct 21, 2024).
Looking at maternal mortality, a study of 1999-2019, found five states have the largest increases in maternal mortality (more than 135%), and Georgia is one of those five (Fleszar, JAMA, 2023). In fact, for 2018-2022, Georgia ranks again ninth, but this time for highest maternal mortality rate of the 50 States and the District of Columbia (CDC, 2023). One in 10 Georgians know a woman who died during pregnancy, at delivery, or soon after birth (maternal mortality). Additionally, over half of Georgians know someone who experienced complications during pregnancy. Furthermore, Georgian women living in rural areas, like us in northeast Georgia, experience more pregnancy complications than women living in urban areas (Symp Address Maternal Health Crisis in GA, Nov 29, 2023).
A 2022 Georgetown University study looked at barriers to healthcare access in Georgia. They found that one in five Georgian women of reproductive age (18-44 years old) has no health insurance; making us rank 46th of the 50 states for the highest rate of uninsured women of reproductive age. Only Mississippi of our deep South neighbors has a higher rate of uninsured women of reproductive age. This, in a country that already ranks worst for access to healthcare of the nine other developed countries.
What does this uninsured mean for babies and mothers? No insurance means no/late prenatal care for the mothers, low birthweight for the babies, and infant and maternal deaths. Compared with our Public Health District, Rabun County has almost 10% more low birthweight babies (GA Dept Public Health [DPH]). Responding to these terrible rates and percentages, DPH last year launched a home visit program to reduce maternal and infant mortality. Currently, six of the 13 counties in our PH District have this program. Then in August, the US Department of Health and Human Services awarded an additional $9.6 million to Georgia, for additional home visit programs. Let us be hopeful that Rabun County will be included this time.
However, the Rabun County Health Department, 184 S. Main Street, Clayton, is here to help. Our Health Department provides pregnancy testing, helps enroll pregnant women into Medicaid,
Susan Cookson, MD, MPH, FACP (retired, US Public Health Service) is an accomplished Infectious Diseases Board-certified Physician with a Master’s degree in public health. She is also an Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine Board-eligible Physician. Susan’s resume is quite impressive including a 25 year career with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 years with Dekalb Board of Health and 3 years with the Georgia Division of Public Health. Today, Susan resides in Rabun County and is working for the Rabun County Board of Health as a Preventive Medicine consultant.
and provides perinatal case management. This help also includes Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) nutritional services, and referrals to obstetricians, smoking cessation services, and substance abuse and behavioral health services. The health department also can assess the family support system and relationship safety for the pregnant woman.
But Rabun County is one of the 82 Georgian Counties without an obstetrician. So even if the woman is insured or our Health Department helps her obtain Medicaid, she must travel to Habersham or Stephens Counties for obstetrical care. Can we do anything about this? Certified nurse-midwives can fill this void. They are registered nurses with a master’s degree in nursemidwifery and certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board. But Georgian law requires more physician supervision of these certified nurse-midwives than many other states. In fact, 26 states have given these midwives full-practice authority (GA Public Health Fdn., 2022). When I was at UNC Medical School, I had the opportunity to learn obstetrics in Scotland. The midwives were the ones who taught me about prenatal and labor and delivery care. Are they some of the reason that the United Kingdom outranks us in their healthcare system performance in addition to having much lower rates of cesarean section deliveries and infant and maternal mortality?
Ideally, we would have enough obstetricians in Rabun County. But from both an access and health outcome standpoint, it is time Georgia allows certified nurse-midwives to fully practice, especially where there is no obstetrician. And time for Rabun County to have a home visit program given our high rates of low birthweight babies and maternal and infant mortality. Call or write our re-elected local representative (Victor Anderson at [404] 656-0325 or email victor.anderson@house.ga.gov) and senator (Bo Hatchett at [706] 499-6941or email at https://www.hatchettforgeorgia.com/ contact) to advocate for the gift of healthy children and mothers this December, while we celebrate the healthy birth of the Child two millenniums ago.
Just Thinking
Lovin’ the Journey and The Bread
R. Mark Holloway
Maybe I’ve missed something. I can’t seem to find mom and pop bakeries filling the streets with stop-you-in-your-tracks aromas of fresh bread baking.
Maybe our country is too big and efficient.
There’s fresh bread at White Birch Provisions. If there were more bakeries, I’d probably weigh more.
I grew up many places. As a young child I remember the distinct smells of little shops cooking fresh tortilla in Mexico City. Throughout Europe, seemingly on every corner, down cobblestone alleys, the fresh bread cameat me like a zealous car salesman, taunting me into the bakery. If you’ve traveled much, you understand
While touring abroad, I’ve been out and about on a specific mission, when unexpectedly, the bakery’s drifting invitations derail all brain function.
I must find bread. I must eat bread. Fresh bread. I must find bread. Zombies have nothing on humans when fresh bread fills the air.
I must find this fresh bread...
Carol cooks like she’s on her own show. Coming inside to a roaring fire and bread cooking makes me weak at the knees.
Genetics and trails keep me from XL but my bread addiction holds fat man potential in my life.
It’s a good thing I’m not writing this during the height of cooking and feasting season....wink.
Carol says, “What do you think of this bread I just baked?” My response, “Oh, I love cranberry pecan walnut banana cinnamon sourdough whole grain wheat beer bread!!”
See, if the word ‘bread’ is involved in the sentence, I’m in...all in.
Chick-fil-A’s founder Truett Cathy says, “Food is essential to life therefore make it good”. I say, “Bread is essential to food, therefore make a lot of it...and butter.”
I know some people who don’t eat anything made from animals. I’m going to be come one those people. Well, not today.
In the meantime, I’m going to keep eating bread made from milk, eggs, and butter the animals give me.
Thanks cows and chickens.
I’m still not sure what gluten is all about. As a kid I never got poked in the eye with a stick, drowned from swimming 29 minutes after eating, or rushed to the hospital gluten stricken. I’m sorry for those who have.
Mark and Carol Holloway are outdoor adventurers and love the thrills of rock climbing and hikes to waterfalls and exploring all of God’s creation. They own PropertyStewards.com and are passionate about delivering excellent care to the homes and property of their clients.
For More Information call 706-949-5937
But bread appears to be no threat to me.
Bethlehem actually means house of bread in the ancient language of Hebrew. Jesus tells us He’s the bread of life.
So Jesus, who is the bread of life, was born in Bethlehem. That is cool. Who knew?
Well actually his parents knew. The government required them to travel there by donkey taxi just to be counted. While there, Mary births Jesus in the House of a Bread.
Is there a hidden message? Not really. Bread is basic. Bread is worldwide. Bread is understood. Bread is good. Jesus tells us He is many things...a lamb, a lion, a King, a shepherd, a friend, the Light, the Way, the Truth...just to name a few.
But He also tells me He is the Bread of Life.
I’m not a complicated man. I can understand simple concepts. I understand bread is good. I understand I like bread. I understand I like all types of bread. So it’s equally simple for me to be consumed by The Bread!
My hope for you is a season filled with family, friends, the Bread of Life, and fresh bread.
Golly, I hope Carol reads this soon.
See you on the trail.
The Gift of love. The Gift of peace. The Gift of happiness. May all these be yours at Christmas
Lizzie Writes
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Liz Alley
Quel est votre niveau de douleur sur une echelle de 1 a’ 10?
When I was asked this question, it was from the ER at the Hotel Dieu de Quebec, the oldest French-speaking hospital in Quebec City, Canada. Finally, in my pain-induced haze, I whispered, “English?” And a young male nurse that looked like Harry Potter asked “What is your pain level on a scale of 1 to 10?” “Twenty,” I answered. Hoping he had magic somewhere close, and he did; the magic liquid of a pain med soon rushed through my system.
Four days earlier, my sister Lynn Hickox, our friend Tina Johnson, and I were in Montreal, Canada, visiting every church, historical site, and market we could manage. After a few days, we went to Quebec City, eager to experience all that city had to offer. On a bus tour the day before my sickness, when we passed by the hospital, I leaned over to my sister and said, “I’d love to see the inside of that place; it’s beautiful on the outside.” Well, I got my wish. The night before, I began to have pain in my abdomen, and then I became violently sick. At first, I thought food poisoning, but I soon realized it was different than that; it was worse. After laying on the bathroom floor all night, an ambulance was called, and the “fun” began. Believe me, if I consented to be rolled out on a gurney through the dining room during breakfast, I was sick indeed.
This was my first experience with socialized medicine where, in the ER, we were literally lined up next to each other like sardines in a can. The woman to my left stayed on her phone the whole day, and I could hear her speaking softly in French, which lulled me to sleep. Even the beeps of the machines sounded different, foreign, softer. After three bags of potassium and fluids, I felt well enough to fly home the next day. “Whew,” I remember thinking, “I dodged a bullet.”
Back home in the United States, all was well for one day, and then I found myself back in the ER with the same question in English, “What is your pain level on a scale of 1 to 10?” This time, my answer is “Thirty.” A CAT scan revealed a blockage in my lower intestine, which was the main issue, along with an appendix that had adhered to my colon, a mesh wall from a previous hernia surgery that was in a wadded ball, and two additional hernias protruding into my colon. The surgeon informed me he’d be doing emergency surgery and that
the situation was dire. He said I may wake up in the ICU on a vent, I may need a blood transfusion, and then again, I guess just for good measure, he said, “ This is serious.” And, just like that, the vapor the bible tells us is our lives came clearly into focus. I remember thinking just before they put me under that if things did not go well, I knew I’d wake up in heaven and then how sad my children would be. I woke up not in the ICU, not on a vent, but to an excruciating amount of pain from the 12” cut on my stomach. For the next six days, I lay in
Liz Alley was born and raised in Rabun County in the city of Tiger. She loves to write. She is an interior designer specializing in repurposing the broken, chipped, worn, and weathered into pieces that are precious again. She is the mother of two daughters and has four grandchildren. She divides her time between her home in Newnan and Rabun County. Liz would love to hear from you; drop her a line at Lizziewrites0715@gmail.com.
the hospital thinking about all the things life has thrown my way, the good and the bad, and how grateful I am for both.
This illness has brought clarity to Christmas for me. It has slowed me down and exposed how much Christmases in the past have demanded. This year, I’ve seen how much I need the promises that the baby who became my Lord has to offer like peace and contentment. This year, I’m reclaiming Christmas, the one of my heritage, the one I allowed to be taken over by commercialism. I’ve had to be intentional about this, to ask myself questions and then stick to the answers I come up with. For instance, what causes stress at Christmas? For me, it’s over-scheduling, thinking too much about getting the perfect gifts for everyone, and over-planning. I have a Christmas party every year and stress over the menu and the details, wanting it to be perfect. This year, I asked myself what I really wanted for the menu, and the answer was vegetable soup and cornbread. So that’s what it’s going to be. I usually ask my children to give me lists for them and the grandchildren, but this year, I decided to buy only what I see that I think they will like, set a budget for that, and then stop spending. Nobody remembers what I got them last year, but they will remember if they were loved and cared for. I asked myself what is important to me about Christmas, and it is my faith and connection, and I’m prioritizing church services around that. So let’s put the kettle on and pull up a chair for Christmas. Let’s treat our sunsets with childlike wonder, knowing they are fleeting. Let’s take in big gulps of pure mountain air. Let’s make some vegetable soup and have ourselves a merry little Christmas.
May this Holiday Season sparkle and shine and may all your wishes and dreams come true. Merry Christmas
Of Hominy, Lungs, Pancreas, and Persimmons
The Dinner Table of Nineteenth Century North Georgians
Dick Cinquina
Ozempic and other weight loss drugs would have been the last things needed by north Georgians in the nineteenth century. In the best of times, the food on the tables of subsistence farmers was barely adequate. In the worst of times when crops failed, periods of hunger were endured. Mountain people were lean for good reason; there was never enough food to put meat on their bones.
The daily fight for survival throughout the 1800s depended upon what could be grown in fields and gardens, the hogs a family raised, and the game hunted in forests. There were few towns where goods could be purchased. The stores that existed, which could be reached by a tortuous journey on rutted and frequently impassable roads, offered only the most rudimentary staples such as wheat flour, salt, and sugar. But even these items usually were in short supply and could be bought only with cash (which was scarce) or by bartering with apples, deerskins, and even moonshine. Hardscrabble lifestyles and meager diets were the result of these challenging conditions.
Diets Limited by Mountainous Terrain
The limitations imposed upon food production by mountainous terrain dictated the diets of north Georgians. Only in flat, fertile river valleys could numerous crops be cultivated and livestock herds raised. Such was the case in the valley of the Little Tennessee River in northern Rabun and southern Macon (N.C.) counties. But in a region dominated by mountains, most north Georgians were limited to what they could scratch out of rocky hillsides and what their animals could forage in forests.
Corn became the staple crop and hogs the primary source of meat. The diet of corn and pork was supplemented by cabbage, beans, potatoes, and pumpkins from the family garden. Game was hunted and wild fruits, berries, nuts, and other edibles were gathered in season.
Meals were determined by what was available at any particular time. Corn, the centerpiece of the mountain diet, was boiled on the cob, or kernels stripped from the cob were fried or creamed. Dried corn was ground into meal for grits, laboriously by hand in a tub mill or at a grist mill if one happened to be located nearby.
A manual corn sheller was used to remove kernels from cobs.
This grist mill on Warwoman Creek is believed to date back to the 1840s.
A sorghum cane mill powered by a mule would grind the cane stalks to extract the juice which was then boiled to make syrup.
Hominy was made using the Cherokee technique of leaching dried corn kernels with the potash of hickory ashes. Cornbread might be served as many as three times a day, frequently with sorghum syrup. Fresh vegetables from the family garden typically were boiled with fatback or bacon for seasoning. Corn and stripped cobs and stalks were fed to hogs and cattle.
Everything Eaten Except for the Oink
Enter the star of north Georgia cuisine in the 1800s…the hog. Everyone raised hogs, which were released into the forest to forage on acorns and other vegetation. No other source of meat yielded a quicker or cheaper return, since no other animal was able to increase its weight 150-fold through its own foraging. And no other animal could be eaten from the head to the tail. Every part of the hog found its way to the dinner table…all, that is, except the oink.
Hog slaughtering began on late autumn or early winter days when temperatures dipping below freezing allowed for a form of refrigeration. Since hogs figured so prominently into mountain diets, people were not bothered by the blood and gore associated with killing and butchering the animals. It is unlikely that the same degree of detachment would be felt today, particularly because many people have little idea about the origins of neatly packaged pork, beef, and chicken in supermarkets.
Hog Blood Not Wasted
Killing, cleaning, and butchering a hog was an all-day job. The animal was killed by a well-aimed rifle shot between the eyes or by a blow to the head with the blunt end of an axe. Once down, the hog’s throat was cut to bleed the animal before its blood congealed. The blood did not go to waste. It was used to make blood pudding, a sausage consisting of meat scraps in congealed blood.
The bled carcass was man-handled into a barrel or vat of boiling water to loosen hair on the skin. If the container was not large enough to immerse the entire hog, the process was repeated for the other half of the carcass. With the scalding completed, the carcass was hung by its hind legs, and the skin was scraped clean
of all hair. While still hanging, the carcass was disemboweled, taking care not to puncture the intestines, since their content would taint the meat. The heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas (the French call them sweetbreads) and even the lungs made their way to the dinner table. The small intestines were placed in a washtub and carried a distance downwind where they were cleaned and prepared to be eaten as chitlins (boiled intestines) or used for sausage casing. By now, it should be apparent that nothing was wasted.
Brains Cooked with Eggs
The carcass was then moved to a cutting table for butchering. The head was cut off first, and the brains removed for serving with eggs at the next morning’s breakfast. Free of cranial matter, the head could be prepared as a stew with diners picking scraps of meat off the skull. The butchering proceeded to the hams, shoulders, belly, ribs, and backbone. Since it tended to spoil quickly, the pork tenderloin was generally consumed on the day of the butchering. The feet, boiled to release their gelatin, were used for making loaves of head cheese, a meat-jelly cold cut. Fat was boiled down for lard and cracklins.
Hams, shoulders, bacon from belly fat and slabs of streak-o-lean were rubbed with salt and hung in the smokehouse to cure and preserve them. Two kinds of sausage usually were prepared: one for the men with extra pepper (if available) and a milder version for the women. Once stuffed in casings, the sausage was rubbed with salt and hung in the smokehouse to cure with the hams, shoulders and bacon. In the coming months, hunks of cured meat and links of sausage in the smokehouse were cut and prepared for the dinner table.
Potlikker and Cornbread
It was customary to boil vegetables with bacon or fatback for seasoning. This method became particularly popular for butterbeans, black-eyed peas, cabbage, and all manner of greens, garden variety or wild, like poke. The seasoned water in which the vegetables were boiled was known as “potlikker” that could be drunk or eaten with crumbled cornbread. It was said that cabbage made the best potlikker.
People living in the mountains seldom kept but a single cow, and few sheep were raised, and those only for wool. Every farm raised a few chickens in a way that today is categorized as “free range.” However, there was no reason to raise large flocks, since it was impossible to protect foraging chickens from predators.
Hogs were the primary source of meat for Rabun’s early settlers.
Eating Ramps Out of Self-Defense
If there was such a thing as exotic mountain food, it probably would have been the ramp, a species of wild onion whose taste and fragrance make garlic pale by comparison. It was used as both a vegetable and seasoning. Everyone ate them, not only as a gastronomic delight, but out of self-defense, because those partaking of ramps had to be downwind from those who had not.
The beverage of choice, not including moonshine, was coffee when it was available, which was not often. Tea was less popular, but when it could not be had, people made a beverage out of dried sassafras root. The red-colored tea also was believed to have medicinal value. The fruit of the persimmon tree was used as a food product and beverage in the form of breads, pies, syrup, jelly, beer, and brandy. Pumpkins also became a staple, used in breads, puddings, pies, soups, and molasses.
The daily lives of North Georgians of the nineteenth century were focused on food…growing it, raising it, hunting it and gathering it. Obesity was never a problem for these people, since there seldom was enough to eat. But such delicacies as hog brains, lungs, and pancreas were a welcome addition to a diet of cornbread and wild greens.
Learn more about our history by becoming a member of the Rabun County Historical Society. Membership and complete information about the Society’s museum are available at www.rabunhistory. org. The museum at 81 N. Church St. in downtown Clayton is open Wednesday-Saturday from 11 to 3. The Society is a not-for-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, making membership dues and donations tax deductible.
Visit us on Facebook and Instagram.
Dick Cinquina is the retired president of Equity Market Partners, a national financial consulting firm he founded in 1981. Holding graduate degrees in history and journalism, Dick recently published Mountains, Moonshine and a Railroad, which tells the always colorful, occasionally contentious and frequently humorous history of Rabun County and northeast Georgia. Dick also writes history articles that appear in the Laurel.
137 Squaw Valley Ln. • Dillard
2/2 • 1,400 SQ FT
• Beautifully updated mtn home
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MLS 10411331 • $425,000
Nate Conkling 407-876-0242
Robyn Conkling 407-717-6971
104 Harmony - Rabun Gap
• 3BR/3BA Mtn cabin in the Wolffork Valley
• Mother-in-law suite downstairs w/ separate entrance
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MLS 10386808 • $449,500
Ann Inman 256-622-0334
31 Creekside Lane • Clayton
5 /3.5
• 2.29 +-AC
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MLS 10397312 • $695,000
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381 W. Sugarbush Dr. • Sky Valley
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114 Chechero Valley Ln • Clayton
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MLS 10339130
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5192 Wolffork Rd • Rabun Gap
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MLS 10232926 $895,000 Nic Poss 706-982-0872
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MLS 10408287 • $459,000
Roger Glenn 770-312-7940
720 Deerfield Dr • Clayton
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MLS 10380899 • $539,000
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6581 Plum Orchard Rd • Clayton
81.25 AC • Hidden mtn cove w/ wildlife
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DECEMBER FEATURED LISTING
600 Lookout Ridge Rd • Clayton
653 W Sugarbush Dr • Sky Valley 3/2 • All-on-one-level
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MLS 10401867 • $469,000 Penny Ramey 706-490-1610
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6750 HWY 53 Suite 101 - Braselton
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MLS 10381515
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• $575,000 • Jim Blalock 706-490-1404
