The Key Ingredient

Food writer Sheri Castle shares a helpful hint about freezing fresh blueberries.

Fresh blueberries prove a sweet success when Sheri Castle shows us how to use them in her parfaits with pistachio crumble.

Sheri Castle shares a tip on how to select the perfect rice for a recipe.

Sheri Castle visits Lee’s One Fortune Farm to see how husband-and-wife farming duo Chue and Tou Lee grow heirloom rice in the mountains.

Inspired by the Italian dish “risi e bisi,” Sheri Castle’s creamy rice and garden peas in Parmesan broth shows just how impressive and comforting a simple rice dish can be.

In Raleigh, Rockstar Chef Cheetie Kumar cooks an amazing coconut cornmeal upma with Sheri, something Cheetie remembers cooking at home with her mother in India.

Out and about to explore the ingredient of cornmeal Sheri Castle makes a trip to her hometown of Boone to visit the family mill passed down through generations. Sheri's dad Lynn gives her a lesson on the mountain community history of grinding cornmeal and why it tastes so

Cornmeal has a special place in Sheri’s heart as she shares her mouth-watering lemony cornmeal pound cake with glaze and lemon sugar topping that will make everyone happy.

Cast iron skillets are often passed down though generations. If you are lucky enough to have one, old or new, Sheri says a helpful hint about the best way to season and care for your cast iron skillet.

It’s a scrumptious cornmeal confession as Sheri makes her fabulous family cornbread recipe with cornmeal from her family mill. She talks about the debate of whether cornbread should be sweet or savory, but there’s a honey butter topping that steals the show.

Sheri joins oyster farmer Ryan Bethea for a tour of his operation on Harker's Island. Ryan's mission is to bring fresh seafood to everyone.

Sheri Castle joins Johnny Burleson of Old Orchard Creek Farm to bake a classic blueberry pie. This timeless dessert is made from a handwritten recipe by Swansie Shepherd, a member of the family who once lived on the land and planted the blueberry bushes.

Sheri Castle heads to Old Orchard Creek Farm in Lansing, NC, where she picks delicious blueberries with owners Walter Clark and Johnny Burleson.

Food writer Sheri Castle joins Allan and Sharon Benton in the kitchen to make Sharon’s two-ingredient biscuits and Allan’s renowned red-eye gravy.

Sheri serves up a delicious country ham salad that is full of flavor. Her take on this old recipe is the perfect way to use up the last trimmings of a whole country ham that’s delicious all the way to the bone.

Sheri Castle’s recipe for granola porridge with warm maple cream is as easy as it is decadent. A big scoop of nutty granola adds a welcome crunch, and the warm maple cream is the perfect topper.

Food writer Sheri Castle shares an easy recipe for a gorgeous country ham, fresh peach and lemony ricotta salad. This showstopper dish looks impressive, but you’ll be ready to whisk it to the table in just a few minutes.

Food writer Sheri Castle heads to Madisonville, Tennessee, to visit the King of Country Ham, Allan Benton. He shows Sheri a few secrets on how he makes his legendary Smoky Mountain hams and bacon.

Food writer Sheri Castle shares a hint for using all the parts of a whole country ham.

Join Sheri in the kitchen as she prepares baked crab bites with a delicious rémoulade sauce. Not only are these crab bites easy to make, they’re sure to be the star of any holiday celebration.

To get into the holiday spirit, Sheri whips up a fluffy layer cake covered in buttercream and coconut.

Sheri makes a whole roasted pumpkin stuffed with savory bread pudding, a positively pumpkin thrill.

Sheri cooks with chef Ashley Capps to make a dreamy pumpkin crème caramel.

Sheri prepares a delicious entrée salad with warm pumpkin wedges and a honey vinaigrette.

Sheri cooks along with musician and foodie Joe Kwon for a sophisticated, grilled, deconstructed cabbage roll with sweet and sour meat sauce and rice that is as comforting and delicious as it comes.

A zesty chow-chow slaw will keep them coming with all the flavors and magnificent crunch.

Sheri says a helpful hint on how to pick the very best cabbage at the grocery or farmer’s market.

Sheri’s luxurious cabbage soup is the perfect delicious and nutritious recipe and a cozy compliment of “really good” cheese toast seals the deal.

Get an inside look at how buttermilk is created, from cow to bottle. Sheri takes a field trip to Ran Lew Dairy and visits with fifth-generation dairy farmer Randy Lewis to see his buttermilk operation.

Buttermilk holds magical powers for tenderizing Sheri’s buttermilk-brined skirt steak. Serve with a wedge salad and Sheri's buttermilk avocado dressing.

Don’t miss Sheri Castle’s recipe for a savory summertime tomato pie.

Chef Jamie Davis & Sheri shuck and roast fresh oysters with delicious, spiced butter.

Sheri visits the Utopian Seed Project to learn about saving heritage crops.

Sheri Castle joins chef Ricky Moore as he cooks a delicious rice and squash gratin.

Sheri Castle shares her recipe for Low Country–style red rice with shrimp and sausage.

Sheri shares a perfect pairing of seared chicken thighs with a fig pan sauce.

Sheri joins Trudy Austin in the kitchen and learns the secrets to a prized fig cake.

Sheri Castle shares a helpful hint to quickly roast figs.

Sheri visits the Outer Banks to find one of the world’s greatest diversity of fig trees.

Figs reign supreme in Sheri Castle’s inventive fresh fig, orange and bourbon crostata.

Sheri Castle visits Grass Grazed Farm to wake up with the chickens and gather fresh eggs.

The egg clearly comes first in Sheri Castle’s “oh so lovely” lemon angel pie.

Sheri Castle whips up a delicious deviled egg salad recipe that is sure to impress.

Sheri Castle shares a helpful hint on how to check the freshness of an egg.

Sheri Castle cooks along with Gabrielle Carter as she makes colorful pickled eggs.

Sheri demonstrates the three keys to keeping fresh oysters in your home before cooking.

Sheri Castle shares her recipe for cherry tomato and black pepper cornbread panzanella.

Sheri cooks along with Yordanys Bastardo to make his Dominican tomato and shellfish gumbo.

Sheri talks to the “Tomato Man,” heirloom tomato gardening expert Craig LeHoullier.

Sheri Castle shares a helpful tip on how to blind bake a pie crust.

The fish takes center stage in Sheri’s delicious Hot Smoked Trout and Potato Soup recipe.

Sheri Castle makes cornmeal-crusted trout fillets with creamed corn and tomato relish.

Sheri Castle and chef Cleophus Hethington make a delicious whole trout dish.

Sheri Castle visits Sunburst Trout Company to learn how its fish gets to your table.

Sheri Castle shares a helpful hint on how to safely store fresh fish at home.

Sheri Castle shares her delicious and adorable roasted strawberry tiramisu trifles.

Sheri Castle joins baker Brian Noyes in the kitchen to bake a charming strawberry buckle.

Sheri Castle shares a hint about the best way to keep strawberries fresh in storage.

Sheri Castle gets a VIP tour of the strawberry operation at McAdams Farm in Efland.

Sheri Castle’s strawberry and pretzel icebox salad is perfect for your next potluck.