As you think ahead to Thanksgiving, here are items from three Southern mills to consider for breakfast and the big meal itself.
Porridge mix
Thanksgiving morning often is hectic — things in and out of the oven, mixing bowls everywhere, fruits and vegetables that need attention. Consider making Thanksgiving breakfast the easiest meal of the day by cooking a big batch of Pioneer’s porridge from Nora Mill Granary in Helen, so family and friends can help themselves. If the porridge will be sitting in the cooker for a while, add a little more liquid as the morning goes on. The porridge is a mix of white grits, yellow grits, cracked wheat and whole rice. When we tried cooking a batch in apple juice, instead of water (an idea suggested on the bag), everyone loved it. Next, we’ll try cooking it in chicken or turkey broth for a side dish to accompany those Thanksgiving leftovers.
$5.95 per 1-pound bag. Available at noramill.com.
Credit: Mike Davis
Credit: Mike Davis
Cornbread mix
If your Thanksgiving meal requires cornbread, whether in the form of muffins or for dressing, Altman Farm and Mill has a mix for you. Will and Tiffany Altman grow heirloom corn in several varieties on their Effingham, South Carolina, farm and then mill the corn into grits and cornmeal. They sell both, but also make a variety of baking mixes using their grains. We tried the yellow and jimmy red cornbread mixes. Each 9-ounce bag makes one 8- or 9-inch skillet of cornbread, or nine muffins. The cornbread was full of fresh corn flavor and we thought the jimmy red batch tasted a bit earthier. For muffins, this is a batter that rises quickly in the 425-degree oven, so overfilled cups did not turn out quite as nicely.
$5.95 per 9-ounce bag. Available at altmanfarm.com.
Credit: Pretty Pictures Photography
Credit: Pretty Pictures Photography
Sweet potato mix
Adluh Flour Mill of Columbia, South Carolina, has been operating since 1914 and the plant is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. So, add some history to your Thanksgiving meal with biscuits made from their sweet potato mix. Even if there will be candied sweet potatoes on the table, no one will be able to resist these lightly sweet biscuits that you make just by adding water, buttermilk or milk to the contents of the bag. The dropped or rolled biscuits bake in 10 to 12 minutes and are delicious. Other suggested recipes that come with the mix include muffins with chopped nuts and dried cranberries or raisins, as well as sheet cake, topping for fruit cobbler, waffles or hush puppies.
$3 per 1-pound bag. Available at adluh-store.myshopify.com.
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