Wren Smith: Eating Kentucky's Wild Edibles

What a joy Wren brings to my life and to The Coulter Plough. I love going to her house and visiting with she and her adorable chickens. Her home is surrounded by beautiful, lush Kentucky pastures. Her yard is filled with spring tulips, wild edible plants, redbud trees, violets beneath your feet. Her house is cozy and warm, and there is a tremendous sense of home and commonplace. Maybe that is in part because my Father was born in the same room that now serves as Wren's bedroom. 50 years before, it was the bedroom of my Grandparents, John Will and Lena Coulter, whom The Coulter Plough series is inspired by. In fact, the house, the surrounding acreage of fields and pastures of this one particular place in Kentucky is the entire inspiration of The Coulter Plough series. Sadly, it has been subdivided into tiny pieces. So strange that when I asked Wren to be part of The Plough, I had no idea she lived in the home that sheltered my Father and inspired a monthly Kentucky DVD series. But this is for another blog at another time.

In Episode 6, Wren gathers wild edibles from her garden area which is the same space of ground that my Grandfather raised his garden years ago. What an awesome feeling this is to me. After Wren gathers a feast of redbuds, dandelions, chickweed, violet leaves, and wild onion, we go into Granny's old kitchen and watch Wren prepare a delicious salad mixture topped with a homemade dressing of olive oil, vinegar, honey, wild onion, and a touch of sea salt. There have been many award-winning meals created in Wren's kitchen in the past 70 years and beyond, many of them by Lena Coulter, and Wren's beautiful wild edible dish just adds to that membership of belonging and memory.

Coterie: An Evening with Beautiful Voices

Had a wonderful time this past Tuesday night filming a segment with "Coterie," an 11-member vocal ensemble from Louisville for Episode 6. The group began performing in 1989; they are just astonishing. I've never known a more solid group of voices coming together to create a perfect pitch of sound. Coterie also has been in demand for performances with other ensembles, such as Ars Femina, Voces Novae, and the Commonwealth Chorale. The group has been featured on a nationally televised video “Christmas card” on Presbyterian Survey, a magazine-format program produced by the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. In 2003, Coterie spent nine days touring England and Scotland, performing concerts in Ely Cathedral; in Holy Trinity Church, the burial place of William Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon; in St. Giles Cathedral; and outdoors at Princes Garden in Edinburgh. With styles ranging from Renaissance to modern pop, Coterie delivers vocal music with style and humor.

Welcome Kristie Hicks to The Plough!

We're very excited to announce that Kristie Hicks will be joining The Plough doing a variety of hosting! Kristie has a tremendous on-screen presence and will be a great addition to the show! A native of Bardstown, KY, Kristie has a BA in Theatre and Radio-Television from Morehead State University and has worked professionally in print, radio, and TV. She is a member of The Screen Actors Guild and won a Billboard Magazine Award for her work in morning radio. Kristie is a former Miss Kentucky Teen USA and Miss Kentucky America.

Chris Coulter: The Plough Agriculturist

In searching for an agriculturist for The Plough series who knows their stuff, I didn't have to look far. Chris Coulter, owner of Coulter's Good Earth Garden Farm, was easily my first and only choice. Chris and I are first cousins and grew up practically brothers. Chris has two things: a tremendous intelligence for the outdoors and gardening, and a natural gift at being in front of the camera.

Chris grows some of the most beautiful Kentucky vegetables and fruits that I have seen and tasted, and I've seen and tasted a lot. I believe he may be our Grandfather's reincarnated green thumb.

I'm excited for viewers of The Plough to watch and enjoy Chris. You will definitely learn from him, his gardening skills and knowledge are truly first rate.

Chris's Bio:

Chris is a Kentucky native who grew up on a farm surrounded by all types of plants and animals. He obtained a BS in Wildlife Management and then went on to complete his MS in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Kentucky. He has worked in a variety of fields including education and the commercial nursery industry. After spending two years working in agriculture overseas he has returned to the family farm to do what he loves best--growing vegetables, fruit, and poultry using sustainable and organic methods. Coulter's Good Earth Farm began providing high quality produce to the local community in 2003. He lives in Bloomfield with his wife Amy, and their two children.

The Plough: Introducing EPISODE 5 and the "NEW LOOK"

We are excited to unveil our "new look" to The Plough DVDs! The Episode 5 DVD cover features Gladys Reed, owner of The Kentucky Depot Restaurant in Stanford. The photograph was taken by a tremendously talented Kentucky photographer, Amanda Marie Wimsatt.

Here are some of the segments you will see in Episode 5:

"Sweetness in Stanford" - An intimate look inside The Kentucky Depot Restaurant
"Nature Trail Discoveries" - Bernheim Forest Naturalist Wren Smith on Winter Animal Survival
"Kentucky Student Spotlight" - Sarah Parks, vocalist
"Good Earth Garden Tips" with Agriculturist Chris Coulter
"Humorous Findings" in old Kentucky Newspapers
"Unearthing Kentucky" Metal Detecting with Will Plummer

and more!

Metal Detecting the Fields and Hollows of Kentucky

Here it is, spring is upon us, and one begins to hear the voices of birds that have been hidden away during what has been one of the longest, coldest winters I can recall in Kentucky. Today wrapped segment shooting on Episode 5 of The Plough. My friend, Will Plummer of Louisville, was down today to tape a segment on metal detecting. I have been fascinated with artifact hunting using a metal detector for quite sometime. Will has only inspired a deeper interest. Though there are many out there who just simply don't get into metal detecting, I encourage you to try it. Metal detecting requires much patience and control on mental frustration if you don't find anything on your first dig. But in most cases, you WILL find something on your first dig. It may not be that rare Lincoln- era campaign coin, and instead a piece of barbed wire that fell out of a farm truck last year, but practice patience and you will be rewarded.

Always get permission from landowners if you are hunting on land owned by someone else. If hunting on public property, obey the guidelines and restrictions of the property.

Though I don't get to "detect" as much as I would like, I find that going out into a field and being alone with the metal detector is a way to recharge after a busy week of work. I enjoy the peace and solitude of it. I also get fascinated with it...often feeling overwhelmed that there are thousands of pieces of history waiting to be recovered beneath the soil under my feet.

Some people think that it is wrong to mess with pieces of history buried beneath the ground. If it is human bodies they are talking about, I would most certainly agree. But many artifacts beneath the soil such as coins, buttons of clothing, Civil War era rifles and pistols, buck shot, have been put their by accident, or by way of littering. Some were once looked for and never found by their owners.

Metal detecting is a way of recovering our past. In it we learn. The process of hunting for pieces of history buried beneath the soil is also emotionally, and for me, spiritually rewarding.

A Review of the January 2010 Edition of "The Plough"

By John Allen Boyd, editor "Sunbonnets & Sweetgum" and author of "Emerson Avery, That Latin Teacher"

If first impressions are important in analyzing art, and they are, my initial reaction to this digital magazine is one of wonder at being in the presence of something new. The very concept of receiving a sleek, innovative publication that is not printed on paper jumped at me. After all these years of holding bound collections of paper pages in my hands and looking at pictures and reading the written word, “The Coulter Plough” is an experience akin to lifting myself over a fence and stepping onto new land There is a sense of moving from one era and into another.

As I went through the articles in this issue, there arose one sure commonality: their familiarity, in the sense of family. With each section, I was in friendly company. Like being invited to sit down at the family table and noting the personality of each one there – listening and seeing one and then another during the meal. Able to partake and enjoy their good manners and company.

In this issue, I was close to the earth, to history, to the lives of our ancestors, and to this part of our nation and state. Whatever the time and place, I found my ease. The moving visuals captivated and lifted me beyond the frequent artificiality and tugging of traditional media. And the artwork and music. Awesome. The disc is green, inexpensive, and easy to store. Most of all, its content is fascinating from beginning to end. Our interests and inquiries are piqued. Each article has its own personality just as each son and daughter around the family table does. There is that unmistakable bond of kinship to Kentucky and the folks who pass their time here and who have preceded us. It is personal and up close. Friendly. Home folks. I found it endearing to be reminded of the early spring wildflowers. I had no idea about the making of chicken soup. It was interesting to be reminded of how Sue Mundy romped around this part of Kentucky and earned the hanging he received during that bloody, raw age - the same century of early stills and whiskey making. There! All of it! That’s what grabbed me. This entire issue of “The Coulter Plough” landed me on my feet in this place I call home.

Welcome New LIBRARIES!

Welcome to Allen County and Oldham County Public Libraries to The Coulter Plough series!

"The Plough" Coming Soon to Stanford Restaurant

Monthly DVD Episodes of The Plough will be available for purchase in the famous "The Kentucky Depot Restaurant" in Stanford, Kentucky beginning in March. Look for them in the Gift Shop!

A Viewer's Experience with The Plough

I took the DVD to Indiana today to show my parents. While we were shopping, my Dad watched most of it and then I had to take it and he made me PROMISE that I would bring it back. He REALLY enjoyed it. I was so excited for you to see someone appreciate your work!! :) He said it made him proud to be from Kentucky (where he was born). He has lived most of his life in Indiana. Thanks again for giving us these great stories. - Amy Kellem, Bardstown

"The Depot Restaurant" To Be Featured in February Show

Headed to Stanford, Kentucky today to tape a feature segment on the famous "Depot Restaurant" for the February Month in Review episode. Very excited to travel the road from Bardstown through Springfield, Perryville, and Danville. I love driving this route, for some reason I always get a strong sense of the Civil War when headed towards Danville. Perhaps it because one passes through Perryville but the scenery just puts me in mind of the War as there are but few houses along the highway and lots of fields. "The Depot" was featured in this month's edition of Kentucky Living Magazine, though it has been on our list much longer for The Plough! :) My wife grew up in Danville and frequented The Depot with her Grandparents throughout her childhood and she highly recommended the restaurant for a story in The Plough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE1R-XCX-fI

Coming to The Plough: Wren Smith, Kentucky Naturalist

I am very excited to have Wren Smith, naturalist at Bernheim Forest, be part of The Plough series. I first saw Wren on television when I was production manager at a TV station in Bardstown. She is so knowledgeable of the outdoors and will be a great addition to the show. She will appear in the February Month in Review edition of The Plough.

Madison Cawein: Kentucky Poet

Madison Cawein was a man, contrary to his first name that is most commonly associated with females, and was a poet from Louisville. He was born March 23, 1865 and died on December 8, 1914. According to Wikipedia, Cawein's father made patent medicines from herbs and Madison thus became acquainted with and developed a love for local nature as a child. He wrote thirty-six books and 1,500 poems and was known as the "Keats of Kentucky." Cawein's poem, "Mid-Winter" is read in the January edition of The Plough, and his words are quite beautiful.

January Episode - A Month in Review

So excited about the January Month in Review DVD of The Plough! The 4th episode in our unique series spotlights poetry by Kentucky poet Madison Cawein (1865-1914), beautifully read by Amy Kellem, the writings of life on a rural farm by late Bowling Green native, Pearl Lowe Boyd, Taylorsville native Thomas Shelby Watson discusses the famous Confederate Guerrilla Sue Mundy's violent raids throughout Kentucky during the Civil War, and Colonel Michael Edward Masters on the history of Bardstown's Chapeze House with a special sampling of various Kentucky bourbons. Also enjoy our homemade chicken noodle soup recipe that is a great cold and flu remedy, gardening tips for February, early spring flowers, and interesting tidbits on astronomy. (Running time: 55 minutes)

Welcome New LIBRARIES!

We'd like to extend a welcome to the Marion County Public Library and Hopkins County-Madisonville Public Library to The Coulter Plough series!