STEAM-y Delectables: Appalachian applesauce recipes from Katherine Johnson's State
Sharing an Appalachian delectable + bonus recipes
STEAM-y Delectables is a monthly post where I share dishes inspired by the countries of origin of famous women in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (aka STEAM). If you try one of these recipes, and you love it, please share your experience in the comments.
Katherine Johnson
Birthplace: West Virginia, USA
Katherine Johnson was born on August 26, 1918, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia in the United States. From a young age, Johnson was an exceptional student, skipping several grades. At age 13, she took high school classes at West Virginia State College, a historically black college, and subsequently enrolled there at the age of 18. Later, Johnson was one of three black students to integrate the graduate school program at West Virginia University. There she studied mathematics.
Johnson is best known for her crucial role as one of the top mathematicians in the NASA West Area computing unit, an all-black group of “human computers” that performed complex mathematical calculations for the space agency. As electronic computers were being developed at the time, this new technology was employed to calculate the trajectory for John Glenn’s orbital mission. The astronauts were unsure about putting their lives in the hands of this new technology. Johnson was called upon by John Glenn to provide her expertise. She confirmed the trajectory calculations made by the electronic computers. Glenn’s flight was a success, marking a pivot moment for the United States space program.
The story of Katherine Johnson, along with Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughn, was featured in the 2016 movie, Hidden Figures, a film about the role that these three “NASA computers” played in John Glenn’s launch into orbit.
I invite you to enjoy one of Johnson’s favorite dishes - Applesauce!
Appalachian Applesauce
The Appalachian region of the United States is made up of 13 states, including Katherine Johnson’s home state of West Virginia. Because of the mountainous terrain and cold winters in West Virginia, canning is a popular way to store food. Appalachian applesauce is a commonly canned food. Katherine Johnson was known to make great apple sauce, especially for Thanksgiving.
BASIC INGREDIENTS
Yield: As much as you like
Apples
Recipe
Appalachian apple sauce - no rating, but the YouTube channel, featuring other recipes and other Appalachian content has over 39M views
Bonus recipes
Here are videos of a few more apple-based recipes from Appalachia from the Celebrating Appalachia YouTube channel.
Fried Apples & Traditional Appalachian Breakfast - 1.7 M views
Apple Stack Cakes - 121 K views
Apple Bread - 29 K views
Eat up! Bon appetit!
“An onion shared with a friend tastes like roasted lamb. ” - African proverb
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Sources
[1] Katherine Johnson Biography - NASA,” Nov. 22, 2016. https://www.nasa.gov/people-of-nasa/katherine-johnson-biography/
[2] Appalachian Regional Commission, “About the Appalachian Region,” Appalachian Regional Commission, 2023. https://www.arc.gov/about-the-appalachian-region/
[3] “Educational Resources and Books About Katherine Johnson,” Katherine Johnson. https://www.katherinejohnsonfoundation.org/books-resources/