Road Trip to Jemison

Can you believe that we are almost through the month of August? It dawned on me the other morning and I immediately saw the blueberry bushes in my head. The last of the crop was ready to be picked. I called mother to see if she wanted to join me. She agreed. While I waited for her to get to my house, I decided to use the few moments to catch up with some blogs. I clicked on my friend, Rhoda of Southern Hospitality. By sheer coincidence, she had just been to Jemison the day before. While she didn't pick any blueberries, she did go to a restaurant that I have been curious about, as well as a nearby antique store. I thought I would follow her lead and see where the road took us.
By the time we got to Jemison it was almost lunch time. Priorities. We needed to eat. As you get off of Interstate 65 south at the Jemison exit and turn right (as you would to go to Petals From the Past) on the right is the Smoky Hollow Restaurant. It is a very unassuming looking little building....some might even claim it a dive, but often times that is where some of the best food can be found.

You just know that somebody's grandmomma is in back stirring up a pot. My mother had actually eaten there before, but for me this was a first. The menu was expansive. (Click on photos for larger views)

We had little time to spare and look so we got down to it. I ordered a sides plate...fried green tomato's & rings, home potatoes and corn. It came with Texas toast. Mother ordered a meat and three; she chose fried chicken, potato salad, fried green tomatoes, and peas. Her meal came with cornbread. Sweet tea for both of us as drinks. Sweet tea in the south can speak volumes.....it can make or break a place that sells itself as "real southern cooking" so I was interested to see if I was sold. Points. It was a go. The tea was perfect.
Soon enough our plates were delivered by our waitress. The first sight of the rings on my plate had my jaw hit the table. The onion rings were as big as saucers or a small dinner plate. No kidding!!

The waitress explained that they hand batter their own, no frozen here. One bite......have mercy people!!! YUM! My plate had about 5 onion rings on it and there was absolutely no way on earth that I could eat more than one. I passed one onto mom who agreed it was tasty. I enjoyed my meal, the corn was sweet, my only complaint was that the potatoes were a bit greasy. Mom equally enjoyed her meal. For the two meals plus drinks the total was $16.00.
From there we headed just about a mile down the road to Petals from the Past.

As expected the blueberry crop was near it's end (here in the south). Many bushes had already been picked clean. In the back of the field we found a few that when you looked underneath you got lucky. This is where the berries are!

Big, juicy berries. The sweetest that I have had all season. I think it was due to the fact that they had been sitting on the bush for a while. We both picked large baskets that were weighed, they both ended up being about $15.00. It was a large portion and perfect for freezing as well as making jam for the winter. There are still some blueberries left, if you are interested in going. But what is in season now is this:

Apples and Pears. The trees are loaded.

And let us not forget muscadines and figs too.

There is a whole new crop to harvest at Petals, so if you are looking for something to do...something that will continue to bring pleasure (should you "put up" fruit) throughout the winter, head on down.
From Petals, we didn't have long on time, but I wanted to see if I could find the antique shop that Rhoda went to on her visit. We headed east and turned onto (I believe) CR 44 (signs). We came to a large storage building that housed antiques, flea market items and junk alike. We ran down the isles glancing about. I found three things at bargain prices. Two were these sterling silver bracelets at two bucks each.

Two bucks! I got one for Sister Sledge and one for my niece,Reecy Cup, who has a birthday coming up next week. There is a perfect place to monogram an I am going to have their initials put on it. I thought a perfect keepsake-perhaps even an heirloom. I also found this box:

I have mentioned my affinity for boxes and this one was precious. Seven dollars. It has a scene painted onto the lid of a couple dancing. Very sweet.
I have kicked myself repeatedly for not buying a ottoman that was a blond wicker, square in shape. It was in great condition and I thought it would be a nice contract to my existing furniture and the texture was coo.. BUT.....I talked myself out of it (to save $$) and now I regret it. Perhaps another trip in the near future.
I never did come upon the quaint little store that Rhoda spoke of. It turns out that it was in town. If you should make a trip to Jemison, be sure and stop in. Also, drop by Rhoda's blog and read all about her lunch and day in Jemison. There is always fun to be had.....just down the road!