Taste history with cornmeal made from Bloody Butcher corn

The other day, Bill Savage drove his 1949 International Harvester tractor up to a trap door in his brand-new shed, ran a rubber belt from the engine to a machine inside and began working his second job.

If all goes well, Savage will someday be able to turn to farming full time, preserve a crop that has long been grown on the Eastern Shore and save his family's farm in the process.

At the heart of this plan is an heirloom corn called Bloody Butcher, whose seeds yield an odd assortment of colored cobs – burgundy and blood red, purple that borders on black, and calico with touches of butter, brick and slate.

Savage and his wife, Laurel, grow, harvest and grind their corn into a coarse meal that they sell in 1- and 2-pound paper sacks, the Pungo Creek Mills name on the labels.

Their plan got a boost last month when the humble cornmeal captured the Best New Food honor at the Virginia Food and Beverage Expo in Richmond.

"I was not expecting anything like that," Bill Savage said. "We thought we were so outclassed."

The expo showcased more than 130 Virginia-made products. Pungo Creek Mills’ cornmeal competed against biscotti, bacon, soda, salsa, shortbread, buttered pecans, popcorn and saffron-infused tea.

But judges were impressed with the heritage of the cornmeal, the Savages’ commitment to old-school methods of production and the taste of the cornbread that Laurel Savage and Bill's mother, Jean Savage, baked for samples. The moist squares had a sweet, wholesome corn flavor, a hint of nut and the tooth of al dente pasta.

And to think it might never have been.

Luckily, Bill Savage is hooked on history – he's a Civil War re-enactor, and he collects old farm equipment. He's traced his family history back to Jamestown and to Ensign Thomas Savage, who eventually settled on the Eastern Shore, cultivated corn and shipped it to Jamestown.

At the turn of the century, his great-grandfather operated a mill in Painter, near the family farm.

So it's not surprising that in 2007 Savage couldn't resist buying a sack of corn from an Eastern Shore neighbor who said his grandfather had grown the variety back in 1870.

Savage planted the corn. He decided that the colorful, foot-long cobs would make fine door decorations. But he couldn't compete with cheaper-priced imports from Mexico.

Because nothing on a farm goes to waste, Savage salvaged the corn as chicken feed. When he and his father and uncle commenced to grinding – on an old Depression-era mill – they noticed the corn had a sweet smell and an unusual appearance.

Cornbread! they thought, and each man brought some home to cook. The verdict was unanimous, and underscored by a letter from a University of North Carolina professor dating the corn to crops grown in southeastern Virginia in 1840.

Now, each day after finishing his job as Accomack County's ditch maintenance supervisor, Savage begins the business of making heirloom cornmeal using vintage equipment.

He plants in the spring and cultivates 8 acres of Bloody Butcher atop the 1949 International Harvester.

In October, he harvests and dries the corn in a circa-1918 corn crib. He uses an 1888 hand-operated Blackhawk sheller to remove the kernels from the cobs, culling the best specimens for next year's seeds.

In January, he backs up the tractor to the shed and feeds the motley kernels – hard as stones – into the 1935 Meadows Mills mill, which grinds it into a coarse meal.

"I want to mechanize this part," he said, climbing onto a short wooden ladder and dumping the meal into the 1969 bolter-sifter to remove the bran and larger pieces.

Inside the white metal belly are screens set to Savage's specifications.

"I don't want to turn my corn to dust," he said. "There are too many cornmeals on the market that are just like yellow dust."

Nearby, Laurel Savage fills 1-pound bags of meal, sealing them shut and attaching labels to the front and back, marking the batch number and expiration date on each bag.

There's been a rush of business since the expo, and Bill Savage is particularly pleased to be sending cornmeal to Jamestown, just like Ensign Savage, only his product stocks the gift shops rather than the larder.

"These little niche markets are coming back around," he said, "and that is what's going to save the little farmer. If not, we’ll just cease to be."

The sun is setting. By midnight, Laurel and Bill Savage will have ground and packaged 300 pounds of cornmeal. Then they’ll feed the animals and go to bed.

"It's a farm life," Bill Savage said.

They both seemed satisfied.

Lorraine Eaton, (757) 446-2697, [email protected]

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Recipes

Pungo Creek Sunshine

11/4 cups milk

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar (or Splenda)

1/4 stick butter

1 cup Pungo Creek Mills Indian Cornmeal

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the milk, water, salt, sugar and butter in a saucepan. Heat until butter melts, then slowly add cornmeal and vanilla.

Cook on low heat, stirring with a whisk until thickened. For thinner cereal, add cream or creamer.

For a special treat, add fresh or frozen blueberries, raisins or other fresh fruit.

Source: Laurel Savage

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Indian Cornmeal Cream Sauce for Crab Casserole

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

4 tablespoons Pungo Creek Mills Indian Cornmeal

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash of pepper

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

1 tablespoon dried celery flakes

1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise

1 pound crabmeat

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter or margarine in a saucepan over low heat. Blend in cornmeal, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add milk all at once, stirring with a whisk.

Add the onion and celery flakes and cook quickly until mixture thickens and bubbles. Add the mayonnaise, and stir in the crabmeat. If too thick, add a little more milk to taste.

Pour into an 8-by-8 inch baking dish and sprinkle top with a little Indian cornmeal. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Source: Laurel Savage

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