People all over the country call us to order bag after bag of this fresh, delicious corn meal. This product is locally grown and stone-ground the old-fashioned way, so that we can share an authentic piece of Southern mountain history with you. We bet this meal will make the best cornbread you’ve ever tasted!

Packaged in attractive bags decorated with images of historic Smoky Mountain mills. 2 pounds.

Great Smokies’ Great Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sour milk or buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

Directions:

Beat the first five ingredients together. Stir in cornmeal and flour. Add melted butter. Mix. Pour batter into a greased 8″ square pan. Bake at 425° F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Endowed with an abundance of fast-flowing streams, the Great Smoky Mountains were a natural place for building water-powered mills. Pounding mills, giant mortars and pestles built beside small waterfalls, were used by the Cherokee Indians and pioneers here 200 years ago. Next came the tub mills. They were small, only capable of grinding about one bushel of grain per day, but were something of a status symbol for families. Owning a tub mill saved you the 10-12% toll at custom mills.

Cable Mill and Mingus Mill are the two custom mills that have been preserved in the national park. Mingus Mill was built in 1886 using mostly tuliptree wood and is still grinding with its original stones. Cable Mill was built between 1870 and 1875 and, like Mingus Mill, was rehabilitated by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s.

All proceeds generated through the sale of Smokies Life merchandise go to Great Smoky Mountains National Park to support projects and services.