South Carolina Living June 2010

A rAre

Breed

Saving the state’s native horse

TR AV E LS

Celebrate Independence Day at MÄąddleton Place

S .C . STo R i E S

Meet peach farmer and best-selling author Dori Sanders

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June 2010

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THE MAGAZINE FOR COOPERATIVE MEMBERS Vol. 64 • No. 6 (ISSN 0047-486X, USPS 316-240)

Tel: (803) 926-3 1 75 Fax: (803) 796-6064 E-mail: letters@scliving.coop EDITOR

Keith Phillips FIELD EDITOR

Walter Allread PUBLICATION COORDINATOR

Pam Martin

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Jenny Maxwell ART DIRECTOR

Sharri Harris Wolfgang DESIGNER

Susan Collins PRODUCTION

Jason Clarke WEB EDITOR

Van O’Cain COPY EDITOR

Susan Scott Soyars CONTRIBUTORS

Becky Billingsley, Mike Couick, Jim Dulley, Kristine Hartvigsen, Jan A. Igoe, Charles Joyner, Greg Lucas, Maghan Lusk, Bob Polomski, Marc Rapport, Pat Robertson Publisher

June 2010 • Volume 64, Number 6

F ea t ure

16 A Rare Breed

Marsh Tackies are a distinct breed of scrappy, sure-footed horses found only in South Carolina, but with fewer than 300 animals left, their survival is uncertain.

Meet the dedicated people who are trying to save the state’s native horse.

4 CO-OP CONNECTION

SC LIFE

6 ON THE AGENDA

21 Dori Sanders

Cooperative news

July Fourth fireworks at Patriots Point, a basket full of peach festivals, The Battle of Huck’s Defeat at historic Brattonsville, the Hampton County Watermelon Festival and S.C. Festival of Flowers.

PLUS: What you can do with $1 worth of electricity, a tribute to an outstanding teacher and S.C.ramble

POWER USER DIALOGUE

Lou Green ADVERTISING MANAGERS

Tel: (800) 984-0887 Dan Covell E-mail: dan@scliving.coop Keegan Covell E-mail: keegan@scliving.coop National Representation

National Country Market Tel: (800) NCM-1181 Paid advertisements are not endorsements by any electric cooperative or this publication.

If you encounter a difficulty with an advertisement, inform the Editor.

Please send to your local co-op. Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Address Change, c/o the address above.

ADDRESS CHANGES:

Periodicals postage paid at Cayce, S.C., and additional mailing offices. © COPYRIGHT 2010. The Electric

Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc. No portion of South Carolina Living may be reproduced without permission of the Editor. is brought to you by your member-owned, taxpaying, not-for-profit electric cooperative to inform you about your cooperative, wise energy use and the faces and places that identify the Palmetto State. Electric cooperatives are South Carolina’s — and America’s — largest utility network.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

10 A ‘Founding Fathers’ day

In signing the Declaration of Independence, our Founding Fathers put their faith in the consent of the governed to secure the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So why aren’t more of us voting?

ENERGY Q&A

12 Energy-efficient dishwashers You don’t need an excuse to buy a new dishwasher, just the facts. Today’s models use less energy and can pay for themselves over time in the form of lower power bills.

SMART CHOICE

14 Office objects of desire

These handy office gadgets help you get your work done faster, smarter and with a dash of style.

STORIES

Despite moving in elite literary and culinary circles, best-selling author Dori Sanders still works the family farm in York County.

SCENE

22 Escape to Pendleton

From history buffs to blushing brides, visitors are always welcome in this small farming community north of I-85 in Anderson County.

OUTSIDE

26 Kalmia Gardens and Segars-

McKinnon Heritage Preserve

Daniela Snyder

Read in 470,000 homes and businesses and published monthly except in December by The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc. 808 Knox Abbott Drive Cayce, SC 29033

16

SC Gardener: Japanese beetles Outdoor tips

28

TRAVELS

28 Celebrate Independence Day

at Middleton Place

There’s no better place to spend the July Fourth weekend than the birthplace of a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

RECIPES

30 Perfect accompaniments

Pat’s spinach & Gorgonzola salad Mother-in-law’s lemon curd Pineapple apricot cream pie Butch’s soy & ginger dressing CHEF’S CHOICE

32 Cooking at the crossroads

Country charm and seriously good food make Grits and Groceries in Saylors Crossroads worth the drive.

HOME RUN

A RARE

35 Lead-safe remodeling

BREED

Saving the state’s native horse

Learn about the new EPA rules designed to minimize lead hazards.

TR AV E LS

Celebrate Independence Day at Mıddleton Place

S .C . STO R I E S

Meet peach farmer and best-selling author Dori Sanders

HUMOR ME

HUMOR ME

Southern charm meets its match on a “customer service” call to New Delhi.

Printed on recycled paper

Member of the NCM network of publications, reaching more than 7 million homes and businesses

14

34 Marketplace 36 SC EVENTS

JUNE 2010

38 Customer service is on hold

The lost art of customer service

Marsh Tacky enthusiast Wylie Bell demonstrates the sure-footed nature of South Carolina’s native horse during an afternoon ride on the Pee Dee River. Photo by Daniela Snyder.

On the Agenda

Highlights

June

For a complete listing of Events, see page 36

TOP PICK FOR KIDS

JULY 4 FIREWORKS AT PATRIOTS POINT For a family-friendly Independence Day celebration, consider Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum on Charleston Harbor. Besides the somber glory of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown and other displays honoring the men and women who fought to defend our nation, there’s a nationally renowned fireworks display at 9:30 p.m., fired from the carrier’s flight deck.

Patriots Point is on Charleston Harbor in Mount Pleasant.

Details at patriotspoint.org or (843) 884-2727.

JUNE 26

S.C. Festival of Flowers

JUNE 19–27

Hampton County Watermelon Festival JUNE 19–JULY 18

Four Peach Festivals Did you know South Carolina produces more peaches than Georgia? It’s true, and celebrating that most delicious of summer crops is a big deal in the Palmetto State. Peach parties this year include the Ridge Peach Festival on Saturday, June 19, in Trenton (ridgepeachfestival.com); the Lexington County Peach Festival on Saturday, July 3, in Gilbert (lexingtoncountypeachfestival.com); the McLeod Farms Peach Festival on Saturday, July 10, near McBee (macspride. com); and the S.C. Peach Festival on July 15–17, in Gaffney (scpeachfestival.org).

For more festivals and additional details, click the “Events” tab on the state’s official tourism website discoversouthcarolina.com.

6

Deemed the oldest continuously held festival in the state, the Hampton County Watermelon Festival is back for the 68th time. A particularly long parade (almost 2.5 miles) on Saturday, June 26, is one of the featured events in the weeklong celebration, as are pageants, fun runs, a fishing contest, a street dance and, of course, watermelon eating and judging competitions.

The Hampton County Watermelon Festival is held in and around Hampton and Varnville and at Lake Warren State Park. Details at melonfest.org.

JULY 10

Battle of Huck’s Defeat See history come alive at Historic Brattonsville.

The living history homestead in rural York County will host re-enactors staging the Revolutionary War battle of July 12, 1780, that came to be known as Huck’s Defeat. This year’s mock battle is set for Saturday, July 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the 775-acre farm that served as a set for the film The Patriot.

Historic Brattonsville is off U.S. 321 near McConnellsville. Details at chmuseums.org or (803) 684-2327.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

The Safari Topiary Display will return this year to downtown Greenwood for the 43rd annual S.C. Festival of Flowers. The festival actually runs June 5–27 but Saturday, June 26, is the culminating day, with a full slate of activities for kids, a bluegrass concert featuring the Del McCoury Band and other highlights. Last but not least, it’s also Park Seed Flower Day—the one day of the year when the public can tour the company’s 9-acre Trial Garden and view more than 2,000 varieties of plants in full bloom.

The S.C. Festival of Flowers is held in and around Greenwood. Details at scfestivalofflowers.org or (864) 223-8411.

E-MAIL COMMENTS, QUESTIONS AND GOOD NEIGHBORS TO LETTERS@SCLIVING.COOP

The Value of Electricity

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We welcome Keith Phillips as the new editor for South Carolina Living. Phillips brings significant experience to your magazine, having worked with The Associated Press, daily newspapers and magazines during his career.

Best we can tell, he’s all dried out from his 15 years with Scuba Diving and Alert Diver magazines, but his trips to blue waters of the Caribbean are still making his new friends on our magazine staff envious.

I believe you will enjoy Phillips’ work as we all strive to keep your cooperative magazine a trusted source of ways to save energy and money and to explore the wonderful people and places of the Palmetto State.

—Lou Green, Publisher

S.C.RAMBLE!

By Charles Joyner, See Answer ON Page 25

E l t r i c

Each of the six letters in ELECTRIC stands for a digit. Given the equations below, can you find the value of each letter and the total value of ELECTRIC? Use the grid to eliminate impossibilities. Examples: No square ends in 2, 3, 7, or 8. Therefore, C is not 2, 3, 7, or 8. No number less than 32 has a four-digit square. So, E is not 0, 1, or 2.

E-L=T

C+R=T

L=R+R

C+C= I

L+L=C

(EL) 2 =TRIC

T-R=C

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

pieces of toast (nicely browned)

letters

Sources: U.S. Department of Energy; National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

I was reading your article about Aiken (April) and hoping you would tell the best story about Bing Crosby coming to town. While living in Aiken from 1955 to 1958, I went to St. Mary’s Church and School and sang in the choir at the church on Sunday. Back then, we sang the High Mass sometimes.

After leaving Aiken, we read one Sunday in The Washington Post that the famous singer had attended Mass at St. Mary’s. He used to go to Augusta to play golf. He went up in the choir loft and asked the sister if he could sing with the choir, and she said no, as it was just for the children.

She obviously did not recognize her petitioner with the famous voice, and he obliged and returned to his seat. After Mass he went upstairs and introduced himself to the sister. I can only imagine her surprise, but also she probably was focused more on her mission than keeping up with the famous and wealthy of this world.

$ TIP Load up your washing machine for energy savings

New editor for your magazine

Bing Crosby can’t sing (in the choir)

PATTY BOWERS, SELBYVILLE, DELAWARE

scliving.coop | JUNE 2010 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

7

On the Agenda

June

GONE FISHIN’ The Vector Fish & Game Forecast provides feeding and migration times. Major periods can bracket the peak by an hour.

Minor peaks, ½ hour before and after.

AM Minor Major

june

PM Minor Major

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

5:37 — — 1:07 1:52 2:37 3:22 4:07 — 12:52 1:22 2:07 2:37 3:22

10:22 6:52 7:52 8:52 9:52 10:37 11:22 11:52 4:52 5:37 6:07 6:52 7:22 8:07

11:52 12:22 2:37 8:07 9:37 10:37 11:22 12:07 8:07 8:37 9:07 9:37 9:52 10:22

4:52 12:37 6:52 4:22 5:37 6:22 7:07 7:37 12:37 1:07 1:37 2:07 2:37 3:07

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

4:07 9:52 11:37 — — 12:52 1:52 2:52 3:37 — — 1:22 2:07 2:52 3:52 10:37

8:52 5:07 6:07 7:22 8:22 9:07 10:07 10:52 11:37 4:37 5:37 6:22 7:22 8:07 9:22 4:52

10:52 4:07 4:22 2:07 6:22 8:37 10:07 11:07 11:52 7:37 8:22 8:52 9:22 9:52 10:22 4:07

3:37 11:07 11:37 12:07 4:37 5:37 6:07 6:37 7:07 12:07 12:52 1:37 2:22 2:52 3:37 10:52

july

SCL To-Do List

Send us your story

Tell us about your favorite veterinarian, in 200 words or less, and send a photo if you have one. We’ll share the best in an upcoming issue. Deadline is July 1.

8

We’re here!

We love hearing from our ­readers.

We edit for grammar, style and length. Please write to Letters, South Carolina Living, 808 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce, SC 29033, e-mail letters@­scliving.coop or fax (803) 796-6064.

READER CONNECTIONS

The teacher brought cow eyes to class

We asked for your favorite teachers. Karena Poonen of Bluffton wrote about her 9th grade biology teacher:

M

any students disliked Miss Binnington because, they warned, “She’s mean. She gives too much homework.” She terrified us when she first entered the classroom. Middle-aged and at least six feet tall, she wore a tailored suit and had a grim expression on her face and blue eyes that pierced into our souls through her glasses. She wasted no time in telling us what she expected from us. She outlined her demanding grading system and the many papers and exams she had planned. She ran our class with no nonsense, like a drill sergeant.

As the year went by and she extracted miraculous feats of learning from most of us, I realized that she did care about each of us and that she had a warm and loving heart. She encouraged us in unusual ways, letting us select the grade we would earn by choosing how much we wanted to do according to her grading chart.

In those days (1955), students only dissected frogs. We had never heard of another biology teacher who, like her, had brought in a real cow’s eye and cow’s heart to dissect in class. Miss Binnington allowed students who were grossed out by the idea of watching the dissection to study quietly on the other side of the room. When those squeamish students heard our oohs and aahs, they couldn’t resist coming around to look. In the end, every student observed the amazing dissections. I learned more in Miss Binnington’s class than in any other. I thought she was perfect.

In a rare, unguarded moment, Miss Binnington shared with

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

the class her frustrated dream of becoming a doctor. I had no doubt that she would have made a wonderful doctor and thought her talent was being wasted. Later, I came to realize how many of us she inspired to go into medicine. If I multiply the number in my class by her decades of teaching, there must be hundreds of doctors and nurses who got their start in her class. What a legacy!

After graduation, I kept in touch. About 30 years later, I returned to my hometown and tried to find her. She had retired, but I discovered she was living in a nursing home. She was thrilled by my phone call, but when I asked to visit her, she refused. “I don’t want you to see me like this. I’m in a wheelchair now, and I’m very weak. I want you to remember me as I was in class, not like this.”

Holding back my tears, I tried to convince her that I couldn’t care less how she looked. She was adamant, however, so I settled for a long, delightful phone chat.

It’s unlikely that Miss Binnington is still living today, but her image will always shine brightly in my memory.

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9

Dialogue

A ‘Founding Fathers’ day that the Declaration of Independence does not have the force and effect of law.

Yes, courts have cited the hopes and desires it expresses for a number of personal freedoms later secured by the U.S. Constitution, but the Declaration itself does not secure those rights. However, it does provide profound guidance: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed …”

You may be surprised to Learn

Larry Cribb, left, former editor of this magazine, with Mike Couick, president and CEO of The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina.

Farewell to a Friend

During Larry Cribb’s first two decades with The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, 1979–1997, as editor of this magazine, he wrote many stories that captured the positive effect cooperatives make in rural South Carolina.

The magazine and his writing were nationally recognized for capturing what we believe is the cooperative difference.

A couple of years ago, Larry returned to work part-time for the organizations he loved—electric cooperatives. He enjoyed people, and at age 75, he had plenty of stories about the old days to share. Folks left conversations with Larry feeling proud to be a part of the tradition of cooperative service he described.

Larry Cribb died peacefully at home on May 17 after spending the morning here at work. I know his daughter and granddaughters will miss him greatly. We will, too.

10

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

In signing the Declaration on July 4, 1776, 56 men— all white, and almost all wealthy and well-educated by 18th‑century American standards—put their faith in the consent of the governed to shape an American government that could secure such unalienable (cannot be taken away) rights as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

We spent much of the next 200 years determining exactly who made up the “governed” who needed to consent. Women, African-Americans and 18-year-olds got the right to vote. Effectively now all adult U.S. citizens make up the governed.

What happens if the governed do not vote, or if the governed allow their votes to be manipulated by misinformation, or if the governed do not give “informed consent” to the government’s direction? When the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1776, the issue at hand was a distant king and a virtually sealed ballot box. The revolt that followed was based largely upon the colonies’ desire to govern themselves. They were not anarchists. They were not petitioning for an absence of government, but for a government of their own, which they controlled, to which they gave their consent and which represented their interests.

With the start of the 2010 electoral process, the June 8 primaries, the runoffs and the November general ­election, I wonder what the signers of the Declaration of Independence would think of our participation.

Talking heads on any of the networks serve useful purposes; I often leave them on so our dogs will be entertained if we are not home for dinner. Not one of them does or could reflect the way I plan to express my wishes or what is the collective “consent of the governed.” I typically find little guidance in bumper stickers, staged sound bites or yard signs. I do, however, value a good debate, a thoughtful explanation of specific ideas on a campaign website and a good discussion with friends about their own views on issues and candidates. Such strange habits have led me to not once vote a straight party ticket in a general election.

Even if we all don’t vote, our government will still have its consent to govern. However, if we all vote our convictions, it will have the type of consent most likely to produce a government that, to paraphrase the Declaration of Independence, will seem most likely to have a good effect on the safety and happiness of the governed.

EnergyQ&A

By JIM Dulley

Energy-efficient dishwashers: clean plates, lower bills

DACOR

miele

High-end dishwashers offer additional features like multiple cycle settings and silverware cleaning trays, left, that are matters of personal preference. Others, right, come equipped with water-saving features including sensors that measure the cloudiness of the water and regulate the length of cleaning cycles.

Q A

one rotation and drains in the other. Two smaller pumps require a smaller water reservoir, but the efficiency difference between one- and two-pump models has narrowed considerably. Another feature that helps some newer dishwashers get the job done, using less water and less energy, is sensors that measure the cloudiness of the water and Your old dishwasher probably does need to be regulate the length of cycles. replaced, and the good news is that no matter which The most important feature is how well a washer cleans new dishwasher you select, you can be certain it dishes. If it does not clean well, people tend to run it on will run quieter and use less electricity than your old the heavy cycle when normal will do, or they hand rinse one. The vast majority of dishwashers made today exceed the dishes first. Rinsing can use more than 10 extra gallons the Energy Star efficiency standards, so you can expect of water, and if you use hot water, you’re consuming more to recover the initial cost of a new washer from energy energy than necessary. With a good dishwasher, a simple savings gained over the life of the appliance. Newer dishhand-scraping of dirty dishes should be adequate. washers are also much quieter than older ones, thanks to Top-of-the-line dishwashers may offer many cycle setbetter motor and pump design and improved insulation. tings for different loads. This is a nice To find a dishwasher with maxifeature, but most families can get by mum efficiency, compare the overall GetStarted with three basic cycles: light, medium water consumption specifications for and heavy (for pots and pans). an average load cycle. The biggest cost Online resources As for the efficiency of doing of using a dishwasher is for the energy If you’re shopping for a new dishwasher, dishes by hand, I consider it—pardon to heat the water. A portion of this visit energystar.gov and click on the “Find the pun—a wash. I’ve tested this in energy is used by the home’s primary Energy Star Products” link. The site’s useful resources include an updated list my own home using a kitchen faucet water heater, the rest by an internal of qualified washers with a chart listing with touch control, which allowed me heater in the dishwasher. If a dishgallons used per cycle and estimates of to minimize water use when rinsing. washer consumes less water, it uses kilowatt-hours used per year. There’s also Unless you are very miserly with the less energy. an interactive savings calculator. Current hot water, an automatic dishwasher As a water-saving feature, some Energy Star requirements for dishwashers will typically be more efficient. dishwashers sport a two-pump design: limit maximum energy use to 324 kwh per One small pump is used for sprayyear and 5.8 gallons per cycle for standard Have a question for Jim? Send inquiries to: ing the dishes and another is used to dishwasher models; 234 kwh per year and James Dulley, South Carolina Living, 808 drain the unit. Other models still use 4 gallons per cycle for compact models.

Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce SC 29033, e-mail a single reversing pump that sprays in energyQA@scliving.coop or fax (803) 739-3041.

My 12-year-old dishwasher is noisy and does not have many cycle options. I think it’s time to replace it. What are the important efficiency features to look for when I compare models? Also, is washing dishes by hand more efficient?

12

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

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13

SmartChoice

By Becky BILLINGSLEY

Office objects of desire From writing business plans to creating spreadsheets and accessing files across the Internet, South Carolinians are finding almost every job is easier thanks to new office technology. Whether you commute to a corporate campus or work out of your garage, these electronic devices can help you get your work done—faster, smarter and with a dash of style.

STYLISH HUB What’s the one thing a multitasker always needs? USB ports. The LaCie USB 2.0 Hub gives you seven extras for charging accessories, and it prevents cable knots by packing them all into a desktop work of art.

Created by French designer ­Ora‑Ito. $65. (503) 844-4500; lacie.com.

MOBILE OPTIONS

FAST OUTPUTS

PC POWER Take PC data wherever it’s needed. Put all large photo files, spreadsheets and more on a slim Seagate Free Agent Go 500GB Portable Hard Drive. $130.

(800) 283‑7674; officemax.com.

FASTER COMPUTING If it’s time for a desktop PC upgrade, consider the HP Pavilion p6310f for a combination of Quad-Core processing speed (2.8 gigahertz) and impressive hard drive space (1 terabyte). Ships with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit operating system and Microsoft Works 9. $630. (888) 447-4104; hp.com.

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SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

4 BR, 3 Ba Hartwell $207,800

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scliving.coop | JUNE 2010 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

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SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

A Rare Breed

Meet the South Carolinians fighting for the state’s native horse

By Jenny Maxwell

In the fight to save the Marsh Tacky from extinction, David Grant was the first to bring the breed west.

Photos by Daniela Snyder/Equestrian Images

“I’m not talking about west of the Mississippi. I’m talking about I-95,” says Grant, who raises Marsh Tackies on his farm near Florence.

For those who don’t know—and that includes many of us who live far from the state’s coast—the Marsh Tacky is a distinct breed of horse that can only be found in South Carolina. Descended from the mounts left behind by Spanish explorers, Marsh Tackies developed in isolation on the sea islands, and after 500 years of roaming the Lowcountry, earned a reputation for being sure-footed on swampy terrain. Though small in stature (adults are 13 to 14 hands high), these rare horses tend to be calm and show great endurance. Before the age of the automobile, they were valued as dependable farm horses and as mounts particularly well-suited for women and children, though Grant cautions that you shouldn’t underestimate a Tacky.

Dubbed the “Pee Dee Cowboy” by his friends, Grant does more than raise Marsh Tackies. He also rides them to hunt boar and deer scliving.coop | JUNE 2010 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

17

Photos by Daniela Snyder/Equestrian Images

What’s with that name?

According to the Carolina Marsh Tacky Association: The name ‘Tacky’ is derived from the English word for cheap or common. For most of their history, Marsh Tackies were the most common horse in the swampy and marshy Lowcountry region of coastal South Carolina and Georgia. in the swamps. “These horses aren’t play toys. We ride hard and aggressive,” he says.

For history buffs and horse lovers, the scrappy little horse seems to have it all, but with fewer than 300 pure Tackies left—and no more wild stock to draw from—the breed’s future may be in jeopardy unless Grant and other enthusiasts can find a way to stage a comeback for South Carolina’s native horse.

History on four hooves

Grant got into raising and breeding Marsh Tackies five years ago, after a hunting trip near Charleston. “I was raised in South Carolina and loved horses as a young fellow. I had heard of Marsh Tackies but didn’t think a lot about them,” he says. He enjoyed riding the good-natured, tough little horses. But it was their history that really got him.

The horse plays a role in much of the state’s past. During the American Revolution, “Swamp Fox” Francis Marion’s troops rode their own mounts—the most common horse being the Marsh Tacky.

In the decades around the Civil War, Marsh Tackies were a central part of farm life, especially for Gullah families. The horses did everything—from plowing fields to delivering ladies to church. During World War II, soldiers on beach patrol rode Tackies.

Grant currently has 21 Marsh Tackies on his farm. He and other South Carolina breeders have managed to increase the number of horses over the last 10 years, but the breed is still in danger of fading into extinction. In 2007, breeders, owners and Tacky enthusiasts formed the Carolina Marsh Tacky Association (CMTA) to preserve the breed and share its history.

“The Marsh Tacky is the best-kept equine secret this century,” says breeder David Grant, shown above on his stallion, DP. A member of Pee Dee Electric Cooperative, Grant raises the rare horses on his farm near Florence and rides them on hunting trips and outings with fellow enthusiasts, top. “We ride hard and aggressive.”

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A girl, a horse and a Statehouse bill

Jackie McFadden, a CMTA board member, grew up fascinated by Marsh Tackies after learning about them in the third grade. “I told a teacher I wished that South Carolina had horses on the islands like North Carolina does. And she said we do,” she recalls.

A librarian at Winthrop University, McFadden was working in the

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

The breed developed in isolation along South Carolina’s sea islands and in coastal swamps, which honed an innate ability to navigate swampy and uncertain terrain. A calm demeanor also makes Marsh Tackies well suited to novice riders.

Colonial breeds

“ I told [my third-grade] teacher I wished that South Carolina had horses on the islands like North Carolina does. And she said we do.”

—Jackie McFadden, Carolina Marsh Tacky Association board member

government documents department in 2007 when a bill to make the Marsh Tacky the state horse came through her department. “I was shocked to see that it had failed,” she says.

Thanks to her efforts, a new bill was introduced in the 2010 legislative session and in May it was debated on the House floor. There, to McFadden’s dismay, the bill ran into a mule. Or, to be more accurate, had a mule attached to it—in the form of an amendment to designate the mule the official state work animal. “I have no problem with the mule, but they tried to do the same thing in 2007 and it got laughed down,” McFadden says.

The 2010 bill, mule or no mule, earned the support of Jeannette Beranger of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, who wrote in an editorial, “We realize that debating the idea of appointing the Marsh Tacky as the state horse is not the most pressing item on the government’s agenda, but it is an opportunity to further distinguish

Colonial Spanish horses, including the Marsh Tacky, are a group of closely related breeds. They descend from horses brought by Spanish explorers and colonists as early as the 1500s. The famed wild horses on Shackleford Banks in North Carolina and the Florida Cracker are two other equine breeds that trace back to the Spanish.

Colonial breeds are not limited to horses and include a wide range of livestock brought to the colonies by early European settlers. Ossabaw pigs, found on Georgia’s sea islands, are another animal introduced by the Spanish. The Cotton Patch goose is a breed brought from Europe; rare today, these geese were once quite common on farms in South Carolina, where they weeded the cotton fields.

In recent decades, many colonial breeds have seen their numbers dwindle, some to endangered levels, others becoming extinct.

The American Livestock Breeds Association works to identify colonial breeds and preserve them.

At present, the association includes more than 150 historic breeds of farm animals on their registry. To learn more, visit their website at albc-usa.org.

scliving.coop | JUNE 2010 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

19

Jackie McFadden

Marsh Tacky races, a time-honored Lowcountry tradition, are back and drawing thousands of spectators to Hilton Head’s Gullah Celebration.

Here, 19-year-old Brittany Stevens rides 21-year-old Molly to victory in the Mare’s Race this past February.

Where can you see a Marsh Tacky?

Seven days a week at Brookgreen Gardens. David Grant is lending two of

his Marsh Tackies to Brookgreen Gardens near Murrells Inlet; brookgreen.org

Every year at the Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration. The Marsh Tacky

race on the beach has been revived as part of this annual event. In February of this year, 6,000 spectators came to see Marsh Tackies run on the sand; gullahcelebration.com

By appointment at Carolina Marsh Tacky Outdoors. Breeder David Grant

welcomes visitors to see Marsh Tackies at his farm near Florence but asks that you call or e-mail through his website to make an appointment; (843) 858-0181; carolinamarshtacky.com

At various events around the state.

Members of the Carolina Marsh Tacky Association regularly take their horses to events around the state. See their calendar at marshtacky.org

20

the uniqueness of South Carolina. Thousands of people across the United States recognize the horse as something special and uniquely South Carolinian, a claim no other breed can make.”

As this issue went to press, the legislation was still pending (for an update, see scliving.coop). McFadden says she will keep trying until the horse is recognized, despite her frustrations with the process. One representative opposed to the measure issued a curt “Thanks for calling, little miss,” then hung up on her. McFadden keeps her sense of humor about the encounter: “If I ever get a Marsh Tacky mare, her name’s going to be Little Miss,” she says.

A higher profile for the humble Marsh Tacky

With or without designation as the state heritage horse, the Marsh Tacky is finally getting some recognition. The Carolina Marsh Tacky Association is performing DNA tests on horses and has established a registry to facilitate more breeding of pure Marsh Tackies.

Researchers at Mississippi State University are undertaking a study of the Marsh Tacky’s gait in an attempt to discover the secrets to the breed’s stamina.

Meanwhile, requests to visit his farm are up, says Grant, and a Marsh Tacky race at Hilton Head attracted 6,000 spectators in February. That race was a popular annual event up until the 1960s, and derbies were held on the beach with winners presented roses in the thoroughbred racing tradition. The race was revived in 2009 as part of the Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration.

“We’ve kept them. We’ve hung onto them. Now people get intrigued with them,” Grant says of the efforts to preserve and promote the breed. “It’s past a hobby for me. Let’s call it a passion. I feel like the good Lord put these Marsh Tackies in my life. It’s been a gift.”

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

SCStories

If you stop to buy a bag of peaches at author Dori Sanders’ farm stand on Highway 321 in York County, you might one day recognize yourself in the pages of her next acclaimed novel. In fact, the inspiration for Sanders’ first book, Clover, came after a young black girl waved from a funeral procession passing by her stand.

“I am a sponge,” she said. “The farming life and that farm stand really serve as a wellspring for my writing.”

With two successful novels and a popular cookbook under her belt, Sanders moves in lofty literary and culinary circles—she’s seen Clover turned into a TV movie, given guest lectures at elite universities, appeared on Martha Stewart’s show (twice) and been profiled in Gourmet magazine. But her life, like her writing, is firmly rooted in rural South Carolina.

The eighth of 10 children, Sanders still actively works the family farm where she was born and learned how to tell a good yarn. Not far from the fruit stand is the “story-telling rock,” a towering granite boulder where a young Dori and her siblings would gather to entertain one another.

Her energy and robust persona belie her years, a testament to healthy eating and active living. “My claim to fame is I eat a lot of fruit and work hard,” she said. “I do a lot of exercise. I still drive a tractor. And I try to go to bed early because I am up at 4:30 a.m. every day.”

SC Life

Dori Sanders OCCUPATION: farmer, best-selling author HOME: Filbert, South Carolina FAVORITE SEASONAL VEGGIE: early June peas CURRENTLY READING: The Last Lecture

by Randy Pausch

Paul Franklin

—kristine hartvigsen

scliving.coop | JUNE 2010 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

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SCScene

A small town that’s big on hospitality

Hometown pride: Pendleton

BY MAGHAN LUSK

History buffs and brides-to-be know the way to Pendleton.

So do bluegrass fans, festival goers and those who appreciate the panoramic views and cooler summer temperatures of the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills. Located just north of I-85 in Anderson County, within easy driving distance from major universities and centers of commerce, Pendleton is the kind of place people love to claim as their very own secret, get-away spot. In fact, South Carolinians in the know have enjoyed Pendleton’s small-town hospitality since the early 1800s. The result is a farming community of just under 3,000 people with a big tradition of welcoming all manner of guests.

“Pendleton is not a place you come to visit, it’s a place you come to experience,” says Mayor Randy Hayes.

A town with history

One of Pendleton’s big points of pride is its history, which dates to the colonial era. At the start of the Revolutionary War, Cherokee Indians controlled the territory now known as Pickens, Anderson and Oconee counties, but sided with

The old Guardhouse currently serves as the town visitors’ center while Hunter’s Store undergoes renovation.

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SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

Pendleton Data Founded: 1790 Named For:

Judge Henry Pendleton Size: 3.6 square miles Population: 2,966 (2000 census) Median Household Income: $28,052

the British and were forced to cede their land to South Carolina. Scotch-Irish patriots, drawn by the rich farmland, began to populate the area after the war’s end. The town itself was created in 1790 to serve as the courthouse seat of Anderson County and named for Judge Henry Pendleton, a Revolutionary War veteran originally from Virginia.

The town’s agrarian culture took on new dimensions in 1800 when the first seasonal visitors—wealthy and sophisticated Lowcountry planters—began building summer homes in the area to escape the heat and insects of the coast.

The legacy of the planters is still evident today in the form of beautifully restored Ashtabula and Woodburn plantations, house museums operated by the Pendleton Historic Foundation. Woodburn is an 18-room, two-story clapboard home with an elegant piazza and three outbuildings, including a carriage house, a cookhouse and a reproduction of slave/tenant quarters. Ashtabula is a twostory clapboard home with an attached two-story brick kitchen that once served as a tavern.

Nineteen more historic sites are accessible on self-guided walking tours from another point of local pride: the Village Green. The picturesque town square, surrounded by local shops, restaurants and merchants, is on the National Register

Photos Courtesy of the Pendleton District Commission

of Historic Places, and although it may look a little too perfect, it is the heart of everyday life, says Jennifer Evans, of the Pendleton District Commission. “With the town’s historic charm, Village Green, friendly people, unique shops and family-owned restaurants, Pendleton is the small town you think only exists in the movies,” she says.

The focal point of the square is Farmers Society Hall, which has played a significant role in the state’s history. Originally built in 1826, the building has been in continuous use ever since.

The second floor features the meeting room where Thomas Green Clemson first proposed the creation of a land-grant agricultural college for South Carolina—a plan which ultimately led to the founding of nearby Clemson University.

The ground floor has been everything from a general store to a U.S. Post office but is now home to 1826 On the Green, a restaurant serving up customary Southern fare with outdoor seating on the green. Behind the Farmers Hall is the old Guardhouse, which is currently functioning as the town visitors’ center, while the nearby

Farmers Society Hall on the Village Green provides the backdrop for the Spring Jubilee, a two-day festival held each April, which offers music, craft vendors and family activities.

scliving.coop | JUNE 2010 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

23

GETTING THERE

Pendleton is located at the junction of Highways 28 and 88 in Anderson County. From I-85, take exit 19B and turn left (from Georgia) or right (from North Carolina) onto Highway 76 and then left onto Highway 28.

DON’T MISS

Ashtabula Plantation S.C. Highway 88 • (864) 646-7249 • pendletonhistoricfoundation.org is the beautifully restored Upcountry plantation home originally built in 1825 by Lewis Ladson and Maria Drayton Gibbes of Charleston. Open year-round by appointment for a minimum charge of $30. Twenty-four hours’ notice required. From April through October, the museum is open Tuesday–Thursday and on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $2 for children ages 5–10.

Woodburn Plantation 130 History Lane • (864) 646-7249 • pendletonhistoricfoundation.org was built in 1830 by Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of Charleston as a summer home and was the birthplace of Jane Edna Hunter, founder of the Phillis Wheatley Society. Open year-round by appointment for a minimum charge of $30. Twenty-four hours’ notice required. From April to October, the museum is open Sundays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $2 for children ages 5–10.

Pendleton Farmers Market pendletonfarmersmarket.org is a summer ritual now in its eighth year. Stroll the Village Green and shop for the best in local produce and baked goods on Thursdays 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors are, of course, always welcome.

Woodburn Plantation

GOOD EATS

1826 On the Green • 105 Exchange Street • (864) 646-5500 serves up Southern cooking with outdoor seating right on the Village Green.

Liberty Hall Inn and Café • 621 South Mechanic Street • (864) 646-7500 The house special is Southern hospitality. Enough said.

Rocky Retreat Bed and Breakfast • 1000 Millwee Creek Road • (864) 225‑3494 is a genteel B&B that’s on the National Register of Historic Places.

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SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

Photos Courtesy of the Pendleton District Commission

Pendleton Directory

The grounds of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church are the resting place of Thomas Green Clemson, who proposed the nearby university.

Hunter’s Store undergoes renovations. Not far from the Green is St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, built in 1822. Visitors may take a walking tour of the stone church and grounds where notable South Carolinians, including Thomas Green Clemson, are buried.

Ringing in a new era

In early April, Pendleton hosts guests from throughout the Southeast for its biggest party of the year: the annual Historic Pendleton Spring Jubilee on the Green where artisans sell their wares to thousands of visitors. The Jubilee has twice been named the state’s best festival among small communities and is routinely ranked among the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 Events. During the Jubilee, don’t be surprised if you see men in kilts and women in traditional Scottish dresses. Pendleton is a sister city to Stornoway, Scotland, and the festival often draws trans-Atlantic visitors. Also in early April is Bluegrass Under the Stars, with regional favorites headlining at Tri-County Technical College’s amphitheater.

And the newest reason visitors are coming to Pendleton? Destination weddings, says Vicki Fletcher, executive director of the Pendleton District Commission. The town has become an ideal location for couples looking to make matrimonial memories that abound in Southern elegance.

But ask anyone—local or visitor, history buff or newlywed—to name the one thing that makes Pendleton unique, and they’ll all give you the same answer as Mayor Hayes: “The people,” he says. “Without a doubt, the people.”

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25

SCOutside

BY GREG LUCAS

Formality on the wild side Kalmia Gardens

Looking for a place where you can combine a stroll through formal gardens with a walk on the wild side?

Look no further than Kalmia Gardens and Segars-McKinnon Heritage Preserve in Hartsville.

Kalmia Gardens, a 35-acre private botanical garden and historic house, boasts an amazing variety of rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas and the Gardens’ namesake—Kalmia ­latifolia, or mountain laurel. It is also the gateway to Segars-McKinnon Heritage Preserve, 795 acres of floodplain and higher ground, acquired by the state’s Heritage Trust Program to protect an Atlantic white cedar bog and uncommon plants such as white wicky, spring-flowering goldenrod, awned meadow-beauty and sweet pitcher-plant.

Kalmia Gardens and its historic Thomas E. Hart House, built in 1820, are on the National Register of Historic Places. When the Coker family acquired the land in 1932, the

garden’s founder, “Miss May” Coker, began planting exotic ornamentals and fashioned many beautiful and tranquil trails down to Black Creek. In 1965, Miss May donated the gardens to Coker College in memory of her husband, David Robert Coker, founder of Coker Pedigree Seed Company.

Kalmia and Segars-McKinnon complement each other nicely. From the Hart House and formal gardens, visitors can take 97 wooden stairs down the steep bluff to Black Creek. Across the creek on a wooden bridge is the heritage preserve, where walkers can stroll along the 435-foot boardwalk through a floodplain of slow-moving water, tupelo, cypress and cypress

knees and other swamp-loving plants such as red and sweet bay, titi and clethra. The preserve protects more than three miles of Black Creek’s shore.

The diverse habitat in SegarsMcKinnon Heritage Preserve is a special treat for bird watchers who will find pine warblers, pine siskins and brown-headed nuthatches in the upland pine groves; prothonotary warblers and Acadian flycatchers in the wet hardwood areas; and wood ducks, kingfishers and herons along Black Creek.

Kalmia Gardens and SegarsMcKinnon Heritage Preserve are open during daylight hours, and there is no admission fee. Tours are available by appointment. For more information on Kalmia Gardens, call (843) 3838145 or visit coker.edu/static/kalmia.

For more on the Segars-McKinnon Heritage Preserve, visit dnr.sc.gov/ mlands/lookup.

OutdoorTips

June winner

Send us tips!

Well, almost free. Branches from old artificial Christmas trees make great camouflage for deer stands. They are flexible, lightweight and virtually indestructible. When used in the windows of box blinds, you can see out, but the critters can’t see in.

Free Camo

Tim Bennett, Columbia

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SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

Readers whose original tips are published will receive a copy of Wild Fare & Wise Words, a collection of recipes and writing from the great outdoors. The 160-page, hard-cover book is published by the Harry Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund, a private, nonprofit organization that supports the conservation of wildlife and other natural resources in South Carolina. The fund has donated almost $2.5 million to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources for projects not paid for by taxpayers and has awarded almost $300,000 in scholarships to students attending S.C. institutions. For more information, visit hamptonwildlifefund.org or call (843) 525-1865.

Send entries with name and mailing address to: Outdoor Tips, 808 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce SC 29033 or outdoors@scliving.coop.

SCGardener

By Bob Polomski

Managing Japanese beetles

Q A

I’m tired of Japanese beetles ravaging my landscape. Are there any plants that Japanese beetles won’t eat?

First found in the eastern U.S. in 1916, Japanese beetles have become established in all the states east of the Mississippi River except Florida. Hordes of shiny, metallic-looking adults are active from June through August, feeding on the leaves and flowers of a wide variety of shade and fruit trees, shrubs, garden crops and even weeds. In their wake, Japanese beetles leave ragged flowers and “skeletonized” leaves that are ­nothing but a lacy network of veins. The rest of the year, Japanese beetles live underground as grubs feeding on turfgrass roots.

Frustrated gardeners and farmers spend more than $450 million each year to control this pest and replace ­damaged plants.

Japanese beetles can be managed by handpicking the insects whenever you find them, or by applying insecticides. They can also be thwarted by growing plants that aren’t on the menu, including Acoma and Pocomoke crape myrtles, coreopsis, lantana and lilies.

Plants with hairy, waxy or glossy leaves—such as holly and rhododendron—are also rarely attacked.

David Held, a Mississippi State University entomologist, has compiled a free report on plants that are naturally resistant to Japanese beetles. “Guide to Selecting Landscape and Garden Plants Based on Susceptibility to Adult Japanese Beetles” is available as a free download at msucares.com/pubs/­ publications/p2333.pdf.

scliving.coop | JUNE 2010 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

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SCTravels

By Pat Robertson

Celebrate Independence Day at Middleton Place Photos Courtesy of Middleton Place

runs deep in South Carolina, but few places can rival Middleton Place National Historic Landmark for a direct connection to the nation’s founding. The carefully preserved 18th-century rice plantation, located on the banks of the Ashley River near Charleston, was home to two leading patriots— Henry Middleton, who served briefly as the president of the First Continental Congress, and his son Arthur, a Continental Army officer and signer of the Declaration of Independence.

They take the Fourth of July weekend pretty seriously at Middleton Place, and this year’s celebration will honor the Middleton family’s sacrifices with somber tributes and the crack of musket fire.

The celebration begins Friday, July 2, with the swearing in of naturalized U.S. citizens, says Tracey Todd, Middleton Place Foundation’s vice Revolutionary War history

Middleton Place National Historic Landmark celebrates the Independence Day weekend with the cadence of fife and drum and the crack of musket fire, courtesy of the re-enactors of the Second South Carolina Regiment.

GetThere Middleton Place is on Ashley River Road (Highway 61), 14 miles northwest of Charleston.

Admission: Adults, $25; children ages 7 to 15, $5. Children 6 and under admitted free. Carriage rides and tours of the House Museum require an additional charge.

Details: middletonplace.org or call (843) 556-6020 or (800) 782-3608.

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SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

president of museums. “It’s the perfect time and the perfect place—the home of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence—to welcome new citizens to America.”

On Saturday and Sunday, the Second South Carolina Regiment, a volunteer organization dedicated to recreating the daily activities of one of the most famous units in the Southern Continental Army, will set up camp on the grounds to demonstrate martial music, camp cooking and musket firing. “They will also talk about the importance of South Carolina to the American Revolution,” says Ron Vido, Middleton Place’s re-enactment coordinator. “There were more battles fought in South Carolina than any other state.”

While the Independence Day weekend focuses on the founding of the nation, Middleton Place is open year-round (except for Christmas Day) as a living history center covering all aspects of life in colonial South Carolina. The newest attraction at the historic site is the African-American Focus Tour, honoring the lives of the more than 2,500 slaves and freedmen who cultivated rice and ran all aspects of the plantation. On the hour-long tour, guides cover the home, work and ­spiritual life of slaves on the plantation with stops at restored dwellings, a rice mill, chapel and cemetery.

The grounds of Middleton Place also include 65 acres of America’s oldest landscaped gardens, featuring flowering plants like crape myrtle and tea olive that are the backbone of southern gardens; and the Middleton Place House Museum where almost all of the artifacts on display— including the furniture, paintings, silver and documents—were owned by the Middleton family.

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scliving.coop | JUNE 2010 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

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SCRecipe

Perfect accompaniments Tasty sides that make the meal

Pat’s Spinach & Gorgonzola Salad 1 16-ounce package fresh baby spinach, stems removed 1 pint fresh blueberries 4 ounces walnuts, shelled and halved 1 ripe Anjou pear, peeled and cubed ½ cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Dressing ½ cup extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup raspberry or balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon honey Salt and pepper to taste

Lorraine Kourafas

To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until well blended. Set aside.

Wash spinach in salad spinner; spin dry. Rinse the blueberries, removing any soft or spoiled ones.

Coarsely chop the walnut halves. Wash and cut the pear into half-inch cubes. In a small bowl, crumble Gorgonzola. In a large salad bowl, place spinach, walnuts and pear cubes. Toss well and add half the dressing. Top with blueberries and Gorgonzola. Drizzle remaining dressing over the salad. Toss gently until well mixed.

Sue Riseley

Serves 4

Mother-in-Law’s Lemon Curd Serves 10

1 stick butter 1 cup sugar Juice of 3 lemons Zest of 3 lemons 3 large eggs

Put butter, sugar, juice and zest in the top of a double boiler over boiling water. Cook and stir until sugar dissolves. In a medium bowl, beat eggs well. Mix a little of the hot mixture into the beaten eggs. Gradually stir the eggs into the heated mixture. Stir constantly until thick.

Place curd into a container and refrigerate. Serve on gingerbread, pound cake or on tarts. Makes approximately 1 pint.

Pat Cartee, York

Mary G. Willis, Spartanburg

Each serving provides 612 calories, 15.8 g. protein, 33 g. carbohydrates, 50.7 g. fat, 20 mg. cholesterol, 9.2 g. fiber, 17.5 g. sugars, 404 mg. sodium.

Each serving provides 184 calories, 2.1 g. protein, 21.4 g. carbohydrates, 10.7 g. fat, 88 mg. cholesterol, 0 g. fiber, 20.5 g. sugars, 86 mg. sodium.

Pineapple Apricot Cream Pie

Stephanie Frey

Serves 6

30

1 20-ounce can sweetened pineapple chunks, reserving 1⁄3 cup syrup before draining 1 3.4-ounce box French vanilla instant pudding 1 ¼ cups sour cream 8-inch graham cracker pie crust 1 ½ cups apricot preserves

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix, sour cream and pineapple syrup. Using a hand mixer or whisk, beat until thick.

Pour into pie crust.

Spoon pineapple chunks over the top. Melt apricot ­preserves, allow to cool. Glaze the top of the pie with preserves.

Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Barbara Fellner, Longs

Each serving provides 601 calories, 4.2 g. protein, 106.9 g. carbohydrates, 20.3 g. fat, 21 mg. cholesterol, 2.2 g. fiber, 74.3 g. sugars, 517 mg. sodium.

4 Butch’s Soy & Ginger Dressing Serves 10

1 tablespoon minced onion 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar ¼ cup canola oil 2" piece fresh ginger root, peeled and slivered 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons mirin (sweetened sake) 1 garlic clove 2 tablespoons minced cilantro 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons miso 2 tablespoons water 1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded

Combine all ingredients in food processor and puree until desired consistency. Makes 1 cup.

Serve over salad greens or grilled fish and vegetables.

Butch Hirsch, Hilton Head Island

Each serving provides 70 calories, 0.8 g. protein, 4.2 g. carbohydrates, 5.7 g. fat, 0 mg. cholesterol, 0.6 g. fiber, 1.5 g. sugars, 339 mg. sodium.

Send us recipes!

We welcome all types of recipes for all seasons: appetizers, salads, main courses, side dishes, desserts and beverages. Selected original recipes win $10 and a shot at winning the out-ofprint Best-of-Living in South Carolina cookbook. Send recipes to South Carolina Living, 808 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce, SC 29033, by e-mail to recipe@scliving.coop or by fax to (803) 739‑3041.

About submitting recipes Entries must include your name and mailing address. When writing recipes, please specify ingredient measurements. Instead of “one can” or “two packages,” specify “one 12-ounce can” or “two 8-ounce packages.”

Please note the number of servings or yield.

Recipes are not tested.

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scliving.coop | JUNE 2010 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

31

SCChef’sChoice

By Jenny Maxwell

Upstate cooking at a crossroads Joe does a lot of the cooking. He was Emeril Lagasse’s pastry chef for 10 years and helped train staff for all of Lagasse’s restaurants. Joe makes the desserts, the breads, all of their sauces—and he’s in charge of the barbecue, where twice a week he smokes meats and sometimes grills pizza. Heidi says she and Joe have always worked in kitchens together, so there’s rarely any tension: “He has his side of the kitchen. I have mine.” She adds that it’s not in Joe’s nature to argue. “Pastry chefs are laid back.

He’s the calming person. I’m the ranting, raving chef,” she says.

On a typical day, farmers pull up on their tractors for lunch, straight from the field, and park next to BMWs. Heidi estimates that half their customers are people who eat with them every day; the other half are people who hear about Grits and Groceries and make a day trip

WHITE CHOCOLATE CASHEW PIE Joe Trull created this recipe while working as Emeril Lagasse’s pastry chef.

1 nine-inch pie shell 4 eggs 1 cup sugar ½ cup light corn syrup ½ cup dark corn syrup 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Pinch of salt 1 cup good quality white chocolate chunks or chips 1 cup roasted cashews

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt until light. Whisk in the sugar, corn syrups and vanilla. Spread white chocolate and cashews evenly in the bottom of the pie shell. Pour filling over the top and place pie in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 325 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pie in the oven and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the pie jiggles firmly when shaken.

Allow to cool and serve with fresh whipped cream.

32

were successful chefs in New Orleans when, a month before Hurricane Katrina hit, they decided to move back home to the Carolinas. Friends in New Orleans still marvel at their timing. “They want to know why we didn’t tell them,” Heidi says.

They opened Grits and Groceries at Saylors Crossroads near Belton, not because they had a glimpse of the future, but because they had a new baby and wanted to be closer to family. Heidi grew up in Sumter, on a large farm.

Joe is from North Carolina. The couple looked at many locations for a restaurant. “Everywhere we went, we drove by this old country store,” Heidi says. “I decided that it was just meant to be.”

They renovated the store, added a kitchen and filled it up with country charm.

The food, though, is the main attraction. Grits and Groceries draws locals and foodies alike for “real food, done real good.” That includes homemade pimiento cheese, tomato pies, fried catfish sandwiches and sweet potato fries. “We make everything here,” Heidi says.

Heidi and Joe Trull

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

Grits and ­Groceries Saylors Crossroads Belton, SC 29627 gritsandgroceries.com (864) 296-3316 Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturdays, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

to check it out. “If you have good food, people come,” she says.

Guests may come for the food, but they leave with new friends. The restaurant has just 35 seats. “A lot of times, people have to share tables.

We fill every seat,” says Heidi. “A lot of people tell me they like that. It leads to some interesting conversations.” Despite the small size, Grits and Groceries feeds about 300 diners every Saturday.

Once-a-month dinner club events tend to sell out.

Five years after making their move, it appears that the couple’s decision to open Grits and Groceries was a good one. “We miss the food and the friends,” Heidi says of leaving New Orleans.

“But we love being here, so we make our own culinary scene.”

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HomeRun

Lead-safe remodeling If you’re starting a home ­remodeling job and you live in a home built before 1978, your contractor will be working under new regulations that took effect in April. The new Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule comes from the Environ­mental Protection Agency and requires remodelers working in those older homes to follow practices designed to minimize the exposure of residents to lead hazards.

“Long-term lead exposure for children under the age of six can cause developmental brain problems,” says Rich Cowgill, an EPA Certified

Renovator and a trainer on the topic of lead-safe renovating. It doesn’t take a lot of lead to be hazardous to one’s health, Cowgill says. Approximately 24 million pre-1978 U.S. dwellings are at risk for lead-based paint hazards, according to the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health and Safety Risks to Children.

In light of the health risks, contractors must go through an eight-hour training to certify at least one person to supervise the renovation of pre-1978 homes, and the contracting firm must be a Certified Firm with the EPA if

GetStarted Renovation checklist for homeowners living in pre-1978 homes erify that your contractor’s firm is V registered with the EPA erify at least one person is a V Certified Renovator and has documented the training of the work crew and is supervising the work being completed in the home now that these certifications are K accessible at the work site at all times F irms must post signs before renovation begins, clearly defining the work area and warning occupants and other persons not involved in renovation activities to remain outside the work area ake sure you understand and sign M the EPA’s “Renovate Right” brochure emove all belongings from the R immediate area of the renovation

otice if your contractor is using N plastic sheeting that is taped 6 feet beyond the perimeter of surfaces undergoing renovation; reusable cloth coverings are not acceptable enovators should be cleaning up R and mopping daily to minimize dust contamination ontractors must use HEPA vacuums C and/or wet mopping to remove lead particles epending on the scope of D project, renovators may be wearing disposable suits, to minimize their exposure to lead ll contaminated materials should A be placed in heavy-duty plastic bags before your contractor disposes of them

As a homeowner, if your renovator is skipping any steps of the checklist, you may want to contact the EPA to file an official complaint. Contractors who fail to comply with the RRP rule could face fines of $37,500 per day.

they intend to work in those homes.

Contractor firms who intend to work in pre-1978 homes are required to register with the EPA. Both the Certified Firm registration and the Certified Renovator supervision are required under the RRP rule. While the state of South Carolina does not, some states or even local governments may have more stringent criteria. Check with local officials before starting a ­renovation.

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), which provided this information, can connect you with remodel-ready contractors.

Find a member on NariRemodelers.com.

For green remodeling information, visit greenremodeling.org.

scliving.coop | JUNE 2010 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING

35

Calendar of Events

June Please call ahead before attending events.

For entry guidelines, access SCliving.coop.

UPSTATE June

15–21 • Keowee Chamber Music Festival, Symmes Chapel, Greenville. (864) 624-9693.

17–20 • Cowpens Mighty Moo Festival, Cowpens.

(864) 463-9116.

18 • G.I. Jive Swing Dance, Upcountry History Museum, Greenville. (864) 467-3100.

18­–22 • Chautauqua Festival, Greenville. (864) 244-1499.

19 • Frontier Encampment, Oconee Station State Historic Site, Walhalla. (864) 638-0079.

26 • Suited to Swim, Paris Mountain State Park, Greenville. (864) 244-5565.

July

2–3 • Festival of Stars Independence Day Celebration, Town Park, Ninety Six. (864) 543-2047.

3 • Freedom Fest, Veterans Park, Pendleton. (864) 646-2410.

3 • Frontier Encampment, Oconee Station State Historic Site, Walhalla. (864) 638-0079.

4 • AT&T Red, White and Blue Festival, downtown Greenville. (864) 467-2276.

4 • July Fourth 1850s Style, Kings Mountain State Park, Blacksburg. (864) 222-3209.

8–10 • South Carolina Festival of Discovery and Greenwood Blues Cruise, Greenwood. (864) 942-8448.

10 • Music on the Mountain, Table Rock State Park, Pickens. (864) 878-9813.

Ongoing

Daily • Horseback riding, Forrest Trails, Enoree. (864) 918-3469.

By Appointment • Museum, Abbeville. (864) 459-4600.

Daily • Artist Co-op, Laurens. (864) 575-3020.

Daily • Arts Council, Greenville. (864) 467-3132.

Daily • Arts Council, Union. (864) 429-2817.

Daily • Museum of Art, Greenville. (864) 271-7570.

36

Daily • Museum of Art, Arts Center, Spartanburg.

(864) 583-2776.

Daily • Senior Activities, Easley. (864) 295-2136.

Daily • Trail Rides, Easley. (864) 898-0043.

Daily • Volunteer, Botanical Garden, Clemson.

(864) 656-3405.

Fridays • Bluegrass Music and Square Dancing, Oconee State Park. (864) 638-5353.

Fridays until September 25 • BB&T’s Main Street Fridays, Greenville. (864) 467-2697.

Saturdays until October 30 • Pumpkintown Mountain Opry, Pickens. (864) 836-8141.

Weekly • Laurens County Museum, Laurens.

(864) 681-0670.

25–27 • Palmetto Adult Classic, Palmetto Tennis Center, Sumter. (803) 774-3969.

26 • Southeastern Regional Rowing Regatta, Langley Pond, Burnettown. (803) 642-7559.

26–27 • USSSA Baseball Tournament, Patriot Park Sportsplex, Sumter.

(803) 436-2248.

July

2–4 • PSJ Celebration Horse Show, Highfields Event Center, Aiken. (803) 649-3505.

MIDSTATE June

16–27 • Giant Map of Africa, Museum of York County, Rock Hill. (803) 329-2121.

18–19 • Great Falls Rescue Squad Rodeo, Gaston Farm Road Equestrian Center, Richburg. (803) 482-4315.

18–19 • Worldwide Double Dutch Invitational Championship, Sumter Exhibition Center, Sumter.

(803) 436-2270.

18–20 • WFC State Softball Tournament, Patriot Park Sportsplex, Sumter. (803) 436-2248.

19 • Sherry York Kitts Ribbon Fest, The Pointe Performing Arts and Rec Center, Fort Mill. (803) 412-6022.

19 • Ridge Peach Festival, Trenton. (803) 275-5303.

19 • Juneteenth: A Celebration in the Park, Perry Park, Aiken. (803) 649-2221.

23 • Big Ray and the Kool Kats, Community Performance Center, Rock Hill. (803) 328-2787.

24 • Photography Competition Reception and ACYC Annual Meeting, Center for the Arts, Rock Hill. (803) 328-2787.

3 • July Fourth Celebration at Lake Murray, Lexington.

(803) 781-5940.

3 • Lexington County Peach Festival, Gilbert. (803) 892-5207.

4 • Jammin’ July 4, Dillon Park, Sumter. (803) 436-2640.

10 • Battle of Huck’s Defeat Reenactment, Historic Brattonsville, McConnells. (803) 684-2327.

10 • Jammin’ in July Music Festival, Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site, Camden. (803) 432-9841.

11 • Carolina Blooms Walks, Historic Brattonsville, McConnells. (803) 684-2327.

Ongoing

Mondays until August 30 • Hopelands Summer Concert Series, Hopelands Garden, Aiken. (803) 642-7650.

Fridays • Big Screen Fridays at the House, Sumter Opera House, Sumter. (803) 436-2640.

Fridays • Main Street Marketplace, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia. (803) 779-4005.

Saturdays until August 7 • Summer Concert Series, Finlay Park, Columbia. (803) 343-8750.

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

Saturdays • Gallery Tour: Imperial Splendor and Innovation and Change, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia. (803) 343-2215.

Sundays • Gallery Tour: Highlights of the Museum’s Collection, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia. (803) 343-2215.

Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays • About Face Weekly Drawing Sessions, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia. (803) 343-2215.

Wednesdays June 16–July 28 • Wonderful Wednesdays Series, Museum of York County, Rock Hill. (803) 329-2121.

Daily beginning June 19 • Blue Man Group—Making Waves, EdVenture Children’s Museum, Columbia. (803) 463-5278.

Daily except Sundays • Living History Days, Historic Brattonsville, McConnells. (803) 684-2327.

LOWCOUNTRY June

17–19 • Charleston CariFest, Charleston. (843) 953-7230.

19 • Shaggin’ on the Cooper, Mount Pleasant Pier, Mount Pleasant. (843) 795-4386.

19 • Scouts Day, Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Water Park, Charleston. (843) 795-4386.

19 • Town Mountain Band, Paris Avenue, Port Royal. (843) 379-2787.

19–20 • Art in the Park, Chapin Park, Myrtle Beach. (843) 448-7690.

25 • Tomato Open Golf Tournament, Plantation Course, Edisto Island. (843) 296-4092.

25 • Moonlight Mixer, Folly Beach Fishing Pier, Folly Beach. (843) 795-4FUN. 26 • Harborwalk Festival, Harbor Front, Georgetown.

(843) 546-1511.

26 • Coloring the Colony: Indigo Dyeing Program, Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site. (843) 852-4200.

26 • Canoeing Under the Moon, Cheraw State Park, Cheraw. (843) 537-9656.

26 • Golf Tournament, Sons of Italy, Prestwick Golf & Country Club, Myrtle Beach. (843) 655-7307.

27 • Freedom Fest, Jasper County Farmers Market, Ridgeland. (843) 726-8126.

28 • Carolina Day, White Point Garden, Charleston.

(843) 723-3225, ext. 11.

July

3 • Red, White and Blue on the Green, Town Square, Summerville. (843) 821-7260.

3–4 • Italian Festival, Market Common, Valor Park, Myrtle Beach. (843) 902-7469.

4 • Firecracker 5000 Road Race and Fun Walk, Hilton Head Island. (843) 757-8520.

4 • Boat Parade and Fireworks, Murrells Inlet. (843) 357-2007.

4 • July 4th Hartsville Family Fireworks Festival, Hartsville. (843) 332-6401.

7–10 • Megadock Billfishing Tournament, Charleston City Marina, Charleston.

(843) 278-4920.

10 • Sharrrks! Edisto Beach State Park, Edisto Island. (843) 869-2756.

16 • Palette and Palate Stroll, Charleston. (843) 819-8006.

16–17 • Pageland Watermelon Festival, Pageland. (843) 672-6400.

16–25 • Beaufort Water Festival, (843) 524-0600.

17 • Isle of Palms Beach Run, Isle of Palms. (843) 886-8294.

Ongoing

Daily • Le Grand Cirque Adrenaline, The Palace Theater, Myrtle Beach. (843) 448-0558.

Daily • Downtown Conway Farmer’s Market, Conway.

(843) 365-6715, ext. 115.

Daily until June 30 • Day in the Life of a Sailor, Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Charleston. (843) 852-4200.

Daily, except Sundays • Atalaya Tour, Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet. (843) 235-8755.

Daily, except Mondays • Hampton Plantation Mansion Tours, McClellanville.

(843) 546-9361.

Daily, except Mondays • Feeding Frenzy, Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet. (843) 235-8755.

Mondays • Coastal Kayaking, Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet. (843) 235-8755.

Mondays • Secrets of the Salt Marsh, Hunting Island State Park, Hunting Island. (843) 838-2011.

Tuesdays through August 31 • Beach Explorations! Hunting Island State Park, Hunting Island. (843) 838-2011.

Tuesdays and Thursdays • Bingo, Lions Club, Edisto Island. (843) 296-4092.

Wednesdays • Coastal Birding, Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet. (843) 235-8755.

Thursdays through May 31 • Alligators, Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet. (843) 235-8755.

Third Thursdays • Art Walk 2010, Summerville.

(843) 821-7620.

Fridays • Birding at Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet. (843) 237-4440.

Saturdays • Beachcombing, Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet. (843) 237-4440.

Saturdays • Alligators of the Lowcountry, Hunting Island State Park, Hunting Island. (843) 838-2011.

First Saturdays • Fears that Fortified Charles Towne— Musket Demonstration, Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Charleston. (843) 852-4200.

Third Saturdays • Fears that Fortified Charles Towne— Cannon Demonstration, Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Charleston. (843) 852-4200.

Daily • Aisle Style: 150 Years of Wedding Fashion, Charleston Museum, Charleston. (843) 722-2996.

Every third Saturday • Bluegrass Concert, HorryGeorgetown Technical College, Conway. (843) 457-2854.

SCHumorMe

By Jan A. Igoe

Customer service is on hold If you’ve approached any customer service people lately, you’ve probably noticed that they don’t always like you. It’s nothing personal, just a condition of employment.

Even so, I’m grateful for any opportunity to spar with a live local human who can berate me in English. Fighting with a recording, the Internet, or a Mongolian sheepherder who takes calls on the side isn’t nearly as satisfying.

Take my dad’s TV reception problem, for instance.

My father is a patient, mild-­ mannered sweetie pie, until his sports channels stop working. Then he sprouts fangs and his knuckles need Nair. When he calls for help, he wants the problem handled like it’s Armageddon or Brad leaving Angelina for Jen. But the days of calling Bob, the TV guy down the block, who understood matters of life-or-death, are long gone. Today, we call India.

Now in his 80s, my dad’s hearing doesn’t lend itself to scratchy international phone connections and New Delhi accents. He’ll only repeat “I can’t understand what you’re saying” about 30 times before the steam escaping from his ears trips the smoke alarm.

That’s when I take over, just in time to find out that a visit from a service technician will cost $90 and a new remote will run $20. I politely protest that my sweet, lovable dad didn’t break their service or remote, so he really shouldn’t be charged anything to fix them.

But the rep won’t budge. He knows we’re powerless. Except for my wishful fantasy about a plague of locusts invading this guy’s underwear, nothing enjoyable has come of all this wasted civility. After several “please holds” and getting nowhere, the calm and

38

polite approach clearly isn’t cutting it. So, I try painting a clearer ­picture using different words in another octave.

“Only a satanic sadist would extort that kind of money from a weary World War II veteran and law-­abiding feeder of stray cats, who pays his bills on time AND MIGHT SWITCH TO CABLE!” I scream—as calmly as possible.

The rep takes a deep breath and tells me to “please hold.” About 20 minutes later, we realized he hung up and forgot to say goodbye.

Come to think of it, my encounters with local service reps haven’t been going much better lately. A couple of weeks ago, an exterminator showed up while I was feeding my vacationing neighbor’s dog. My neighbor hadn’t told me to expect someone wearing green rubber gloves and toting a shiny metal canister of bug killer, but he marched right in and started misting everything in sight like he owned the place.

He didn’t say hello, unless that

SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JUNE 2010 | scliving.coop

juicy snort was a greeting. So I ­followed him around making conversation, like any potential customer would. You know, expecting a little charm.

Me: “That stuff smells kind of odd.”

Him: “You can’t smell it. It’s odorless and nontoxic.”

Me: “Funny, the dog just passed out. What’s in it?”

Him: “It don’t matter unless you lick the baseboards, lady. Yankees like to do that.”

Me: “Thanks. I’ll try to remember.”

Moments later, he was gone. He didn’t even ask if I needed my house sprayed.

I don’t, but there’s this place in India where I’d love to send him.

JAN A IGOE considers herself fortunate to work on a computer powered by her friendly electric cooperative, where the member service reps are always gracious. Thanks to these refreshingly helpful folks, her knuckles almost never need shaving.

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