I mentioned going to a Dutch Oven cooking class yesterday morning in Kingston, Arkansas. It was sponsored by the Kingston Library and featured a very good friend John Ragsdale teaching the class. He made roasted peanuts, baked potatoes, both sweet and regular, baked acorn squash, biscuits, and coffee cake, and of course made it seem simple enough that I now know that I can use the dutch oven I bought a few years ago at the Lodge factory outlet store near Gatlinburg, Tennessee on a trip home from Arrowmont.

It would be easy to get misled reading this blog into thinking the wisdom of the hands was only about woodworking. But if you watch for a few moments you will see that the hands can get you into all kinds of wonderful mischief. Some of the very best is cooking.The consequences are obvious. You get to eat and share what you've cooked to the delight of others.

John Ragsdale is the author of the books Dutch Oven Cooking, 4th Edition and Dutch Ovens Chronicled: Their Use In The United States. His interest in Dutch Ovens grew from being a father of sons involved in scouting. John is well known in Arkansas, having made biscuits for thousands of school children visiting the Arkansas Historic Museum's annual open house. The photo above is of John in today's class.