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Unable to mass-produce his mechanical reaper on the family’s Virginia farm, Cyrus McCormick relocates to Chicago. Soon after, his two brothers join his new company.

A Louisiana slave named Antoine masters the art of grafting and cultivating pecan trees, a breakthrough that enables farmers to grow this all-American nut on a commercial scale.

1848

South Carolina commercial tea production is no longer confined to the Lowcountry. Dr. Junius Smith harvests significant quantities of it at Golden Grove Plantation near Greenville.

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FIELD PEA RELISH

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Although Walter Royal created this colorful side dish to accompany his Roasted Rack of Lamb, I also like it with roast pork and baked ham. Note: Black-eyed peas are the most readily available field pea; that’s why I call for them here.

½ cup peanut or corn oil

2 medium red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely chopped

2 medium celery ribs, trimmed and finely chopped

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

One 1¼-pound smoked ham hock

One 16-ounce package solidly frozen black-eyed peas (see Note above)

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon hot paprika

¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste, crushed

¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1 large whole bay leaf, preferably fresh

2½ cups rich chicken stock or broth

1/3 cup cider vinegar

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped Italian parsley

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crumbled

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Add the bell peppers, celery, and onion and stir-fry for about 5 minutes or until limp. Add the garlic and cook and stir for 1 minute.

2. Add the ham hock, black-eyed peas, salt, paprika, crushed pepper flakes, black pepper, and bay leaf, and cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently, then simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until the peas are tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaf.

3. Cut the meat from the ham hock into small pieces, add to the peas, and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, boil the reserved cooking liquid over high heat in an uncovered nonreactive saucepan for about 20 minutes or until reduced to ¼ cup. Add the vinegar, parsley, and thyme, then whisk in the remaining peanut oil. Pour over the black-eyed pea mixture and toss well. Taste for salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper, and adjust as needed.

5. Serve warm or at room temperature as an accompaniment to roast lamb, roast pork, or baked ham. Good, too, with roast turkey or chicken.

Fried chicken is perhaps Georgia’s best known dish, but field peas come a close second and a delicately flavored little white pea we call lady peas.

—CARSON MC CULLERS, ON HER GEORGIA CHILDHOOD

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Heirloom Recipe

LIVER MUSH

Cut into medium pieces one hog hashlet (liver, lights, and heart) and 1½ lbs. fat meat (from hog’s head). Cover with water and cook until tender. When cooled, put through meat chopper. Place the ground meat back into broth in which it was cooked. Season with salt and sage to taste. Let boil and add cornmeal a little at a time, stirring constantly. When the mixture turns loose from the sides of the pot it is ready to take up and pack into pans. Slice and fry to serve.

—Mrs. Mack Oliver, Iredell County, North Carolina

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ROAST VENISON WITH JUNIPER-CURRANT SAUCE

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Although white-tailed deer overrun the South (they graze my lawn at dawn and dusk), and although hunters go after them in season with gun or bow and arrow, wild venison is a rarity unless you bag it yourself or befriend someone who does. The venison available to chefs and home cooks is ranch-raised, tender of flesh and delicate of flavor. This recipe, one I enjoyed some years ago in the Barbadoes Room of the elegantly restored Mills House in Charleston, was given to me by Chef Lindner there. I’ve tweaked it over the years to make