Big Mike's Soul Food in Myrtle Beach was quite the experience. I placed a pick-up order online and then pulled up to the restaurant. That's really where the adventure began. 



"Big Mike’s Soul Food is Myrtle Beach’s down home spot dishing up big plates of southern comfort food as well as southern hospitality. We have a variety of dishes that are sure to fill up your soul. Some of our staples include: fried chicken, collard greens, fried fish, corn bread and much more. On your way out the door we want you to remember Big Mike’s as: Soul Food the way his mother made it!"  



Once I arrived, I saw a huge line. Surely, these were people waiting to order, right? Negative. These were people who already ordered and were waiting for their food. After waiting for what was easily an hour, I received my plate and left the crowded lot to dig in.



While my breaded shrimp were a bit lackluster - not super flavorful and a bit mushy - the sides were all delicious. The mac and cheese has melted cheddar on top, the potato salad was creamy but zingy, and the sweet potatoes were sweet and soft and delicious. 

Grade: B

Peaches Corner says it's one of the most historic restaurants on the Grand Strand.



"Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach has seen a lot of changes over the years. Ripley’s sits where Sloppy Joe’s used to serve hot dogs and Bingo. The lights and sounds of the Pavilion vanished a decade ago. But some things haven’t changed.

​One of those is Peaches Corner, a small restaurant that has occupied the intersection of Ninth Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard for over 85 years. The family-owned icon has served food at all hours of the day to generation after generation of visitors and locals, alike. Visitors often use Peaches Corner as a means of giving directions on Ocean Boulevard. It was started right here in Myrtle Beach back in 1937 by Peach Justice or Mama Peach as she was known to everybody in town. There were actually three of them— one in Myrtle Beach, one on Folly Beach and one on Carolina Beach in North Carolina. This is the only one that has lasted since then.

Eunice and Johnny Burroughs purchased the small restaurant on the corner in 1943 and it’s been in our family ever since. And now three generations, soon to be four, have served foot long hot dogs, cold beer and a variety of other foods to millions of customers who have sat along the same counter and booths watching folks walk up and down the boulevard.

In the early ‘40s Peaches Corner thrived only during the summer months. They worked hard to pay off the mortgage on the building. When other businesses struggled to pay rent during the tough times, Peaches was always paid for. And to do that it meant everyone worked long hours during the summer months before the tourists went home. Eunice and Johnny worked seven days a week during that time. In the summer, they even lived upstairs. They always told the employees, nobody working at Peaches is allowed to get married or die during the summer...they needed all of the help they could get during the 90 days of summer."



This place is pretty busy, and a bit gruff. I welcomed myself to a seat at the bar, and it took a few to be acknowledged. I wanted to keep it simple - and cool. It was a warm day with lots of walking, so peach ice cream seemed fitting.



I ordered two scoops. They arrived in two separate containers with spoons. Which made it a little awkward for me to sit there and eat one right after the other. But, the ice cream itself was fine. There were a few hunks of actual ice in there, which was not my favorite. I enjoyed the light flavor, overall. 



Grade: B

It's ramp season in West Virginia.



And, there are a number of ways to celebrate: foraging, enjoying ramperoni rolls or attending The Wild Ramp's Stinkfest. 



"One of The Wild Ramp’s signature annual events, Stinkfest is a celebration of the market’s namesake, Allium tricoccum, commonly known as a ramp or wild leek. This day-long festival will feature ramp dishes from The Wild Ramp Harvest Kitchen as well as other local food businesses. There will also be artisan and produce vendors, music and kid’s activities. Admission is free."



B Sweet Cookie Creations - I grabbed a cookie from this little stand!



A beautiful little flower that was tasty, too. 



Midnight Cookie Society - I had never heard of them, but when I saw a s'mores cookie, I knew I had to have it.
  

I love that these cookies are huge and soft - I even didn't mind the chocolate inside because it was milk chocolate and not bitter.



Stringtown Farm - These folks had crafts and candies. 
  

On the craft side, I went for a ramp keychain. On the candy side, I got this milk chocolate covered peanut bark that I devoured. 



We B Fryin Snacks -  These are like pork rinds but healthier. I actually don't love pork rinds, but I enjoyed the flavor of these. 



They also have cinnamon snacks, and they had ramp snacks - but I had already purchased my bbq ones before I saw those. 



Finally, Cabin Cakes & Candies - this little mini cake. I haven't had a chance to try it yet. Did you find any new snacks or finds at the festival? 

Lost Creek Farm recently produced a subscription box: Farm & Forage Provisions Box.

Experience the Abundance of Appalachia: When you subscribe to the Farm and Forage Provisions Box, you’ll experience story-rich mountain cuisine at home with a quarterly selection of seasonal products from the Lost Creek Farm Kitchen. The box will feature a rotating selection of pantry items and homemade snacks from storied recipes, as well as original artwork and farmer’s-and-forager’s-choice special surprises. The items are made from ingredients grown or foraged at Lost Creek Farm and other small family-owned farms in the community. This experience from Lost Creek Farm is exclusive to our Table22 members.



Sample box may include:

-Lost Creek Farm’s storied communion wafers
-Shelf-stable seasonal items – WV-grown cornmeal, dried heritage apples, and more
-Sweet treats from Lost Creek Farm’s collection of family recipes – black-walnut brittle, sorghum cookies, and more
-Seasonal fruit spread or sweet syrup – Lost Creek Farm’s Bourbon-sage apple butter, shagbark hickory syrup, sassafras syrup, and more
-Spice rubs or pickling mixes blended by hand in the Lost Creek Farm kitchen
-A pack of Mike’s own original block-print greeting cards featuring seasonally-inspired, hand-carved designs

All Lost Creek Farm members also receive:
-A Quarterly Unboxing Video featuring the stories behind the Farm and Forage Provisions and recipe ideas for items in the box
-First to know about future membership offerings
  

This box is seasonal, so just four times a year. And it focuses on great things coming from the farm. It is bit on the pricey end, at $125. 



This box contained Momaw Betty's Communion Wafers, Rosemary-Sumac Shortbreads, Shagbark Hickory Sweet Syrup, Wild Allium Powder, Hand-Printed Blockprint Notecards, Pickled Beet Spices, Heirloom Seeds, and Aunt Floda's Dumpling Mix. 

I've already dug into the communion wafters and shortbreads, but I'm going to need to do a bit more research on the spices and dumpling mix. Suggestions? Let me know! 

My latest column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

“Poke is undoubtedly Appalachia’s most popular, most available, and most eaten wild potherb,” writes Mark F. Sohn in his book “Appalachian Home Cooking: History, Culture, and Recipes.”

There’s just one problem: It’s poisonous.

The perennial weed has tall, towering stalks with tints of magenta, bright green leaves and dark purple berries. And, every single part - especially the root - is toxic.

But that didn’t stop Appalachians from being resourceful with this plentiful green, and through what was likely a lot of trial and error, creating an edible dish without falling ill.

How did they do that? By cooking the Phytolacca americana leaves into a dish we know as “poke sallet” – or sometimes “polk salad,” “poke sally” or “poke salet.”

*PLEASE NOTE: I do not encourage anyone from preparing pokeweed unless you know how and are confident in your ability. This column is not intended to serve as a guide in preparing pokeweed but rather is shared to document the cultural significance of the food.

Poke sallet is made only using the leaves of young, spring plants. Pokeweed becomes more toxic as it gets older, and its leaves are the least toxic part of the plant. Those leaves are then boiled with fresh water for 20 minutes at least three different times to remove the toxins.

It may seem like quite the chore to prepare, but in a time where foraging was crucial to survival and the repercussions of not cooking poke sallet correctly include severe stomach cramps, rapid heartbeat, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing and death, the work to prepare poke sallet was necessary.

Once the pokeweed has been properly prepared, poke sallet is often pan-fried with bacon grease, onion and salt and pepper. It can be treated like many other greens - by adding garlic, chili flakes, eggs, cream or served in pasta, quiche or dip. It can be canned and pickled. And, it even contains protein, and is a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese.

In addition to its culinary uses, pokeweed has been used in alternative medicine and the berries of the plant for cosmetics. Queen of Appalachia Dolly Parton wrote in her memoir, “Dream More,” that as a kid, she “used red pokeberries for lipstick and a burnt matchstick for eyeliner.” Again, poke berries are toxic.

Poke isn’t the only plant that has poisonous parts, though. It joins the likes of rhubarb leaves, apple seeds, cherry pits, nutmeg, and raw cashews. And while reports are mixed on if and when poke has caused fatalities in modern times, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

While poke sallet isn’t as common as it once was - likely due to the labor involved and availability of other alternatives - it can still serve as this special connection to the land and a testament to the inventiveness of those who occupied these grounds before us.

As for me, I need to make that connection so I can try my first bite of poke - poison-free.

Have you prepared pokeweed sallet? What’s your favorite way of using the green weed?

RECIPE: Poke Sallet Squares
As someone who second-guesses myself when foraging for morels or ramps, I am not willing to take my life into my own hands by finding and cooking pokeweed. I’ll leave it to the experts who know what to look for and know how to not poison themselves. I recommend you do the same.
So, while searching for recipes, I came across the University of Kentucky Harlan County Extension Office’s “Poke Sallet Recipes from Past Poke Cook-Offs,” which can be found here: https://bit.ly/3xwTUP5. They have a number of different recipes from over the years that utilize pokeweed in myriad ways. The “Poke Sallet Squares” caught my attention for something I’d like to try one day.

Ingredients:

½ cup cooked poke Sallet

1 cup cooked rice

¼ cup sliced green onions

1 cup (4oz) shredded Swiss cheese

1 (10 ¾ oz) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ cup breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon margarine melted


Instructions:

Drain poke well, pressing between layer of paper towels, chop. Combine poke and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; set aside. Combine mushroom soup and next 5 ingredients; add to poke mixture, stirring well. Spoon into a lightly greased baking dish. Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and melted butter, sprinkle over poke mixture. Bake at 325° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares; serve immediately.