This week, ballads tell stories about all kinds of real-life events, but after Hurricane Helene, one group of ballad singers felt some topics were still too raw. Also, the author of a new book on ancient Ohio credits a former grad student with introducing him to the region’s mysterious earthworks. And, the legacy of Affrilachian poet Norman Jordan includes a summer camp for teens to study their heritage.
There are many folklores and charms when it comes to getting lucky in Appalachia. It’s been said that it’s bad luck to eat lettuce on a hot summer day. People also believe that placing parsley seeds on a fence post and allowing the wind to blow it off to sow it will clear them of any bad luck.
But, the most famous good luck charm in the world has got to be the four-leaf clover. One old mountain lore is that a green salve of four-leaf clovers rubbed over your whole body is said to make you invisible but you cant miss even one wrinkle.
Chuck Kleine
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Can you find the four-leaf clover in this picture?
Red clover and white clover are the most common types of the plant we see in West Virginia.
Neither of them are native to the area and are considered one of the earliest plants brought by Europeans. Both red and white clover are edible and are often used like spinach in a salad.
Some folks use the flowers to make a clover jelly or steep them in water to make tea. The leaves of thye red clover can also be dried and used as a vanilla extract substitute.
Chuck Kleine
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Red Clover
There are a few native clover in West Virginia. The native Running Buffalo Clover has recently been removed from the endangered species list. Kate’s Mountain Clover is another native species, it is rare to find and stunning when in bloom.
Take some time to glance down at the next clover patch you see and have a closer look. The flowers are just beautiful, and maybe you’ll even find some luck hidden under your feet.
EDIBLE MOUNTAIN – Clovers
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This week, ballads tell stories about all kinds of real-life events, but after Hurricane Helene, one group of ballad singers felt some topics were still too raw. Also, the author of a new book on ancient Ohio credits a former grad student with introducing him to the region’s mysterious earthworks. And, the legacy of Affrilachian poet Norman Jordan includes a summer camp for teens to study their heritage.
When Marion County attorney Scott Summers realized Grant Town was planning to tear down an historic building, he decided to see what he could do to stop it.
Indigenous people created hundreds of earthen monuments in what is now Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. John E. Hancock, a professor of architecture and design at the University of Cincinnati, spent years studying these earthworks. He published a guidebook for visiting them. Inside Appalachia’s Bill Lynch spoke with Hancock about the book.
