Holiday Winner #4: Field Trip! and Southern-Style Corn Bread

For 30 years, my mother was a uniquely gifted elementary school classroom teacher and principal. I thought she was simply 'mom' until her retirement dinner, where over 500 PTA members, parents and teachers came out to bid her adieu. At least half took me aside to make sure I understood what an exceptional mother I had.

Her work life dribbled over to our family life on many occasions; like when she'd test reading comprehension exams on me after dinner, use her "teacher voice" to get me to do things like wake up in the morning (where do you get sent when mom's a principal?). And home would take the leap to school, like when she used the tabletop figurines from my bat mitzvah to decorate the halls of her school, and when she evacuated my entire childhood book collection to the school as library sign-outs.

The best part of mom-as-principal were family field trips; short journeys to spots that teachers seek out and turn into memorable day-trips for students. Visiting friends in Boston, we took a side trip to Sturbridge Village; driving out east, we'd hit The Game Farm and Sagamore Hill. These are among my favorite childhood memories.

And though you can take the teacher out of the school, you can't take the field trip out of the teacher. In retirement, my mom continues the Field Trip series for her most enthusiastic pupil. In her new home, outside of Wilmington, North Carolina, she's found coastal shrimpers, farmers, and builders for me to meet and learn from. But she really took the Johnnycake with our most recent field trip, to the grist mill.

A grist mill, built with American pride and ingenuity in 1948. Corn is added to the top, is crushed by two massive stones grinding against one another in the center, and comes out the shoot in front. The grist mill operator can control the size of the meal by tightening the space between the stones.
Before dried corn kernels are ready for the mill, they must be cleaned thoroughly, removing any stones or twigs. They are placed on this screen, which shakes back and forth, removing the impurities (basin in the center), and leaving the clean kernels (basin on the left).

Though the mill was not to be in operation on the day we visited (as a plan b, we were going to take out the shot guns and shoot mistletoe down from the trees...but we'll save that for the next trip). But the field trip gods smiled down on us, and presented us with a lovely local farmer who had just dried and cleaned 150 pounds of his very own corn, and was coming to the mill for his first grinding. So many grist virgins in one room.

The farmer had a warm smile, a kind way, a soft voice, and as my mom pointed out, ironed jeans. He shared stories of his father teaching him how to farm, and described how proud he is having an organic farm. But not in a Brooklyn co-op yuppie kind of way, it's much more basic, and reflecting the ethics of someone who lives off the land, including never touching produce that's been sprayed. As he sees it, "If the bugs aren't interested in it, than neither am I. I sure wouldn't eat a vegetable the bugs turn their noses up at."

This is Billy, the owner of the grist mill. He entertained my many questions, always pausing a beat as if to wonder why this Northern girl was so interested in a daggone grist mill. I tried to impress him with my tireless work ethic, but I think it will take lots of time, more visits, and some home made baked goods before we can start a real friendship. Billy's seen a thing or two, and appears to be related to half the county. When I mentioned I was from Brooklyn, he said, "So's my wife family. They're Kents. You familiar with the Kents?"

Because that's how it works in Coastal Carolina. You're a Holden. You're a Varnum. Whatever you are, you know it, and your kin knows it, and that's what makes you you.
After the corn was ground, Billy takes it through one final tammy (sieve), to remove some of the excess skin from the kernels. You know, the stuff that gets stuck in your teeth.

Brushing it through the final tammy. The good meal ends up in the bucket on the left, and the rest ends up in the orange bucket. But nothing is wasted; the discarded bits make fine feed for the animals.
Billy and me. He ain't seen the last of me, he just doesn't know it yet. I've got a freezer full of cornmeal and grist, and I haven't put a dent in it, though I feel that I've shared it with half of Brooklyn.

What I did do, though, is use the meal to create some wonderful cornbread, which is the fourth and final winner of our first Holiday Recipe Competition. The recipes were submitted by Mark Kelly, Marketing Director of Lodge Cookware (yeah, those guys that make the kick-ass cast iron skillets). Conveniently, he's supplied two recipes, depending on the size of your skillet. Keep in mind this is Southern-style cornbread, which is on the dry side. Serve it with soft butter and honey, fried chicken, collards and some attitude.

NOTE: Although self-rising cornmeal (and self-rising flour) is a staple in the South; not so much in the North. If you don't have access (or if you do have access to real good honest and true cornmeal), try substituting one cup cornmeal, one cup flour, one tablespoon baking powder, one teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup butter or other fat.


Elizabeth’s Basic Cornbread
Using a 10-inch Lodge Skillet

Put the greased skillet into the oven and heat as oven preheats to 450 degrees.
Mix the following batter:
1 cup white self-rising cornmeal
1 egg
Enough Buttermilk to make batter very thin (about 1 cup)


Pour batter into hot skillet. Bake for 20 minutes or until nicely browned.


Judy’s Real Cornbread
Using a 9-inch Lodge Skillet

2 cups white self-rising cornmeal
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons bacon grease (or vegetable oil)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place both tablespoons of fat of choice in skillet (bacon grease taste best but vegetable oil or shortening works with a little added salt). Put skillet in the oven to preheat. Combine cornmeal, baking soda, eggs and buttermilk in bowl. Whisk together until well blended. Carefully remove hot skillet from oven and pour grease from skillet into batter,

2. Pour batter into skillet, which will sizzle and may splatter. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cook about 5-10 minutes. Then turn out onto plate so the bread is upside down, revealing crispy brown crust. With very sharp knife, cut into 6 or 8 wedges, and serve hot with lots of butter. If you like a crunchier texture, sprinkle some cornmeal onto hot skillet before adding batter.