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mcewen and sons Organic Holiday

McEwen and Sons make holiday meals healthy.

By Jan Walsh


Photography by Robin Colter

Family holiday meals are the highlight of the year at my house. So I make them both healthy and delicious with McEwen and Sons certified organic products.

From grits to popcorn McEwen and Sons organic products are a staple in my fridge all year. And during the holidays when the house goes from empty nester to full of family, I stock up. Organic McEwen farm eggs and grits make a memorable breakfast. My cornbread and cornbread dressing start with their cornmeal, making this organic dressing deserving of our Willie Bird Free Range, Organic Turkey. And for snacks—while we play Monopoly or watch movies and football—we pop McEwen’s organic popcorn with organic grape seed oil in our old fashioned Whirly Pop.

The McEwens sustainable farm is located in Wilsonville, Alabama. The corn in McEwen’s cornmeal, grits, and polenta are planted with non-GMO seed and farmed organically. The USDA organic seal verifies that no irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were used.

McEwen and Sons’ cornmeal, grits, and polenta come from dried kernels of corn, which are ground into one of three textures—coarse, medium, or fine. When the corn is ground, the coarser particles become grits, while finer granules are used for polenta. Their cornmeal, grits, and polenta are available in three colors: yellow, white, and blue, depending on the type of corn used. While yellow and white corn are more common, Native Americans have been growing the ancient and revered blue corn for hundreds of years. And fortunately McEwen and Sons has a source for organic blue corn. Given it is an open pollinated flint corn, blue corn is hard, sweet, and has a higher protein content than other corns. It is also high in lysine, thereby making it a complete protein.

The McEwens’ also grind their corn the old fashioned way. Their stone burr grist mill grinds the corn between two large rotating stones. The stones crush and grind whole grains slowly at low temperatures to maintain the grains nutrients during the process. Unlike modern roller milling and hammer milling, nothing is separated or added to the natural grain. The germ, oil, and bran remain intact, along with natural freshness, flavor, aroma, and nutrients. Also with burr stone milling, the miller must have experience in order to ensure that the temperature, grind fineness, sifting, and mixing are optimal, in order to make the most nutritious meal possible.

McEwen and Sons also raise free-range chickens in an antibiotic-free and hormone-free environment. They have many loyal customers, including some of the best restaurants in the Birmingham area. I pick up their eggs at the Pepper Place Market, where Frank McEwen has a booth. McEwen’s organic grits, polenta, cornmeal, rolled oats, flax seed, and fish batter are available at many local markets. You may also shop for McEwen and Sons products online at McEwenandSons.com.

Published, B-Metro magazine, December 2014