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The Farmer's Almanac and the Cooking Traditions it Taught Us - Chicken and Dumplings, Comfort Food
Feb 25, 2026
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0:01
[music]
0:05
>> For generations the Farmers' Almanac
0:07
told people when to harvest, when to
0:09
plant, when a storm was coming. But the
0:12
Farmers' Almanac is coming to an end
0:14
now. Today I want to show you one of the
0:16
meals that quietly shaped chicken and
0:18
dumplings and why the Almanac mattered
0:21
so much to kitchens in America.
0:32
You know, we're filming this right
0:33
before the big snowstorm is supposed to
0:35
hit and my culinary crew here might get
0:38
a little cold. So, Mayce says he wants
0:40
to wear his sweater and oh, don't he
0:43
look handsome in it? Oh my gosh. You may
0:46
hear a little pitter-patter on that
0:47
canvas up there because it's raining
0:49
pretty good, supposed to turn into
0:51
sleet, then some snow.
0:53
I think you've got fat. This don't fit
0:55
as well as it used to.
0:58
You know, this is one of the heartiest
1:00
recipes and easiest recipes that I've
1:03
ever fixed in my life
1:05
and I had it so many times growing up as
1:08
a child. It was so easy to make when you
1:10
come in cold from being working outside
1:13
on one of these old damp, dreary, cold
1:15
days like today and mama had chicken and
1:17
dumplings in the pot.
1:18
It didn't get no better than that. And
1:20
it served generations and generations.
1:22
Meat might have got a little scarce and
1:24
dumplings might have been a little more
1:25
when times were lean, but we're going to
1:27
show you how to put it together today.
1:29
We're going to have us some butter,
1:31
flour for our dumplings, buttermilk for
1:34
our dumplings,
1:36
heavy cream. Yes, we're going all out
1:38
today, we are.
1:40
Chicken broth,
1:43
a little garlic powder,
1:46
and the thing that has the most flavor
1:47
on chickens,
1:49
chicken thighs. Ingredients are very
1:51
simple. We're just doing the basic
1:52
chicken and dumplings, we are. But so
1:55
many times people want to make it a
1:57
little something else. My mother said
1:59
when you put vegetables in there like
2:00
celery, carrots, onion, you weren't
2:03
making chicken and dumplings no more.
2:05
You was making chicken soup. Now, you
2:07
can put in there whatever you like, but
2:09
folks, we going to keep it traditional
2:11
today how I was raised and how I think
2:13
so many people might have done it back
2:14
in the old days. Chicken and dumplings
2:16
did not start in America. Long before
2:19
cast iron kitchens and ranch cooks,
2:20
[music] this kind of food was already
2:22
being made across Europe. Places like
2:24
England, Scotland, and Germany. Back
2:27
then, [music] cooks would simmer meat
2:28
low and slow in a pot of broth, then
2:31
drop in a simple dough made from flour
2:33
and fat. When settlers came to North
2:36
America, they brought the tradition with
2:37
them, but the ingredients changed. Wheat
2:40
flour became more common, and the
2:42
chickens were easier to raise than
2:43
larger livestock. Over time, chicken and
2:46
dumplings took hold in South Appalachia.
2:48
Is it Appalachia or Appalachian? I don't
2:52
have a clue. You folks that's over there
2:54
in that part of the country, tell me how
2:55
you spell it, how you pronounce it. This
2:57
wasn't fancy food, it was practical
2:59
food, and that's exactly why it's stuck.
3:07
>> [music]
3:09
>> Today, I'm using chicken thighs because
3:11
I think they have the most flavor of any
3:13
part of the chicken, but a lot of people
3:15
just use chicken breast. I've even known
3:17
folks to cheat and use canned chicken.
3:20
Just pour it in. And don't do that.
3:21
Don't let me catch you doing that. That
3:23
is That is against the rules. But back
3:26
in the day, my mother said when they
3:27
were little, they used to whole chicken.
3:29
They'd just boil a hen they'd went out
3:31
there to the hen house and got, and then
3:33
just go to peeling it off the bone.
3:34
Sometimes they'd even put a few bones in
3:36
there cuz they thought it brought about
3:38
flavor, but it was all about getting
3:40
that stomach full, fueling the body, and
3:42
making it go to work. So, I'm going to
3:44
take these chicken thighs right here.
3:46
I'm going to put them in some boiling
3:47
water over there, and we're going to let
3:48
them boil probably around 20 minutes
3:50
till they get fork tender.
4:08
>> [music]
4:16
[music]
4:27
[music]
4:29
>> Chicken was tender it was. Just get it
4:31
out here on a plate and just let it cool
4:33
while we go to put the rest of this
4:34
together. Now, there was about 6 and 1/2
4:37
cups of chicken broth that was left from
4:40
boiling the chicken. So, I want your
4:41
opinion. Should we dump this out or
4:44
should we use this stuff in the box? My
4:46
mother always said you save that. And a
4:49
viewer did tell me the other day cuz
4:50
they'd be catching me using some
4:51
Kerrygold butter and they said you
4:53
should try this
4:54
Woah.
4:56
Danish Creamers. So, we're going to try
4:58
a half a stick. Does that look like half
5:00
stick?
5:01
You don't get to eat no butter. We used
5:04
to have a dog named Frank. He'd eat some
5:06
butter.
5:07
Just go ahead and put that butter in
5:08
there and let it go to melting. In fact,
5:10
we'll just set this over here on the
5:11
warm side of the fire. We'll go to
5:13
putting dumplings together. The Farmers'
5:15
Almanac was never just about predicting
5:17
the [music] weather. For generations of
5:19
American families, it was closer to a
5:21
survival manual. Early almanacs gathered
5:24
[music] everything people needed to plan
5:26
a year. Weather patterns, planting
5:29
calendars, moon phases, home remedies,
5:32
and cooking advice
5:33
>> [music]
5:33
>> tied directly to the seasons. They were
5:36
printed cheaply, meant to be handled,
5:38
folded, stained, and used, and they were
5:40
trusted. In real America, the Almanac
5:43
often became [music] one of the only
5:44
books in the house beside the Bible. It
5:47
told folks when to plant, when to wait,
5:49
[music] when to butcher meat, when
5:50
storms are likely, when frost might come
5:53
early, and when it was best to stay
5:54
close to home and cook.
5:57
>> [music]
5:59
>> Time to put some dumplings together here
6:01
and I got me some flour in here. Going
6:02
to add a little baking powder.
6:06
And so many times people leave me a
6:07
comment, "Is he saying bacon powder like
6:10
b a c o n?" I wish they did make bacon
6:13
powder like that. It'd be all right.
6:15
Now,
6:16
I like this in bread, but I also like it
6:18
in my dumplings and that is some coarse
6:20
ground black Oh, whoa. Wrong side of the
6:23
spot there. Mhm. We'll pull a little of
6:26
that out.
6:27
Oops.
6:28
It happens.
6:31
I'd say it was pretty close there. We're
6:33
going to give that a little mixing.
6:38
My mother
6:39
is the one that told me, "Instead of
6:42
using oil or butter in these dumplings,
6:45
get you some bacon grease." Yeah. So,
6:49
that's what we got, some bacon grease.
6:52
And you don't have to worry about things
6:54
spoiling out here today. It's about
6:55
about 37, 38°, so we're in pretty good
6:58
shape. To that, buttermilk. Yeah, I
7:01
think that makes really good biscuits,
7:03
but I think it makes really good
7:05
dumplings as well. So, we're going to
7:07
stir that up in there. Just go to
7:09
mashing that bacon grease right there to
7:11
first and then just go to folding it in.
7:13
We might have to have a little more
7:15
moisture here in a minute, but I always
7:16
start out with the least amount before I
7:18
go any further.
7:21
Now, speaking of dumplings,
7:24
I've seen people use canned biscuits,
7:26
seen people use just bought pie dough.
7:29
I have even seen it made with tortillas.
7:32
So, you pick your poison, whatever you
7:34
want to do.
7:35
Just make sure you make some of them.
7:36
When you were on ranches, did you always
7:38
make dumplings or did you use
7:41
Well,
7:42
we have to go back and tell the story
7:44
about chicken and dumplings because now
7:46
I's on a ranch
7:47
>> [snorts]
7:49
>> them old-timers told me one time
7:51
it's a cattle outfit, we don't raise
7:53
chickens. We can have eggs of a morning,
7:56
but we don't eat chicken. So,
7:59
I had chicken and dumplings on the menu
8:01
and I aim to keep it. It's about 10°
8:03
that day when I fixed chicken and
8:04
dumplings for supper.
8:08
They all lined up, come down by the
8:09
table and had two Dutch ovens full of
8:11
chicken and dumplings.
8:13
That old man pulled a lid off over He's
8:15
about 80-something years old, looked
8:17
over there at me and he said, "Cookie, I
8:19
thought I told you we didn't eat
8:21
chicken. We going to hang you from a
8:22
tree."
8:23
I said, "I trapped some hybrid quail out
8:26
here today, made quail and dumplings."
8:27
He said, "By God, I like some quail." He
8:30
ate five bowls full that night. So, you
8:32
can pass them off if you get a chance.
8:34
>> [music]
8:39
>> Now, you can see we're
8:40
getting in pretty good shape there. What
8:42
What are we looking for? We just want it
8:44
to be able to make a ball
8:46
and not really stick to you so much.
8:48
We'll flour hands time we get it
8:50
together, I think it'll be just right.
8:52
So, let's get them out here on this
8:54
cutting board.
8:59
Get us a little flour on our hands.
9:04
And [snorts] we're just going
9:05
go to balling this up and working it.
9:09
Tucker, you reckon you can help a little
9:10
bit?
9:11
Huh?
9:12
>> [snorts]
9:12
>> You're right here. Do Do you like
9:14
dumplings?
9:17
Now, this is not a biscuit dough, this
9:19
is not a pie dough, but I want to keep
9:21
it sort of to that texture and
9:23
consistency. You can see there's a lot
9:26
of moisture in there, but who likes a
9:28
dry dumpling?
9:29
Even if they're dry and you put them in
9:31
there, they ain't going to swell up as
9:32
good. So, keep them pretty moist. We'll
9:34
work it four, five, six, eight, 10 times
9:36
here.
9:38
So, you make them however you see fit,
9:42
flat, or you can pinch them off like
9:44
this.
9:45
We're going to add a little cream over
9:47
there to that pot, let it get hot. When
9:49
it begins to boil, then we'll go to
9:51
dropping our dumplings in after we got
9:52
the chicken in there.
10:00
Well,
10:02
went back to boiling as has. We're going
10:04
to add us some [music] cream.
10:06
Now, back in the day, my mother would
10:07
probably have used half and half, but I
10:09
want this to be rich. How much? I'm
10:11
going to add it all in there.
10:15
Cuz it's going to be a full pot when we
10:16
get it through. Next, I'm going to bring
10:18
over that chicken.
10:20
>> [snorts]
10:28
>> I do know of folks that have made a lot
10:30
of squirrel and dumplings, and I have
10:32
ate them, and it is pretty good eating,
10:34
but rabbit makes it same way, too.
10:37
You got you a good tender cottontail,
10:39
something like that.
10:40
Get them boiled up, chopped them up. You
10:42
can put any meat in there you want, but
10:44
I think it needs to be something with
10:46
feathers on it, really, myself. We're
10:47
going to give that a stir.
10:50
And you don't want to walk off and leave
10:52
it when you're cooking over big open
10:53
fire like this,
10:55
cuz you'll scorch that cream. A little
10:57
bit of garlic powder.
11:00
Now, we just got to let it come back to
11:01
[music] a pretty good boil. We'll go to
11:03
dropping them dumplings in there. In The
11:05
Farmer's Almanac, recipes were rarely
11:07
written with exact measurements or
11:08
instructions. They assumed the cook
11:10
already knew the basics. [music] That's
11:12
why no two families made dumplings the
11:14
same. The Almanac gave guidance, not
11:17
rules. Almanacs often warned that damp
11:19
weather could affect bread and dough,
11:21
advised butchering meat during colder
11:23
months so it would keep longer, and
11:24
recommended heavier, slow-simmered meals
11:27
during the winter.
11:30
>> [music]
11:50
>> We're going to get all [music] them
11:51
dumplings in there. Stir them every once
11:53
in a while as you're putting them in.
11:54
Just keep things in a little motion.
11:57
Probably going to have to wait until we
11:58
get everybody in there about another 5
11:59
minutes cooking time. Then we'll stir it
12:01
again. Then we'll thicken it. Then we're
12:03
going to put it in a bowl and I'm going
12:04
to eat it. I don't know what y'all are
12:05
going to do. Y'all going to watch, but
12:07
I'm going to eat it. Yes, sir.
12:09
>> [music]
12:15
>> So, why is the Farmers' Almanac
12:17
disappearing? Over time, digital
12:19
forecasting replaced long-term planning.
12:22
Fewer people are cooking by the season
12:24
and fewer households need a single book
12:26
to guide the entire year. Now, we might
12:28
not need the Farmers' Almanac as much as
12:30
we did way back then.
12:33
But, I guarantee you it sure taught us
12:34
something and we can live by it.
13:00
Done deal it is. I'm talking about I
13:02
love me some dumplings. So, I'm not even
13:05
going to talk to you no more for just
13:06
[music] a minute. I'm I've been craving
13:07
this for a long time. Eat some dumpling.
13:09
Eat some chicken. [music] Eat some
13:10
broth.
13:18
Thank you, mama. Oh, God bless all them
13:20
pioneers who read the Almanac and made
13:23
dumplings cuz I guarantee you they got
13:25
them through some hard times. They are
13:26
good. But, hang on just a minute. I had
13:28
a really good lot coloring our helpers
13:31
out here. They've been drowned and wet
13:32
today.
13:33
Dumpling?
13:34
Oh my gosh. Dumpling for the little
13:37
snows.
13:40
And a dumpling for Lulu. Good job. Now
13:43
you see me right there at the end I
13:44
mixed me up a little cornstarch and
13:46
water just to thicken it. You go as you
13:48
want to accordingly how thin how thick
13:51
you want it. But if you ever get it too
13:53
thick, just thin it back with some cream
13:55
or some chicken broth and you'll be in
13:56
pretty good shape. But it is with pride
13:59
and honor and privilege that I tip my
14:02
hat to all the servicemen and women and
14:03
all the veterans that kept that old flag
14:05
flying above camp. Rest of you get on in
14:07
here.
14:08
Come on. [music] I'm going to give you
14:09
one of them old-timer hugs.
14:12
Just barely wrap this one around and
14:14
wrap this one around.
14:16
God bless you each and every one and
14:19
I'll see you down in the chicken and
14:20
dumpling train.
14:23
>> [music]
14:25
>> Join us as we go down the trail here on
14:27
this podcast and we share some humor,
14:30
some wit, [music] and some wisdom, and
14:32
some real life lessons. So grab a cup of
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