When you think of “Appalachian cooking,” what comes to mind? For a lot of folks, it’s savory comfort foods like biscuits with sausage gravy, crispy fried chicken and mashed potatoes loaded with butter. But, what about folks who want that comfort food, without involving animals? Jan Brandenburg is a pharmacist and poet in Eastern Kentucky. Over the last 30 years, she’s collected and perfected recipes that take a plant-based approach to the Appalachian table. Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Brandenburg about her new book The Modern Mountain Cookbook.

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Abby Neff

Arts & Culture Bill Lynch +, Apr. 18, 2025

Springtime Arrives, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, we head to the woods for a master class in foraging for wild mushrooms. And the woman behind the popular TikTok account “Appalachian Forager” makes jam from pawpaws and jewelry from coyote teeth. We also visit the Alleghany Highlands, where mountain maple syrup traditions are changing with the times.

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Arts & Culture Bill Lynch +, Apr. 11, 2025

'Valley So Low,' Climbing Crafts And Vegan Cooking, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, a new book looks into the toxic legacy of a huge industrial disaster in TN. Also, rock climbing gear wears out. But it can still live on as art. And, an eastern KY pharmacist serves vegan food for the holidays.

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Arts & Culture Bill Lynch +, Apr. 04, 2025

Encore: The Climbing Climate And Paddle Making, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, rock climbers with disabilities have found a home in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, which offers some pumpy crags. Climbers have also been working to make West Virginia's New River Gorge more inclusive. And a master craftsman, who makes one of a kind whitewater paddles remembers some advice.

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Arts & Culture Bill Lynch +, Mar. 28, 2025

Fust, The Price Of Eggs And Helvetia's Fasnacht, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, Aaron Dowdy of alt country band Fust took an outside path to becoming a songwriter Also, egg prices are up. Some folks are talking about raising backyard chickens. And, Helvetia, West Virginia’s old world Fasnacht festival continues to grow, in part because of an online video game. Organizers are OK with it.

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Arts & Culture Bill Lynch +, Mar. 21, 2025

Looking Back At 2020, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, during a pandemic, where do you give birth? Also, we’ll have the story of a family that cultivated an heirloom tomato in West Virginia. It took a lot of work. And, a musical tradition brought people together — even when they couldn’t gather in person.

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Arts & Culture Bill Lynch +, Mar. 14, 2025

'Don't Get Dead,' Tattoos And Cryptids, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, it’s been five years since the COVID-19 lockdowns. An album made during that time is getting a re-release on vinyl. Also, a Kentucky tattoo artist practices traditional tattooing and traditional music. He says they’re not too different. And, what keeps people so fascinated with cryptids?

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