Episode 5: Biscuits with Margo Miller

Welcome to Rural Food Traditions, a podcast series of Rural Remix. We’re starting where many meals across diverse food traditions begin: with bread. Food is a uniter; and across culinary traditions, bread is a common thread. 

On this episode we are learning all about the art of making biscuits! Appalachian leader Margo Miller speaks about how a middle school competition led to a lifelong passion for biscuits and how she is returning to her roots through crafting and baking. 

The Chef
Jessica Tezak for The New York Times courtesy of Margo Miller

Margo Miller is a daughter of Appalachia, born and raised in East Tennessee. She’s a retired radio show DJ, frustrated poet, and an avid crafter with a strong affinity for art and culture and social justice. 

In 2024, after 13 years of dedicated leadership, she retired from her role as Executive Director of the Appalachian Community Fund. During her tenure, she stabilized the organization and successfully secured millions of dollars to support social change initiatives in Appalachia.

In the early 1990s, she worked with Carpetbag Theatre, a professional African American ensemble company.  Through that work, and others like Alternate ROOTS, she has had the opportunity to collaborate with artists, arts organizations, and organizers all over the United States.  

Most recently, she is happy to be one of the founding assembly members of the Waymaker’s Collective, a grantmaker in Appalachia that is revolutionizing philanthropy through community-led and controlled giving, supporting groups often overlooked by traditional philanthropy. 

She treasures her solitude, delighting in sewing, crafting, reading, and journaling with a commitment of finding art and joy in everyday living. She also cherishes time with family and friends and vows to be a kid at heart all her life. 

The Recipe
biscuits

4-H Club Biscuits

Margo Miller’ shares her award winning 4-H biscuit recipe. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of self-rising flour or 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons shortening
  • 3/4 cup milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven to 400 F
  2. Measure and place pre-sifted flour into a large bowl.
  3. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the shortening.
  4. Cut flour with a pastry blender or two forks, until well blended. (It should look like peas).
  5. Next, add milk and mix.
  6. Gather dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured board.
  7. Knead about seven times. (over- kneading will make your biscuits tough)
  8. 
Pat or roll dough onto cutting board to ½ inch thickness.
  9. Cut and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
  10. For crusty sides place biscuits 1 inch apart on ungreased baking pan.
  11. For soft sides, place biscuits close together.
  12. Recipe yields-10 to 12 standard biscuits
Show Notes

New York Times Profile: In Appalachia, Margo Miller Leads From a ‘Place of Courageous Joy’ December 2022 

Bloomberg: An Appalachian Group Is Forging a More Community-Led Approach to Giving 2022 

The Grio: Black women lead initiative to raise $100M for Black girls and women in the South  March 2021 

Appalachian Advocate: https://knoxzine.com/all/2015/09/01/an-appalachian-advocate/ 

TN Ledger: A lifetime of changing lives: Miller helps Appalachian fund move – and save – mountains January 2019 

Standing at the intersection of funding, arts and activism 

Use of Artistic Expression: Intimate Interlude Margo Miller and Arlene Goldbard  2016 

Knoxville Mercury: Let’s Go WOZO! Inside Knoxville’s nonprofit, low-powered, community-oriented, DJ-supported radio station  2016 

Knoxville Mercury: Q&A: Margo Miller,  DJ at Community Radio Station WOZO 2015

About the Series

Rural Food Traditions is a production of Rural Remix.  Original music was composed by Quincy Ponvert and Leo Posel. This series was written and produced by Teresa Collins and edited by Susannah Broun. Assistant producers are Tracy Staley and Anya Slepyan. The Executive Producer is Joel Cohen. Rural Remix is a co-production of the Daily Yonder and the Rural Assembly, projects of the Center for Rural Strategies.

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