Tag: Barbeque

The Herbal Magic Of Violets And A Book Ban In Virginia, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, spring wildflowers are in bloom, and some of the most common species play an important role in herbal medicine. This week, we learn about some of the ways people use violets. Also, what’s your favorite style of egg roll? An acclaimed, out-of-the-way restaurant in Pounding Mill, VA bends culinary genres and uses an unexpected ingredient. And, more and more school boards are pulling books from library shelves. We’ll speak with a reporter in a Virginia county where 57 titles were yanked.

Spring wildflowers are in bloom, and some of the most common species play an important role in herbal medicine. This week, we learn about some of the ways people use violets.

What’s your favorite style of egg roll? An acclaimed, out-of-the-way restaurant in Pounding Mill, Virginia bends culinary genres and uses an unexpected ingredient. 

And, more and more school boards are pulling books from library shelves. We’ll speak with a reporter in a Virginia county where 57 titles were yanked. 

In This Episode:

Violet Tendencies

Violets will grow almost anywhere. They are one of the first flowers to grow in Appalachia come spring.

Photo Credit: Brandon Tester

Every April, violets bloom across Appalachia, adding purple, white and yellow to the deepening green of the hills. But violets do a lot more than add natural flair. These flowers have long been a key ingredient in herbal remedies.

People use them to fight cancer and the common cold. And they make a pretty tasty snack.

Folkways Reporter Wendy Welch brings us the story.

Taking A Bite Out Of Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque

Yvonne Thompson owns Cuz’s Uptown Barbecue in Pounding Mill, Virginia. A place that mixes cultures, flavors and fun.

Photo Credit: Connie Bailey Kitts/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

In the South, people love to argue over which barbecue sauce is most authentic — vinegar, tomato or mustard. But Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque in Tazewell County, Virginia, is distinguished by something entirely different. For starters, its food is inspired by Asian cuisine and local mountain specialities.

You can find dishes on its menu like Morel mushrooms, cheesy egg rolls, and country ham caprese.

Back in 2022, Folkways Reporter Connie Bailey Kitts and her family stopped in at Cuz’s for supper.

A Book Ban In Rockingham, Virginia

Members of the Rockingham County School Board, which recently voted to remove 57 books from school libraries.

Photo Credit: Ashlyn Campbell

Book bans are nothing new. But we’re seeing a new spike in book removals across Appalachia, including in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. 

Sometimes, debates that lead to book bans happen in state legislatures. But they’re just as likely to play out on the local level, in public schools. 

In January, the school board in Rockingham County, Virginia voted to remove 57 books from school libraries, prompting an outcry.

Ashlyn Campbell has been covering the story for the Daily News-Record. Mason Adams spoke with Cambell to learn more.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Sean Watkins, John Inghram, John Blissard, Amythyst Kiah, Dinosaur Burps, Doc Watson and Frank Hutchinson.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways editors Nicole Musgrave and Mallory Noe-Payne.

You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

Sign-up for the Inside Appalachia Newsletter!

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Butcher Apprentices, Carpet Artists And Cuz’s BBQ, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, we visit with Jerry Machen of Kingsport, Tennessee. When he first started making art from old carpets, his wife Linda wasn’t impressed. We also meet the devoted family and friends of Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque, who rallied behind the acclaimed Appalachian restaurant during a hard time. And, it used to be that every grocery store had a trained butcher behind the counter. But that’s not the case so much today. So the owner of a Charleston abattre had an idea.

This week, we visit with Jerry Machen of Kingsport, Tennessee. When he first started making art from old carpets, his wife Linda wasn’t impressed. 

We also meet the devoted family and friends of Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque, who rallied behind the acclaimed Appalachian restaurant during a hard time.

And, it used to be that every grocery store had a trained butcher behind the counter. But that’s not the case so much today. So the owner of a Charleston abattre had an idea. 

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Buzz Foods To Train New Generation Of Butchers

Zack Harold explores the meat industry and learns about Buzz Food Service’s mission to create more meatcutters. Credit: Zack Harold/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

The pandemic has shown how fragile our food supply chain can be. Distribution bottlenecks and breakdowns at processing plants have meant some products went missing from grocery store shelves.   

That’s why Buzz Food Service in Charleston set out to build a new model for locally raised meat. But it needed butchers to make that work — but butchers can be scarce. So Buzz came up with an old-fashioned solution: an apprenticeship program.

Folkways Reporter Zack Harold has the story.

A Carpet Craftsman Creates Carpet Art

One man in Kingsport, Tennessee, has been building and repairing carpets and rugs for more than 50 years. For Jerry Machen, Sr., the business not only provides him with a livelihood — but also an opportunity for expression and discovery. Credit: Nicole Musgrave/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Lots of families live with furniture, silverware, and rugs, but we sometimes take them for granted. We seldom think about who makes these items — or where to turn when they need repaired.

One man in Kingsport, Tennessee, has been building and repairing carpets and rugs for more than 50 years. For Jerry Machen, Sr., the business not only provides him with a livelihood — but also an opportunity for expression and discovery. 

Folkways Reporter Nicole Musgrave has the story.

Passover Observed During The Civil War

In 1862 during the Civil War, 20 Jewish Union soldiers came together in southern West Virginia for a Passover feast known as a seder. This year, a group in Beckley, West Virginia, recognized that event.

WVPB Reporter Shepherd Snyder spoke with Joseph Golden of Beckley’s Temple Beth El congregation and Drew Gruber of Civil War Trails about this event’s historical significance.

A Community Rallies Around Cuz’s Barbecue

Cuz’s Uptown Barbecue offers more than one kind of flavor. Credit: Connie Bailey Kitts/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

People love to argue over which barbecue sauce is most authentic—vinegar, tomato or mustard. But Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque in Tazewell County, Virginia, is distinguished by something entirely different. For one thing, its food is inspired by Asian cuisine and local mountain specialities. You can find things on its menu like Morel mushrooms, cheesy egg rolls, and country ham caprese.

Folkways Reporter Connie Bailey Kitts and her family stopped in at Cuz’s for dinner and brought us us this story.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Andrea Tomasi, The Steel Drivers, Erik Vincent and Mary Hott.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode.

You can send us an email at InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @InAppalachia and on Facebook here.

And you can sign up for our Inside Appalachia Newsletter here!

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

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