A Secret Civil Rights Kitchen
Georgia Gilmore & The Club From Nowhere

Georgia’s Legendary Sweet Tea

This sweet tea was served to Martin Luther King, Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Bobby Kennedy, and the laundresses and schoolteachers of Montgomery, Alabama who gathered around the Gilmore’s table. Georgia’s son, Mark says, “When she served this tea with her cornbread, nobody could refuse.”

2 cups cold water
3 family size tea bags
1 cup sugar
Lemon juice, to taste

Place the two cups water in a pot and add the tea bags. Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and let it sit. Pour warm tea into empty pitcher. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Add lemon and let it sit over night in the refrigerator.

Clam Balls
From Mrs. Juda Rainer (Harry), Lexington, Kentucky
Makes 36 balls.

6 hard cooked eggs
1 tablespoon minced chives
1 8 ounce can minced clams
½ teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
¼ cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup finely chopped peanuts

Combine chopped eggs, chives, drained clams, salt, pepper and mayonnaise.  Shape into balls and roll in peanuts.  Chill.

(Please note that you’ll need to keep these balls cool on ice, especially if it’s a hot day at the track.)