There is an ancient legend told that when we were put here by the creator, the Great Spirit instructed our ancestors how to gather nourishing foods.

Wild meats, greens, mushrooms, and other edible plants were here in abundance. Later when the first Europeans arrived, the Cherokee shared this information with them as well, but, the human factor came in the picture and ruined it.

The knowledge we now have of natural foods is becoming limited. We are losing this wonderful heritage more and more each year. The mother of the home was the one to pass this knowledge down to her daughters, who in turn would teach her daughters.

This ensured that this cooking and native food knowledge would be with us in the years to come. The gatherers that we now have are limited not only in numbers but in knowledge.

They are telling us that it is getting harder and harder to find these foods they have knowledge of because of acid rain and pollution, and they are afraid that if these are not checked there will come a day when this limited source will be gone.

Fewer and fewer of our people are eating these natural foods; progress has made its mark here as well. Most don’t have time to trek into the mountains and if they had time not many would recognize what is edible and what is not. Sadly, we are losing this knowledge as well.

Ga da sgi so di
The Gathering Place

My father was 7/8 Eastern Cherokee and was raised in the traditional ways. The Cherokee language was spoken in his home; they ate traditional foods – wild game, wild greens, corn, hominy (made from dried corn), and bean bread wrapped and cooked in corn leaves.

My grandmother spoke only Cherokee and had trouble with the English language. I don’t think I ever had a conversation with her. In our home the Cherokee language was never spoken and no attempt was made to teach us. We ate only “store bought” food. I didn't find this strange until I was grown, but that’s another story.

My mother would occasionally fix a squirrel or a rabbit for my dad and us and we would try to eat it. Usually the meat was strong and stringy and over or under cooked. So with this being my early experience with wild game, it defiantly was a turn off.

My mom taught me what Sochani was and where it grew so I could cook some for dad. But, again I found this wild green to be strong in flavor. I later discovered that I was gathering it too late in the growing season. From my limited experience with wild game and the one wild green, I stored it away in the back of my mind and went back to “store bought foods”.

My husband Soney and I found that having a large family, we could supplement our meals with wild greens, berries, mushrooms, venison, bear, squirrel, rabbit, fish and many other edibles grown here in the mountains.

We both have enjoyed going with our boys to gather and to teach them the limited knowledge we have of these things; and now we are also teaching our grandchildren.

The Gathering Place cookbook has been an idea for a few years now and with Pam, my daughter-in-law, encouraging me, it has come to be. My kitchen has also become a gathering place.

For four generations my family has gathered to share special events, deaths, births, weddings, graduations, super bowls and many more than I can remember; and each event took place with food prepared by me, with recipes that I created or were passed down from other family members.

The memories are priceless. Even though we may not remember the event, we certainly remember the food and the fellowship shared by a family with a lot of love!