August 16, 2011, Morgan Freeman’s farm near Charleston, Mississippi (Photo: Jim Herrington)

A few questions with photographer Jim Herrington

What did the two of you talk about during the shoot?
How hot it was… 100+ in the shade. Photography, horses, airplanes, old movies… and music. We traded a few Jimmy Wakely lines back and forth…

How did you sneak a kiss?
I told him that 40 girls told me, “Kiss Morgan for me!,” but I’d only make him do it once.

David Rae Morris
Contestants for the Miss Catfish Pageant
Belzoni, Mississippi, 1999

“When in Milledgeville…Conversations with Louise Abbot about her Friendship with Flannery O’Connor”

Southern Punch with a Past

Long before central air conditioning, Southerners were coming up with ways to take the edge off the heat. Not surprisingly a few of these tactics included cocktails. Planter’s Punch—a classic pre-Prohibition libation typically made with dark rum, a combination of citrus and pineapple juices, and a splash of grenadine—may be the ultimate relief for a sultry day. And it’s a breeze to make.

Though the punch is rumored to have originated in Charleston, South Carolina, at the Planter’s Hotel, a nineteenth-century retreat for wealthy rice planters, cocktail historians agree it’s more likely that it was invented in the British West Indies, accounting for its rum base and tropical flavor. No matter its origins, Planter’s Punch—equal parts strong and sweet—makes the perfect antidote to a hot summer day and can be served by the glass or by the bowl. Umbrella optional. Check out the recipe here.

The Popsicle Gourmet (via)

No one understands summer like a Southerner. So it’s no surprise that Dixie purveyors are giving the humble Popsicle a refreshing dose of gourmet flavor. Inspired by Mexican-style ice pops called paletas, traditionally made with fresh seasonal fruit, today’s pops go well beyond the syrupy sweet concoctions you remember as a kid. To help you beat the heat this year, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite pop shops around the South.

Locopops 
Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Locopops owner Summer Bicknell is always on the hunt for new combinations, but she also honors Southern classics, such as “nana-nilla,” a homemade version of banana pudding frozen and put on a stick. For particularly scorching days, Bicknell recommends the cooling raspberry hibiscus or cucumber chili.

WELL FUCK ME WITH A POPSICLE STICK. 

Emmylou Harris performs Six White Cadillacs from her new album, Hard Bargain, which comes out tomorrow. (via)

After three weeks of heated matchups (and more than 10,000 reader votes), we’re down to the championship round of Garden & Gun’s Southern Food Bracket. In the semifinals, cornbread was no match for powerhouse pulled pork barbecue, and in a contest of coastal classics, shrimp and grits thumped Lowcountry boil. Now it’s surf versus turf in the finals. 

To decide the winner, please click here to vote. To see the entire bracket click here. Voting closes at 9 a.m. on Friday (April 8). Stay tuned.

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO TODAY. PLEASE MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION. 

This is one of my favorite places in the state of Mississippi.