There is nothing that will wake me up faster or better than the smell of hickory-smoked country ham and bacon. And when I want to buy country ham or the “good bacon” (a phrase our family started when several of us showed up for a weekend get together and I brought bacon from Broadbent’s while others brought grocery store bacon), it means Broadbent. Listen to this episode of Grounded by the Farm here or in your favorite app.

This probably isn’t a surprise if you have been listening to Grounded by the Farm long, as one or my early interviews was with a small family operation where they salt-cured hams in a traditional smokehouse.  Broadbent offers more scale, but owners Ronny & Beth Drennan point out they are small players in the country ham space. I point out they are big players in that space for me and my family, but acknowledge there are much bigger smokers who sell through mass retail, etc whereas Broadbent focuses on specialty retail, restaurants, and wholesale services.

Processing Pork into Hickory-Smoked Goodness

The Drennans not only set down with me for the audio interview above (ai transcript for episode 316), but they showed me around the facility, sharing a view of the process for curing, smoking and aging the hams, bacon and sausage they are known for. And while hickory-smoked is the biggest part of the business, they also do some products with applewood & maple which offers a range of flavors and the peppered bacon (it’s hickory-smoked) is amazing!

Prize Winning Hams

Broadbent is one of a series of smokehouses in Kentucky which takes traditional practices and puts them to work at scale. Ronny says the country ham community is a small tight one, and one that enjoys the friendly competition for the honors each year for the Kentucky State Fair’s grand champion.

The Drennans bought the business from the Broadbent family decades ago and Ronny laughs that one stipulation of the contract was they had to keep the quality high and continue winning some of those ribbons. The Drennans laugh and talk about how it took some study and experience to get it right but they got back in the competition.

Find Broadbent Online & Visit in Person

Broadbent offers its products through a range of retail shops as well as direct through the website broadbenthams.com. If you’d like inspiration on enjoying country ham, bacon and sausage, the company’s Instagram @broadbenthams or Facebook page BroadbentHams.

And don’t forget the company has a great gift shop and lunch counter if you are passing through western Kentucky! It’s right off Interstates 24 & 69 in Kuttawa, KY. And the lady who works the counter had lots of helpful ideas for recipes (and there were several printed for take home!) and various uses of some of the condiments, etc.

The post Hickory-Smoked Country Ham & Bacon on the Menu with Broadbent appeared first on Grounded by the Farm.

In the midst of most family farms, is a house called the home place. When you layer that with the appreciation of food, family and hospitality that runs so deep in western Kentucky, you get the Peery House at Springhill Farms! And in this episode, we talk to three generations of the family about changes unfolding over the years at their home place.

Growing up it was home for Jerry Peery. While growing 65 years of corn, soybeans, wheat and more, he also grew the farm’s footprint adding acres as others moved away or stopped farming. Now he’s working with his grandson Jonathan to take over the operation for future generations.

Kristia Peery Reynolds learned to bake in the house as her grandmom showed her the secrets of perfect mixtures and beautiful decorations.

As the house sat vacant, the family considered options for it. Ultimately, it got a renovation that would make it easy for the family and others to stay in touch with the heritage. The Peery House is now a bed and breakfast, with a commercial kitchen for Kristia’s baking business. (Like Sugarwater Manor but so different too!

We talk about the farm’s history, the decision to make changes and what guests can expect when visiting a working farm in Western Kentucky!

Soils, Grain & Oilseeds

One of the benefits of having a bed and breakfast on the farm, is having a chance to talk with people who may not have had the chance to grow up in a rural area. In fact, the Peery family enjoys having a chance to answer questions and even show guests around a bit or put them up in a tractor’s buddy seat.

I was lucky enough to get a tour of the farm with Jerry & Jonathan talking about the various ways they keep a focus on soil health and the environment. And the timing of the tour was perfect because canola/rapeseed was in full bloom (Lesley Rae Kelly talks about canola in a past episode). This was a bit different than canola and is more aptly called rapeseed. Jonathan tells me it is a fairly new version that can be used for industrial purposes including biofuels. This is the second year the family grew it so they are paying close attention as you’ll see in the video, still learning some of the ins and outs of it.

Hospitality & Air BnB

Another change in the last several years was converting the family’s home place to a getaway for guests. The house was renovated and yet, reminds me of all the best memories of being home with family. From the family photos and antiques, to the snacks left for guests, you really can’t help but feel welcome.

I may never recover from leaving the house with A DOZEN CUPCAKES! Some of the great old favorites like Kristia’s grandmom’s strawberry cake recipe and new ones like maple bacon or bourbon pecan topping! I had to share about them on the Grounded by the Farm Instagram channel.

 

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Find The Peery House online

• The Peery House on Air BnB
• The Peery House on Instagram
• The Peery House on Facebook

The post How One Family’s Home Place Showcases a Heritage of Hospitality appeared first on Grounded by the Farm.

Watermelon, the fruit of summer, no matter how you slice and dice them, they are always refreshing! But have you ever thought to yourself, I need a watermelon knife for all that slicing and dicing? Pay attention. Trust me.

This post includes affiliate links that may result in some compensation to help fund the site.

In our last podcast episode Growing Watermelons and Connecting Consumers, we talked with watermelon farmer, Rachel Syngo of Melon 1 where they proudly grow watermelons on multiple farms in southwestern Florida and work with farmers across the eastern US.

Right Way to Cut a Watermelon? Really?

I love getting the scoop from farmers. So as we talked, we raised all the questions like how do you cut a watermelon? It’s funny but something so simple can become controversial at times. However, I asked because several years ago a watermelon farmer showed me a way to do it that I hadn’t seen before. And I love it!

The answer: The cutting method depends on how you will be eating it.

• If you’re serving watermelon at an event or want a piece to hold onto you cut the watermelon in quarters lengthwise then cut it in slices so the rind serves as a handle.
• If you will be eating at home, maybe using in salads, etc. you kind of peel the melon with a knife. You cut the rind off first, then slice into cubes, wedges or whatever. A friend in Wyoming recently discovered it & shared on Instagram so here you go!

 

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Today I learned a new way to cut watermelon I can’t believe how easy it was, and truly I think it was way less wasteful too…tho the chickens still seemed happy with what they got

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There technically isn’t a correct way to cut a watermelon but there is definitely more than one way to do it!

Watermelons: The Fruit that Deserves it’s own Knife

There is a wonderful tool that we BOTH agreed was essential to cutting watermelon (and to avoid cutting a finger), the watermelon knife! I hadn’t even heard about them until I went out on a watermelon farm… then I saw them several times.

I had to ask if this was watermelon universal. We both had watermelon knives, and agreed that this tool is a lifesaver when it comes to cutting up that juicy watermelons. I will never use a butcher knife or something again.

This knife is long and made of stainless steel allowing you to get through the entire watermelon without the knife bending or you having to turn the watermelon to ensure you’ve cut all the way through. It also boasts a pretty solid blade (though there are holes in it like seeds), it won’t bend while cutting! The handle is made of comfortable silicone and is ergonomic for great leverage.

If you look closely, the serration is a bit deeper and longer than most knives, this allows you to gracefully slice through the tender insides of the watermelon. Rachel points out its a lot like a bread knife but with more heft for the serious job it takes on.

The post The Right Way to Cut a Watermelon? A Watermelon Knife? appeared first on Grounded by the Farm.

Can you imagine July if someone wasn’t growing watermelons?

Summertime wouldn’t be the same without watermelon! It cools us down, hydrates us and brings smiles to faces! Few of us have had the chance to visit a watermelon farm or talk to a farmer, but Rachel Syngo’s family has been “in the biz” of growing watermelons for generations.

They proudly grow on multiple farms in southwestern Florida and work with farmers up the East Coast to provide the tasty fruit as much of the year as possible! We talk about how and where watermelons are grown, the trends that seem to be gaining traction, food safety, how you get seedless watermelons and more!

Links Mentioned in this Episode Include

See how watermelons are harvested and transported (embedded at the bottom of this post)

A vodka watermelon cocktail from FarmWifeDrinks.com

Where to Find Melon 1 Online

• Melon1.com
• Facebook Melon 1 at https://www.facebook.com/melon1inc/
• Instagram Official Melon 1 at https://www.instagram.com/officialmelon1/
• Twitter Official Melon 1 at https://twitter.com/officialmelon1?lang=en

Grounded by the Farm Online

• GroundedbytheFarm.com for photos, blog posts, show notes and more
• Ask the Farmers Facebook Page
• Groundedbythefarm_ on Instagram
• Grounded by the Farm on Youtube
• @groundedbythef on Twitter

Growing Watermelons & Harvesting By Hand

The post Growing Watermelons & Connecting to Customers: Rachel Syngo is Big On Watermelon appeared first on Grounded by the Farm.