Hi...I am a male who has been on the sidelines reading all the good things you ladies have been saying about Kentucky. I must say it is a bit much sifting through the same messages over and over. I think it would be much better if the original messages were left off. I was raised in the mountains of WVa but four grandparents and my father were born in the mountains of Knott County,Kentucky. I grew up in the country with the same language,sayings,stories, hunting,working and moonshining methods employed in eastern Kentucky. As a youngster it seemed we had relatives or friends from Kentucky in our home a large part of the time. I grew up listening to stories of Kentucky...from ghosts to feuds to romance. A few times I have felt like expressing my openion about something discussed here but I havent...More fun to read than type. A couple of things come to mind,,(1) Three to five ounces of yeast might work better than ten lbs for starting a barrel of moonshine mash. (2) I have seen a lot of apple butter made outside,,and a lot is still made that way where I live here in Virginia. I have never seen it made in a cast iron kettle. A large copper kettle is used along with a specially made stir stick about 8 foot long. These kettles are usually handed down from generation to generation. They currently sell at estate sales around here for about $350 TO $450. Now for the reason I am here. It seems there is some who think early Kentucky women might have been the most important people in Kentucky. I tend to agree. Has anyone considered the first woman into Kentucky.. the Indian and Melungion women aside. I wonder if anyone out there knows anything about her. A hint..she was with one of my great,great grandfathers and Daniel Boone on the first trip into Kentucky.. If this was considered a tough trip for men..It couldnt have been much fun for her. As people check their history books there could be some interesting comments. Don