OCTOBER 2025

OH, OCTOBER!

The handful of you who read my weekly material in the hometown newspaper serving the place of my raising, Bryson City, NC, will recognize much of what follows. It is a revised version of the column offered in the October 2 edition of the Smoky Mountain Times that attempts to capture some of the joys of this month of months, rivaled in my view only by May, in that region. While the specific setting is in the Great Smokies, the sights, sounds, and smells described below hold true for a wide swath of the country with slight adjustments of the calendar.

October in the Smokies is a time of enduring wonder and vies with May for the most magical of the year’s 12 months. It wears a coat of many colors to a farewell party for another period of growth and fecundity while May sees earth’s reawakening with every imaginable hue of green and a profusion of wildflowers abloom.

October is the world of nature bedecked in an array of colors no artist’s palette can match.

It’s the red of sumac and the gold of hickories; the molten fire of maples and the burnt bronze of oaks.

It’s a boy grown old looking back with lingering joy on squirrel hunting days of yore and a youngster awaiting the opening day of bushytail season with unbridled eagerness.

It’s bushytails busy feeding in hickories and oaks as a hunter eases within range while listening and looking for tell-tale signs such as shaking limbs and dropping nut cuttings.

October is a savory dish of squirrel and dumplings on a traditional mountain table, bountifully flanked by baked sweet potatoes fresh from the oven and oozing caramelized goodness along with a big bowl of turnip greens.

It’s the bounty of black walnut trees littering the ground and holding promise of holiday delicacies to come in forms such as cookies and cakes.

The month is one of deliciously chilly mornings giving way to bright Indian Summer days with just the sort of temperatures to put pep in an old man’s step and let those of all ages behold beauty beneath bluebird skies.

It’s a strong cold front pushing through the mountains with wind and rain, followed in due course by “see forever” bluebird skies and dropping temperatures.

It’s the first hard frost leaving behind pumpkins and October beans to be harvested; corn ears to be pulled and put in the crib; corn fodder to be stacked; fields to be plowed under; and another year of planting, growing, and harvesting brought to an end.

It’s persimmons beginning to wrinkle and sweeten, bearing promise to furnish delectable puddings in good time (but not a moment too soon or you’ll know the distress of a tongue turned inside out).

It’s apples in the crib and winter squash in root cellars; the smell of cider and fried pies in the air; turnips and greens on the table.

It’s treats for the wanderer—maybe a late pawpaw or two, hazelnuts that somehow escaped the attention of squirrels to be cracked, the sweet-sour flesh of the inside of yellowed maypops lying on the ground; the delicate bites provided by shiny yellow ground cherries newly laid bare by removal of their husks; long, leathery pods from honey locusts with sweet meat around each of the seeds in that pod waiting to be munched.

It’s the beauty of mountain ash in hues of red and magenta and the purple of pokeweed berries hanging in clusters from dying stalks.

It’s doe deer on the move munching acorns and bucks with swollen necks seeking their female company.

It’s the music of Plott hounds hot on the trail of a bear or a boar or hunters excitedly yelling “strike” as those canine companions get signals through their noses that it’s time to fill the air with hound music.

It’s the ever startling, never ready reaction a grouse evokes with it takes flight from a feeding spot in an abandoned orchard or along a spring branch overgrown with rhododendron.

October is honey in the jars and hogs being fattened; leather britches hanging in the sun and dried hot peppers hanging from a kitchen corner.

It’s trout following the timeless compulsion of procreation as they move upstream in search of spots to build their redds and spawn.

It’s quiet walks in a cemetery or along a forest trail in times of contemplation and remembrance; rest for the soul and one’s spirits.

Oh, October! What a time to be alive and realize the sweet of the Smokies, or for that matter in the world of the hunter or outdoor lover across most of the land. Doing so is to join hands with the hope and happiness, the beauty and bliss, of a landscape that is ever changing yet never departing. To greet the month is to meet magic in these ancient, steep hills with their deep, dark hollows.

***********************************************************************************

JIM’S DOIN’S

Recent weeks have been uncharacteristically busy ones for me on a number of fronts. While major back problems have turned me into something of a cripple as these words are being typed, with a staff needed for every step I take and pain wracking my body with such basic aspects of daily life as rolling over in the bed or getting up from a chair, there has been delight aplenty to offset the agony of what I’m presuming is a pinched nerve (and an upcoming MRI hopefully will tell more).

On the first weekend of this month scores of former Winthrop University soccer players whom I had the pleasure of coaching 40 or more years ago returned to the institution for events celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the program that I launched and served as a head coach for a dozen years. They drove or flew in from all over the country and from places abroad such as Ecuador, Bolivia, England, and Mexico, and what a joy it was to meet wives, children, grandchildren, and, most of all, to be able to listen to stories of the life’s road these fellows have traveled. Many are now retired while others remain steadfastly at work. There are teachers and preachers, lawyers and entrepreneurs, salesmen and supervisors, highly successful coaches, international businessmen and tales of careers in a whole host of other areas. To learn of these things first hand was a wonderment and fulfillment at its best.

On top of that came news that not one but two of my books from recent years, Fishing for Chickens: A Smokies Food Memoir and Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food, have been recognized by the North Carolina Society of Historians with Awards of Excellence. Added to that were honors from the S. C. Outdoor Press Association. I was blessed to be the recipient of four excellence in craft awards at the annual meeting of the Association in Anderson. These included a third place in the Blog category for this newsletter; a second place in the magazine category for my story, “Dog of a Lifetime,” in Columbia Metropolitan magazine; a second place for “Remembering May’s Magic” in the newspaper category, for a column in the Smoky Mountain Times; and first place in the electronic publication category for “Robert Ruark: A Man of Startling Contrasts” in “Sporting Classics Daily.” I think you might enjoy reading “Dog of a Lifetime” and perhaps can share it in an upcoming newsletter. Best of all was news that my daughter has reached the pinnacle of her profession with a promotion to Managing Director of Human Resources for international accounting firm KPMG. Pardon a pop’s pride, but I’m thrilled she inherited my work ethic and has succeeded wonderfully well in her profession

My recent publications include weekly pieces for the Smoky Mountain Times (one of these is offered above), the appearance of an exceedingly rare book, Elizabeth Powers and Mark Hannah’s Cataloochee: Lost Settlement of the Smokies (for which I provided a lengthy Introduction—see below for information on how to order a copy) in reprinted form, and a few articles. Among the latter are “Bob Ruark and the Boy,” “Sporting Classics Daily,” Oct. 9, 2025 and “The Wonderful Versatility of Nuts,” Smoky Mountain Living, Oct./Nov., 2025, pp. 6-9.

A BEVY OF BOOK SPECIALS

Today’s mail brought a check for a Christmas gift card from a lady who has done this for her brother for years. It enables him to select works from any of my lists (see them on my website, www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com). You can do the same, keeping in mind that books are gifts with the potential to provide pleasure time and again, simply by contacting me, mailing a check in the desired amount, and giving me the name and address of the recipient. I’ll take it from there, sending a personal note, the gift certificate, and relevant information to the person receiving the gift.

As for the book Cataloochee: Lost Settlement of the Smokies, it is a nicely done paperback of xx, 318 pages with vintage illustrations. My fairly long Introduction covers pages 1-7 and endeavors to provide historical context, information on the authors, and other relevant information. Copies are $25 plus $6 shipping, and I’ll gladly sign the Introduction should you desire.

Along with that work, I’m offering a 10% discount on all of the books listed on my website I wrote, edited, coauthored, or otherwise was a part of in a literary sense. If your order is more than $100, that discount doubles to 20%. Finally, if the order tops $250 you get the 20% discount AND free shipping.

***********************************************************************************

RECIPES

Some cooler weather finally arrived, bringing with it welcome and desperately needed rain. For me that triggered, as it invariably does, a craving for the simple, hearty eating offered by soups and stews. They are my comfort foods for the colder portions of the year, and give me a bowl of potato soup, a hearty chicken stew or beef stew, or perhaps a hearty helping of squirrel and dumplings and I’m in a poor fellow’s culinary heaven. If such dishes are paired with a big chunk of cornbread or perhaps some homemade cathead biscuits, who could want for more? Here are some offerings in this general category of foodstuffs, and I hope at least one of the recipes will tickle your fancy.

POTATO SOUP

Throughout much of Appalachia, the standard remedy when someone has the mollygrubs (feels poorly) is not chicken soup but potato soup. Rich and savory, it’s easily prepared and a welcome dish—sick or not—especially in cold weather.

Peeled potatoes (figure 1 or 2 per person)

1 large sweet onion

½ stick butter

1 cup chicken broth or stock

2 cups whole milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut potatoes into quarter-inch slices and boil until they break apart readily. Meanwhile, as potatoes are cooking, slice the onion and sauté in a pan with half of the butter until translucent. Drain most of the water from the potatoes then add the broth, onion, milk, remaining butter, and seasonings to a large pot. Stir while reheating. Serve piping hot. Serves 4 to 6.

CHICKEN STEW

Chicken soup is associated with being a bit under the weather for good reason. It’s nutritious, tasty, filling, and somehow seems just the thing for when, as Grandpa Joe would have put it, “a body is ailing a bit.” Curiously, I don’t remember his wife, Grandma Minnie, ever making chicken soup or indeed soup of any kind, although her stews, laced with meat and vegetables swimming in gravy, were in essence just thickened soups. This recipe is similar to the manner in which she prepared chicken stew. She usually did so when there were a couple of leftover carcasses from baked hens served at holidays (we almost always had hens the family had grown as opposed to store-bought turkey) or when an old hen had been sufficiently derelict in her egg-laying duties to invite consumption. The stew made a great wintertime dish, especially when a heaping platter of cathead biscuits was served as a side.

1 whole baked hen or a turkey carcass with ample leftover meat scraps

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

4 ribs celery with leaves, chopped

1 large carrot, scrubbed and cut into chunks

2 whole cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

Water to cover

Remove skin from the carcass.  Place in a stock pot and surround with onion, celery, carrot, garlic and bay leaf.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for two hours.  Refrigerate stock and remove fat which accumulates on the top.  Remove all meat from bones and save.

8 cups stock (add canned chicken broth if needed)

2 cups milk

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

3 ribs celery, diced

1 cup frozen or canned lima beans

2 ounces small shell pasta

2 cups fresh, chopped spinach

1 cup frozen green peas

Meat from carcass

¼ cup fresh parsley

½ teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon fresh black pepper

Salt to taste

1 cup evaporated milk

2 tablespoons flour mixed with 4 tablespoons water (optional if you want thicker stew)

Cook stock, milk, potatoes, carrots and celery for a half hour.  Add lima beans, pasta, spinach, peas, meat, parsley, basil and pepper to the soup and cook an additional 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, season with salt if necessary, and stir in evaporated milk.  Return to low heat, stirring often.  Do not let stew boil.  Thicken with a flour and water paste if desired.

12 hearty servings

AFTER THE FEAST SOUP

This is another approach to using leftover chicken (or turkey) that is hearty and delicious.

1 turkey carcass (or baked hen carcass with some saved chicken scraps)

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

4 ribs celery with leaves, chopped

1 large carrot, scrubbed and cut into chunks

2 whole cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

Water to cover

Remove skin from the carcass.  Place in a stock pot and surround with onion, celery, carrot, garlic and bay leaf.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for two hours.  Refrigerate stock and remove fat which accumulates on the top.  Remove all meat from bones and save.

8 cups stock (add canned chicken broth if needed)

2 cups milk

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

3 ribs celery, diced

1 cup frozen or canned lima beans

2 ounces small shell pasta

2 cups fresh, chopped spinach

1 cup frozen green peas

Meat from carcass

¼ cup fresh parsley

½ teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon fresh black pepper

Salt to taste

1 cup evaporated milk

2 tablespoons flour mixed with 4 tablespoons water (optional)

Cook stock, milk, potatoes, carrots and celery for a half hour.  Add lima beans, pasta, spinach, peas, turkey meat, parsley, basil and pepper to the soup and cook an additional 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, season with salt if necessary, and stir in evaporated milk.  Return to low heat, stirring often.  Do not let soup boil.  Thicken with flour/water paste if desired.

VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP

Take whatever leftover vegetables you might have in the refrigerator (corn, field peas, limas, green beans, and the like) and combine with other “base” vegetables after they have cooked. Begin by chopping up a whole onion, several stalks of celery, a few carrots, and a couple of potatoes. Cook in beef broth (you can buy canned broth or use the paste which mixes with water) until almost tender. At that point, if you like them (I do), add two or three sliced turnips. They don’t take as long to cook as the other veggies. Meanwhile, brown ground beef (or venison) in a bit of olive oil. When it is completely browned, add it and the leftover vegetables to the cooked ones. Salt and pepper to taste and allow to simmer slowly for an hour or so in order for the flavors to blend. Served with a big piece of cornbread this makes a fine meal.

TIP: You can take pretty much the same approach with the carcass of a baked wild turkey or the dark meat of a wild turkey which has been cooked until it comes away from the bones. In this case, be sure to use the turkey stock.

SIMPLE OVEN STEW

¼ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 pounds stew meat cut into 1-inch cubes

3-4 tablespoons canola oil

4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

4-5 large carrots, cut into chunks

2 ribs celery, cut into chunks

1 package onion soup mix

1 large onion cut into slices

3 cups water

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a paper bag. Add meat cubes and shake well. Brown meat in oil and place in a large casserole. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, soup and water. Cover and cook at 325 degrees for 2 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.

GRANDMA CASADA’S BISCUITS AND BISCUIT BREAD

Biscuits go wonderfully well with any of the above recipes and in my family were invariably a side for soups and stews. In this particular case I’ll have to confess that I have no idea of how Grandma worked her culinary magic with biscuits. I just know they were always perfect—light, fluffy, shaped by hand, and big enough to hold a fried egg from Grandpa Joe’s chickens without white sticking out over the edges. Often, if she was in a hurry, we wouldn’t make individual biscuits. She’d just get the dough ready and put it in a loaf pan for baking. She called this biscuit bread. The taste was the same, and when it came to biscuits and gravy, it was just the ticket.

While I don’t remember Grandma’s biscuit recipe, and Momma always left this aspect of food preparation to her when the extended family gathered together, this is pretty much what was involved.

2 cups self-rising flour

1 to 1½ cups heavy cream

Mix well and knead once or twice. Cut out biscuits from the resulting dough and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until a light golden brown on top.

About all that then remains is to enjoy the end product. In addition to partnering with soup of stew, consider slathering biscuits with butter and your favorite jam, jelly, or syrup. When an advertising genius for an old-time cane syrup called Dixie Dew said it “gives a biscuit a college education” he knew whereof he spoke. Alternately, cut the cathead open and apply plenty of gravy. Let out your belt two notches and get busy with your trencherman duties!