7.9.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello, and welcome to Women's World on Radio I. As
a reminder, RADIOI is a reading service intended for people
who are blind or have other disabilities that make it
difficult to read printed material. Today I will be reading
from Southern Living Magazine dated June July twenty twenty five,

(00:22):
and other publications as time allows. Your host today is Rosemary.
Newspaper and magazine articles are presented in Women's World for
general information only. RADIOI does not endorse or recommend any
of the subjects mentioned. We start with the letter from
the editor, Sid Evans, editor in Chief, A Garden of

(00:48):
Delight New reasons to visit a Birmingham gem. On an
overcast morning the spring, I drove to the burming Hand
Botanical Gardens to celebrate the renewal of a section that
means a lot to this magazine. As I entered the

(01:10):
sixty seven acre property, which is free and open to
the public daily, the place was buzzing with friends taking walks,
parents pushing their kids and strollers, bird watchers toading binoculars,
and volunteers armed with garden tools. A half dozen folks

(01:30):
were inspecting plans and decor at leaf and pedal gift
shop and golf carts whizzed around with the staff prepping
for the season. The BBG gets about three hundred and
thirty thousand visitors every year, and springtime is their super bowl.

(01:52):
My destination was the Southern Living Garden, a space that
was designed on the scale of a southern backyard, with
a grass lawn, a gazebo, a small pond, and a
perennial border that blooms all summer long. Created in nineteen

(02:12):
seventy seven, it was a passion project for many on
the Southern Living team, especially the late John Alex Floyd,
who was the editor in chief for eighteen years, Norman
Kent Johnson, an editor and garden designer who helped come
up with the initial plans, and Charlie Thigpen, a longtime

(02:37):
editor hired by John, who took care of it for
nearly three decades and planted about eight thousand tulips every fall.
Like any garden, this one has had its share with
ups and downs. The perennial border has been redesigned several times,

(02:57):
and staffing challenges have sometimes made it difficult to keep
up with maintenance. According to Charlie, a beautiful weeping cherry
tree is gone, as are some ancient crape myrtles. There
have been also more dramatic changes. When a storm blew

(03:19):
through town in twenty twenty three, a gigantic oak came down,
destroying an entire section and eliminating a source of shade
that had allowed many plants to thrive. Gardening isn't always easy,
especially in Alabama, but on the spring day I dropped

(03:40):
by for a visit, it was bursting with color. Native
azaleas were in full bloom, as were roof irises, snap dragons,
and Gerbera daisies. Thanks to some help from the Southern
Living Plant Collection, there were one hundred and sixty new
shrubs and perennials in the ground, including Ligastrum, which is

(04:06):
pretty lime green flowers, while Julia with its bright pop
of magenta and purple laurel pendulum. Caitlin Barr, a young
horticulturist at the BBG, has been busy for weeks with
the crew of volunteers trying to get everything ready, and

(04:26):
her work was finally paying off at the ribbon cutting.
Charlie was standing in the crowd catching up with Steve Bender,
aka the Grumpy Gardener, and other friends a few days later,
when I asked them what it meant to see the
space come back to life, Charlie sounded a bit wistful.

(04:50):
While he missed spending time there, he was also excited
it was in the hands of a passionate caretaker. Gardens
are always changing, he said, they never stay the same,
but that's what makes them fun. And that was the
letter from the editor, said Evans, editor in chief. Next

(05:15):
in season, naturally sweet the smooth skinned cousins to peaches.
Juicy nectarines require no pealing at all. One gene sets
nectarines apart from peaches, and it's the reason they don't
have fuzzy skin. Now we have three recipes using nectarines.

(05:46):
The first is a mixed green salad with pickled nectarines.
Active time for the recipe it's fifteen minutes. Total time
forty five minutes. The recipe serves. Cook one cup apple
cider vinegar, one cup water, one half cup granulated sugar,

(06:10):
and three fourth teaspoon kosher salt in a saucepan over
medium high, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. A mixture comes
to a boil. Remove from heat. Add three cups thinly
sliced firm ripe nectarines. Let's stand at least thirty minutes

(06:33):
or up to an hour. Reserve one fourth cup pickling
liquid in a small bowl, and then drain nectarines. Whisk
together reserving liquid, one fourth cup extraversion olive oil, one
tablespoon Dijon mustard, one tablespoon apple cider vinegar, one fourth

(06:57):
teaspoon kosher salt, and one eighth teaspoon a black pepper
and a small bowl to make the dressing gently tossed
together six ounces of spring mixed salad greens, one fourth
cup crumbled goat cheese, drained nectarines and dressing in a

(07:18):
large bowl. Sprinkle with one third cup plain granola. And
that was the recipe for the mixed green salad with
pickled nectarines. Next, a nectarine smoothies. Process two cups of ice,

(07:40):
one and one half cups chopped, unpeeled, very ripe nectarines,
one fourth cup coconut water, one fourth cup fresh orange juice,
and one and one half tablespoon honey, and a blender
until smooth about one minute. Pour evenly into two glasses.

(08:03):
Garnish with fresh nectarine slices. If desired, and that was
the recipe for the nectarine smoothies. And finally, honey glazed
grilled nectarines. Cut six firm ripe nectarines in half lengthwise,

(08:24):
remove pits. Stir together one half cup honey, two tablespoons
fresh orange juice, and one teaspoon orange zest in a
small bowl. Reserve three tablespoons mixture for grilling. Brush nectarines
all over with remaining honey mixture. Grill on oiled grates

(08:47):
over medium high four hundred to five hundred degree fahrenheit
four hundred to four fifty covered until softened about ten minutes,
flipping halfway through through, and brushing with reserved honey mixture.
Let cool slightly about five minutes. Served with vanilla ice

(09:10):
cream and garnish with fresh mint leaves. And that recipe
serves six the honey glazed grilled nectarines. Next, a festive
gathering on jumteenth, North Carolina, chef Ricky Moore brings the
community together with a picnic. Ricky Moore calls himself a

(09:36):
cook despite being a James Beard Award winning chef. It's
a small detail that says a lot about his humble
spirit as the owner of Salt Box Seafood Joint in Durham,
North Carolina. He has become an evangelist for local seafood
and the power of collaboration in the kitchen. It's the

(10:00):
the latter that inspired his annual June teenth celebration, called
the Drmnik Drm Picnic, because he says the idea of
Juneteenth is community. This holiday commemorates the reading of the
General Order Number three on June the nineteenth, eighteen sixty five,

(10:24):
even though the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued about two
and half years prior. This was when the news of
freedom first came to an estimated two hundred and fifty
thousand enslaved people in Texas. From then on, the day
became one for celebration, although it wasn't established as an

(10:48):
official holiday across the United States until twenty twenty one.
Moore's Derminick gathering highlights several now Or Carolina chefs, and
each prepares a dish to contribute to the events to go.
Lunch boxes offerings include flavors from around the world, which

(11:12):
is by design. When you have a picnic, get together,
a party, you have a bunch of different people bringing
something to the table, He says. Last year, More made
his triny style of South North Carolina shrimp cucumber, corn
and pepper recipe, which he describes as the great grand

(11:36):
Mama of pickled shrimp served ice cold, its ideal on
a hot, humid summer day. The term South refers to
marinating an ingredient and a pickling liquid like these shrimp
dressed in a seasoned lime juice brimeana to Caribbean South

(12:02):
a cold dish made with pigs feet. More says, you
either love souths or you don't, but he adds that
it shouldn't rattle Southerners. How many times do you go
to a corner store in the South and see pickled
pigs feet, he asked, drawing on the connection between the
African despora and Southern food ways. Take the green seasoning

(12:27):
in the recipe, More likens it to the holy trinity
of Cajun cooking, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Although its
formula varies across the Caribbean, green seasoning is generally composed
of onion, peppers, scallions, garlic, and shondan benny, an herb

(12:55):
related to solantro that is often sold as koulo and
has a bold citrus flavor. If you're not up for
all that chopping, he says. Walkers Wood of Jamaican Food
Brand makes a good store bought alternative alongside his own cooking.

(13:17):
The roster of talented chefs bring their own taste to
the picnic. Moore considers it one way to pay his
success for there's enough room for everyone to be recognized,
he says, calling himself a cheerleader for the local culinary
up and comers. The twenty twenty four Drmnick lineup also

(13:42):
featured sweet and sour watermelon salad from Sarry Cooney of
The Root Cellar Cafe and Catering in Chapel Hill and
Cafe Root Seller in Pittsburgo. This refreshing combo calls for
cubes of melon and the pickled rhyme to wash it

(14:04):
all down. Adrian and Lindsay of Missus Lane's Assembly Room
and Durham mixed up the Spirit Free Cocktail, a mockery
which is infused with hibiscus tea, cherry juice and sage.
The hibiscus lends it a holiday hue, as red drinks

(14:26):
are an important symbol of Juneteenth tied to the West
African beverages made from this flower or colon nuts. More
hopes to continue to grow the event each year and
include more people, but at the end of the day,
he says, if I'm able to have a platform to

(14:48):
showcase folks and everybody gets a win, that super fulfilling
for me. And The recipe for the A Mockery recipe
by Adrian Lindsy of Missy Lanes Assembly Room in Durham.
Active time for the recipe five minutes, total time five minutes.

(15:11):
The recipe serves one one cup cold hibiscus tea brewed
according to packaged directions such as traditional medicinals, one half
cup tart cherry juice, one and one half tablespoons fresh
lemon juice from one lemon one tablespoon or greet or

(15:34):
almond syrup such as monon one tablespoon, sage simple syrup, ice,
fresh slices, lemon slices and fresh sage leaves. Stir first
five ingredients in a sixteen ounce glass filled with ice
until chilled and combined about fifteen seconds. Garnish with lemon

(15:59):
slices and sage leaves, and that was the recipe for
the A Mockery. Next is the Sage Simple Syrup recipe.
Active time ten minutes, total time one hour and ten minutes.
The recipe makes three fourth cup. Bring one half cup

(16:21):
water to a boil in a saucepan over high. Remove
from heat. Add one half cup granulated sugar. Stir until
dissolved about thirty seconds. Add five fresh sage leaves, cover
and let steep at root temperature about one hour. Discard sage.

(16:45):
Refrigerate in an air tight container up to one week.
That was the Sage Simple Syrup. Next the Sweet and
Sour Watermelon salad recipe by Sarah Cooney, an owner of
The Root Cellar Cafe and Catering in Chapel Hill and

(17:05):
its sister restaurant in Pittsborough. Active time thirty minutes, total
time one hour. The recipe serves six. For the dressing,
one half cup fresh lime juice from four limes, three
tablespoons light brown sugar, two tablespoons finally chopped garlic, one

(17:31):
tablespoon finally chopped fresh ginger from one two inch piece,
one half cup olive oil, one teaspoon kosher salt, and
one half teaspoon black pepper. The salad ingredients are one
five pound seedless watermelon, peeled and cut into one half

(17:54):
inch cubes. About ten cups four shallots or shalots, thinly sliced,
about three fourth cup two red Hollopenio or serrano chilis,
thinly sliced, seated if desired, About one half cup one
cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves in tender stems from one bunch,

(18:18):
one half cup drained watermelon rind, pickles, one fourth cup
chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish, and three tablespoons
chopped tie basil. Prepare the dressing, whisked together lime juice,
brown sugar, garlic, and ginger in a medium bowl until combined.

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Whiskin constantly, gradually add oil until combined. Whiskin salt and pepper.
Set dressing aside, or cover and refrigerate up to a week.
Prepare the salad, tossed together watermelon, shallots, red holopanios or serranos, cilantro, watermelon, rine, pickles, mint,

(19:09):
basil and dressing in a large bowl until combined. Cover
and refrigerate thirty minutes or up to twelve hours. Garnish
with mint just before serving. And that was the recipe
with a sweet and sour watermelon salad. Next the Triny

(19:30):
style soust North Carolina shrimp cucumber, corn and peppers recipe
by Ricky Moore, chef and owner of Salt Box Seafood
Joint in Durham. The active time forty minutes, total time
two hours and forty five minutes. The recipe serves six

(19:51):
one pound large peeled and deveined fresh raw shrimp's tail removed.
One cup fresh corn kernels from one ear, Two cucumbers
thinly sliced, about five cups, one white onion thinly sliced
about two and one fourth cups, one and one half
cups thinly sliced roasted red peppers, five tablespoons fresh lime

(20:16):
juice from three limes, three tablespoons thinly sliced fresh shaw
dunbenny or cilantro, plus more for garnish, two tablespoons chicken
bullyon granules, one tablespoon kosher salt, one tablespoon caribbean green

(20:38):
seasoning such as Walker's wood, two teaspoon finally chopped garlic
from two garlic clothes, and one teaspoon Jamaica hot pepper
sauce such as Grace, plus more to taste. Place a
steamer basket inside a medium pot. Fill pot with about

(20:59):
one half inch of water, ensuring that there is at
least one inch between the basket bottom and water line.
Cover and bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat
to medium. Add shrimp and corn to steamer basket. Cover
and cook undisturbed until shrimp are cooked and corn is

(21:21):
tender five to seven minutes. Remove steamer basket from the pot.
Let cool five minutes. Stir together cucumbers, onion, roasted red
peppers one on one half cups water, lime juice, shay
Don Beni or Cilantro, builyon salt, green seasoning, garlic, and

(21:44):
hot pepper sauce in a large bowl. Add cooked shrimp
and corn. Cover and refrigerate for two hours or up
to twenty four hours. Taste and add more Jamaican hot
pepper sauce if desired. Garnish with fresh Shadan Benny or Cilantro.

(22:05):
Serve at room temperature or chilled. And that was the
recipe for the Trinny style South North Carolina shrimp, cucumber,
corn and peppers. Next Mister Southern Living Live from the

(22:26):
South our new column with today's show anchor Craig Melvin
celebrates his South Carolina roots. Catch Craig Melvin on the
popular morning show. You may hear a fellow anchor call
him mister Southern Living. It's an apt moniker for the Columbia,
South Carolina born journalist who was raised in the household

(22:50):
where the magazine came third or fourth to the Holy Bible.
He says, his mother, Betty Joe, subscribed for the recipe,
and the good eats were a staple of family gatherings.
Here in Connecticut where I live now, there are foods
that they're designated for special occasions. If it's a celebratory meal,

(23:12):
maybe you have fried whatever in collared greens or black
eyed peas and white rice. For us growing up, sometimes
it was a random Wednesday. You don't fully appreciate that
until you move out of the South. Breaking bread together
is value. He and his wife, Lindsday Charnick, are working

(23:33):
to instill in their two children, Delano and Sybil. We
do Sunday dinner in this little booth at our basement,
he says. If it's a good Sunday, the kids are
getting along and we can reflect on the week that
was and look forward to the one ahead. As for
what's on the table, it's typically lighter than the fear

(23:56):
of his childhood thing turkey birders instead of fried chicken.
But that's about the only element of his southernness he's
budged on. I still talk about as slow as I
did growing up in Columbia, much to the dismay of
many a network producer, he says, I'm in no hurry

(24:17):
to finish a sentence. Craig's recipe for a low country summer.
Their pilgrimage to Hilton Head Islands, South Carolina, began as
a combined birthday and Christmas gift for Betty Joe. It
was important that as many family members as possible could

(24:39):
get there, he says. Of how they chose the spot.
We've been going back ever since. Disposable plates and checked
table claws are the marks of a bona fide seafood dive,
so they always plan a pit stop at the Sea
Shack for crabcakes and tasty sides. I eat a lot

(25:01):
of hush puppies, Craig ads. In addition to krabbing. My
kids go seashell hunting, he says, which turns into me
having to put four zip lock bags filled with shells
in my suitcase to take them back to Connecticut. This

(25:22):
concludes Women's World for today. Your reader has been Rosemary.
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about this program,
please call us in our Alexington studios at eight five
nine four two two six three nine zero. Thank you
for listening, and please stay tuned for continued programming here

(25:42):
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