In a contemporary rarity, Lauren May’s regional family tree traces back two hundred years. That’s a long time to live, love, and grow in one spot, but for the May family, Central Appalachia has everything they have ever needed. Stretching from Eastern Tennessee to Northern Pennsylvania, Central Appalachia is one of the world’s best examples of intact, diverse forestry and well-connected freshwater systems. And, it provides a bevy of delightful seasonal ingredients anchored in generation-tested recipes. 

With her familial roots and a BA in Business Administration, Lauren May is perfectly poised with her company, Must Love Herbs, to share everything she knows and loves about the region she calls home. 

Using her website and popular social platforms, May shares Appalachian heritage, folkways, gardening tips, foraging adventures, and recipes. By connecting daily with native plants and her own tea and vegetable gardens, May creates stunning recipes that are as beautiful to look at as they are delicious to eat. Face the Current was thrilled to chat with Lauren about her unique heritage, seasonal recipe inspiration and food styling, the ways in which we can connect more with our food, and why slowing down in life is the way to go.

Growing up and living connected to an area that is rooted by one’s family for over two hundred  years seems less common these days. And, with so much movement and fast-paced living, it’s also rare  to find people maintaining a “true heritage”. What has kept you rooted in the area your whole life?  

I think a lot of this has to do with how I was raised. Our family has always been very connected. My grandparents were actively involved in all aspects of my life, andI lived next door to them growing up. We took care of my great grandmother in the years before she passed. We traveled a lot when I was a child—I was never sheltered! I got to see the world, but it truly  never had that sweet feeling of home. 

I also believe that the longer your family resides somewhere, the more drawn to that area you may become. To know that my great great great grandmother Melvina saved her wages to buy the plot of land that my family still lives on makes me very protective of that land. She was a pioneer in a time when women didn’t just go out and buy land on their own—that’s something to be proud of. 

How would you describe Appalachia, and what does “true heritage” of this area mean to you? 

Before we had the highways systems we have now, roads in and out of Appalachia were rough to travel—even going to the next biggest city was a day’s trip. Now, the largest city is a two and a half hour drive away—still a good distance, but manageable. 

All of this is to say that we have such a rich heritage because it is very much our own. Each family has their own stories passed down from generation to generation. One of my family's stories is a ghost story called “Pricey Dale”. There is a crack in the hill across from where my great grandmother's house stood, and the children of the family were told about Pricey and how she dwelled in that crack. But even when sharing a memory, it is often embellished and exaggerated in a glorious way to entertain those around you. It really brings about a connection and passes the time nicely while rocking on a quiet front porch watching the garden grow. 

You mention that you grew up in gardens, and today you create a sense of wonder with your own. It sounds dreamy!  You hold such joy and regard for the plants you love, and it can be seen in your food and presentations. It makes food and gardening feel magical! While “BigDaddy” (maternal grandfather) has been a source of inspiration for your gardening, what has inspired your incredible recipe curations and food styling?  

The wonder I felt as a child is really my source of creativity. I feel like as adults we are just trying to bring that sense of awe back into our life and the lives of others. I had a wonderful childhood, filled with barefoot runs through the garden. Hiking and foraging in the hills with my German Shepard “Sissy” is something my heart holds onto, too. That golden glow that would shine through the trees, the smell of the rich Appalachian dirt, the crunch of leaves underfoot—they are all layers of magic! That’s something I try to convey with my work. To me, Appalachia is and always has been magic. I want people to feel that. 

Your garden herb focaccias and cakes are like magical garden scenes in themselves! How do these “scenes” change with the seasons?  

Each bake is made with what I have blooming in the garden at that time. This makes each bake unique as each year I grow different things to accompany my tried and true favorites. I often let what is in the garden tell me what it is I will bake. Do I have an abundance of anise hyssop? Well, that sounds like a delicious cake! Is nettle in abundance? I think that sounds like a great pasta ingredient! For me, it’s all about using what you have to its fullest potential. 

Can you share one or two of your favorite recipes that you consider to be representative of Appalachia? 

Appalachian Stack Cake Stack Cake with Cooked Apple & Bourbon Sauce 

Cake Ingredients:

5 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt1 tsp cinnamon1/2 tsp ground ginger (dried)1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

1 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 cup molasses

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk (full fat)

2-3 cups apple butter

Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare your baking pans by greasing with butter (or Crisco) and lining the bottoms with parchment paper. (6” pans divided into 7 layers/pans, 8” pans divided into 5 layers/pans, 9” pans divided into 4 layers/pans.)

In a large bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Sift together. Set aside. 

To your stand mixer bowl, add the butter, sugar, and molasses. Cream together until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time. Mix until fully incorporated. 

With your mixer set to low, start to add the dry ingredients (flour mixture) slowly. Alternate between the dry ingredients and the buttermilk until both are fully incorporated. 

Turn off your mixer and equally divide batter into prepared pans. Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (The cake will also pull away from the edges of the pan.) 

Remove cakes from the oven and cool in pans for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool an additional 30 minutes on a wire rack. While cakes cool, start on the Apple & Bourbon Sauce. 

Apples & Bourbon Sauce:

4-5 cups dried apples

2 cups dark brown sugar

1 1/2 cups water 

3 tbsp butter

1/3 cup bourbon 

Add the apples, brown sugar, water, and bourbon to a heavy-bottomed, high-sided pan. Stir to evenly coat apples. 

Cook on medium-low for 20 minutes, covered. Stir as needed. Apples should become soft and pliable. 

Add the butter and cook on low for an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered. Stirring frequently. Sauce should thicken to a consistency similar to a syrup. 

Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

Once cakes have cooled, begin building your cake. 

Place a spoonful of apple butter on the middle of the cake plate. Place your first cake layer down on top of it. 

Add a thin, even layer of apple butter on top of the cake and then a thin layer of apples. (Try to reserve as much apple “sauce” as you can to pour over the finished cake.) 

Repeat by adding another layer on top of the cake, apple butter, apples. Do this until desired cake height is achieved. 

Finish the top of the cake by adding a layer of apple butter, a heaping pile of apples, and the sauce from the pan. Enjoy! 

Jumbo Buttermilk Biscuits

4 cups self rising flour

1 tsp salt 

12 tbsp butter 

2 cups whole buttermilk + a splash more if needed! 

Preheat oven to 425°. Add all the dry ingredients together. eep the butter in the fridge for as long as possible, then grate 12 tablespoons into the mixture. 

Once blended, add the buttermilk and mix together. (If you find it’s too crumbly, just add a splash more buttermilk. It should be a sticky dough.)

Flour a surface and turn the dough out of the bowl onto the floured spot. Thoroughly flour your rolling pin and the top of the dough. 

Fold the dough over itself several times, louring the top of the dough between each fold. Roll the dough out to approximately 1 inch thickness. 

Cutout biscuits with a round cutter (or any shape you’d like). If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, you can use a knife and cut square biscuits. (Make sure the dough is cold. If you think it got too warm, you can put it in the freezer for a bit once you’ve cut them out.)

Put them in a greased cast iron pan or baking dish, making sure they are closely arranged. Bake them for 12 minutes or until the biscuits have some browning on the top. Enjoy!

Homemade “from scratch” foods can be more time-involved, but the payoff is huge in so many ways. Not all foods have to be elaborate, but it looks like you’re always going the extra mile! Do you have any tips or tricks for making homemade garden and farm-to-table cooking “efficient” and approachable for the more “fast-paced” lifestyles/work-life schedules? 

This one is hard to answer. I am such an advocate for a slower paced lifestyle. I see baking as therapy, so for me, the longer I spend baking, the more soothing it is. It’s a time when I can slow down and keep my mind on one simple task—t’s when I feel the most like myself. However, I realize that’s not how everyone feels. Baking can actually be an anxiety-inducing endeavor for many.

Speaking of time, Michael Pollan has said, “Time is the missing ingredient in our recipes-and in our lives”. How has adding the connection (and time) to growing your own food (and knowing your grower for other sourcing) enriched it further for you?

Having a strong connection with your food and where it comes from gives you a greater appreciation for it. Knowing all the hours I put into growing that squash makes the casserole that much more special. It’s not only nourishing your body, but also your mind. 

You’ve also spoken about how valuable it is for you to “slow down” and you’ve even  said, “In a world that feels heavy, the biggest self-care you can grant yourself is the ability to slow down. Slow down and enjoy what is dear to you. For me, it is my loved ones, my sacred space (my home), and my garden.” Does this speak to the concepts of “slow living” and “slow food”? And do you think there can be a shift from the prestige of busy equating to  “successful” in life, towards “balanced slow living” equating to “successful”?  

I have a strong hope that this is the direction we are moving in. The pandemic was awful, but I think it gave us an appreciation for slowing down. We were all halted from our regular routine and were forced to pause. I’ve seen so many people say that they just can’t go back to living the way they did before. To me, being able to afford a slow and simple life is the ultimate success; to live life for yourself and your family on your own terms. Everyone has different ideals though, and I am just proud of those that are striving for whatever it is they truly feel is success! 

Can you share some of your favorite ingredient swaps from traditional recipes,and any unique additions you like to incorporate into treats or snacks for added health perks? 

Many recipes that you see in local church cookbooks call for canola oil. That’s one ingredient that I have gotten away from more recently. I still use it, but less so. I have been going way back to the original Appalachian roots and using locally made butter and milk. I get locally sourced eggs, too! These ingredients really make baked goods rich while having the benefits of using “less” refined and traveled ingredients. Now, I also love using coconut oil as a replacement in baked goods or even walnut oil! Everything is a balance. 

You’ve made some really fun and festive seasonal food crafts, and some are edible and others are not-for-consumption (like Christmas ornaments)! What is one of your all-time favorites that you’ve made, and can you share a sneak peek or “teaser” of any you’re planning for the coming holidays? 

Oh, I’m making something very special for a magazine! It’s a themed gingerbread house that I’ve not seen anyone do yet! That’s something I can’t divulge too much about yet though, but stay tuned! This year I am planning on foraging and making my own wreaths and garlands from locally foraged winter flora, and I’m excited about how they will turn out! I’m also planning to make a winter dairy cottage from foraged forest finds! 

More Info:

www.mustloveherbs.com

IG: @mustloveherbs