Bluegrass festivals and fiddler’s conventions are a feast for all the senses. The sights and sounds are obvious wherever live music is performed, as is the touch for anyone joining in the picking. But for real die-hard festival lovers, the tastes and smells of outdoor cooking are as big a part of the fascination as any other element.
The folks who drag cookers and freezers out to the campgrounds are heroes just like the late night jammers who keep everyone entertained late into the evenings. Many of these grassy gastrophiles won’t even accept payment for their wares, and being invited to their campsite for a bite to eat is a high honor, and something to be cherished.
In California, J.D. Rhynes is just such a campground chef, known to members of the California Bluegrass Association for his gregarious soul, some fine picking and singing, and the delicious recipes he has shared for more than 25 years in the CBA newspaper, Bluegrass Breakdown along with down home wit and wisdom.
Now CBA is collecting these recipes into an illustrated cookbook, J.D.’s Bluegrass Kitchen, which will serve as an ongoing fundraiser for the organization. The book is slated for release in 2015, and will be packaged with an audio CD containing new recordings of Rhynes’ recipes set to music.
Pre-orders are being accepted now through Kickstarter, with a variety of premiums offered for various levels of commitment.
Check out this video CBA created to promote the cookbook project.
Find more details about J.D.’s Bluegrass Kitchen online.
