Deep Fried Kudzu

There’s a few store/sandwich kind of places around, and extra points if they host live music — Ike’s Amish Depot in Ethridge TN:

in the back:

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My favorite-favorite-favorite right now is Graves Grocery in Laceys Spring, Alabama — live music a couple of times a week I think (I’ve caught them on a couple of Wednesday mornings on my way to/from Huntsville).

The good works the owner, Pam, does — she’s incredible. Incredible. More about that especially under “community hub” in this older al.com article.

From the article:
Graves has hosted free movie nights where she projects a movie on the side of the building and invites folks to bring their lawn chairs. There have been quilting classes, pottery classes and Mom’s Heart Bible studies.

…and there are free Thursday suppers for the community.

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Simmons-Wright General Store from 1884 in Toomsuba, Mississippi feels like (especially the part upstairs with the new-old-stock shoes from decadesssss ago) it’s bordering on museum-worthy:

Here’s what the cafe is serving.

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Missing the Jefferson Country Store in Jefferson, Alabama — it closed last year and they really did have hoop cheese and rag bologna:

If you know of other (open!) spots like these…old general stores with sandwiches/cafes, maybe live music, community events…please email me your favorites! Would love to hear and add to the list. xoxo!

Thinking of older country stores that are going about today as restaurants, I’m first thinking of:

That’s the H.D. Gibbes & Sons store by day, steakhouse on paperplates at night in Learned, Mississippi. Check and cash only.

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and below, Taylor Grocery in Taylor, Mississippi:

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The Cohn Brothers Store in Lorman, Mississippi is known as the Old Country Store now, run by Mr D. We’ve been visiting here since it was still a store — this is from a 1999 visit:

and have been coming back now that Mr D runs it as a restaurant:

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The John E Hall Store in Cecil, Alabama houses a restaurant now:

Where are you thinking of? We have a fair amount of these, but not near enough.

Let’s talk more store/sandwich kind of places tomorrow. I’ve got a new-to-me one I really like with live music certain days…

Garden and Gun did an article last summer, Seven Southern Country Stores with Retro Appeal: These small-town mercantiles offer up an extra scoop of nostalgia along with sugar, milk, the occasional cast-iron skillet or pallet of lumber—and everything in between.

They list the Floyd Country Store in Floyd, VA; Fred’s General Mercantile in Beech Mountain NC; HUM Grocery in Rockville SC;  Pierce and Co General Store in Hallsboro NC; Studley General Store in Studley VA; Sunrise Grocery in Blairsville GA; T.B. Sutton General Store in Granville TN

The now-shuttered Causeyville General Store, from a 2005 visit

These are closed, but I’m also thinking of the Burnt Corn Store in Burnt Corn, AL; the Causeyville General Store in Causeyville MS; the Old Delina Store (which went out as a restaurant) in Cornersville TN…

So many other great places in this genre — let’s do that this week. Tuesday is going to be a few country stores surviving as retail or restaurant…

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from a visit I took to LV’s home in 2009

LV Hull: Love Is a Sensation opens March 20 at the Mississippi Museum of Art

From the MMA’s site:
L.V. Hull: Love Is a Sensation is the first major museum exhibition devoted to the art and life of the self-proclaimed “Unusual Artist” Ms. L.V. Hull (1942–2008). Born in McAdams, Mississippi, Hull merged artmaking and the Southern art of “visiting” to craft a creative practice that allowed her to commune with her inner spirit, her Creator, her community, and visitors from around the state, region, and world. Using found objects and paint and glue from Walmart, Hull produced a vibrant, immersive, and evolving art environment at her home of 34 years in the small town of Kosciusko, Mississippi. She adorned every surface and corner of her house, front porch, and garden with carefully arranged assemblages of everyday objects and signs, often painted with her signature dot pattern. 

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Enjoy: Steve Plattner’s Across the South photographic series

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from a visit to the Cullman County, AL Fair in 2018

At Bitter Southerner: Life & Death at the County Fair

Through the gates, past the gator wrestler, real-life cowboys, and make-believe cowboys, the scent of warm dough beneath a fog of powdered sugar carries me up the midway. Kids squeal in the hand-painted and worn funhouses. Beta fish endure the hail of pingpong balls while carnies bark at families beneath awnings of stuffed animals. It’s where I’ve come each year to watch livestock auctions and sip lemonade — a deeply unserious place to try to be serious.

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At Christie’s now: The American Collector: Including Property of Mr. and Mrs. John D Rockefeller 3rd and Selections From The Collection of President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter and the Carter pieces are well surpassing estimates.

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Ernest Tubb Record Store, from 2018

The changes to the Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville are at Garden & Gun

“(an entrepreneurial group) transforming the landmark into a rollicking four-story bar, restaurant, lounge, venue, and shop that honors Tubb’s legacy while providing a music destination for new (and vintage) generations. It’s open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. And, yes, the shop still sells records, too.”

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Saving Seeds and Stories with John Coykendall. Master Gardener at Blackberry Farm at Tennessee Farm Table with lots of mention of great seed sources

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It’s so good to be back! I’ll be posting more regularly this year — had a lot going on in ’25 (it was great!) and am looking forward to being able to share on DFK more now. Missed y’all! xoxo!

A friend and I did a demo on pumpkin floral arrangements for our nighttime garden club — I showed four pumpkin ideas and the first was just the easiest ever — the mini pumpkin towers are super cute with some spanish moss between:

My friend showed her arrangements with succulents and a little moss, tucked in with Aleene’s glue:

This pumpkin is hollowed out and had a vase inside with a fresh flower arrangement:

This is how great the pumpkins look with dried flowers:

Because these succulents still have thier roots, after one is done with the arrangement, they can be put back in growing medium:

The favorite one I demo’d was this one for kitchen or dining table for placecards — it has a dried blood orange atop with cinnamon stick, rosemary, parsley, nutmeg, and a kale base:

We took all those apples we picked at Steele Orchard, and after giving some to the chickens (Zelda, Ruth, Reba, Dolly, and Loretta) and one or two to Cornpone (our guinea pig), we took as many as would fit in the slow cooker to make apple butter. They cooked all day — overnight too — so that sounds like a lot of work but the active part was minimal.

Though I’ve made jam/jelly/preserves and pickles, this was my first time to make apple butter. Not really sure where to start with a recipe, I used this one (she had me at no peeling) except I cooked the apples another 12 or so hours on low,.

Yeah. They turned out so caramelized and dark and gorgeous, and there were still some apple chunks. This. Was. So. Good.

Canned them up — a few for fall gifting…

So happy with these!