This week on Kentucky Life... Caviar from Kentucky?

It's becoming a thing in the culinary world.

We'll show you where it comes from and the amazing dishes made with it.

We'll meet the Louisville Nimble Thimbles, a quilting group dedicated to helping their community for more than 45 years.

We're back to explore Locust Grove in Louisville, a stopping point on the adventures of Lewis and Clark and the final home of General George Rogers Clark.

And we'll meet the Franklin 13, a group of horses found abandoned and neglected but brought back to life by the Kentucky Humane Society.

All that's next on Kentucky Life [music playing] Hey, folks, and welcome to Kentucky Life.

I'm your host, Chip Polston.

It's good to see you again.

Our show this week has brought us back to Locust Grove in Louisville.

Now, a few weeks ago, we explored the grounds and the amazing stories it carries.

But for this show, we're going to focus on the main building on the property, known as the Historic House.

Built in 1792, this was the home of Revolutionary War Major William Croghan and his wife, Lucy Clark.

Now, Lucy was the sister of George Rogers Clark, the Revolutionary War hero who founded the City of Louisville.

Clark lived the last nine years of his life here at Locust Grove.

Lucy and George's younger brother, William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was also a frequent visitor here, and both Lewis and Clark rested here after their return from their famed expedition to map the West.

US Presidents Monroe, Jackson, and Taylor visited Locust Grove, as did Vice President Aaron Burr.

It's a fascinating place we'll be exploring during our show.

But first, our great state is known for a lot of things.

But what would you say if I told you that there is an emerging industry in Kentucky built around caviar, like raw fish eggs caviar?

Well, it's actually a thing.

And yes, I did try it.

So, what's it taste like?

How is it harvested and made?

And how did I handle it?

Let's explore more of the industry behind Kentucky's very own caviar.

[music playing] [music playing] One early morning in Grand Rivers, I set out with our Kentucky Life crew to try something completely new to me, caviar.

Now, as a lifelong Kentucky fella, I can't say I've come across many places that serve it.

But one man in western Kentucky is looking to change all that.

Meet David Fields, owner of America's Best Caviar, an operation he runs locally.

Now here, David aims to show Kentuckians and even the world at large a gem hidden in the rivers of western Kentucky.

And he does so one egg at a time.

So, in simplistic terms, if folks aren't familiar with caviar, what is it?

Where does it come from?

Caviar is fish eggs.

It comes out of anything that the Mississippi River and its tributaries touch.

That's where it kind of originates.

And so, right here, we're right at the Ohio River.

So, we have the Tennessee River, the Cumberland River, the Mississippi River, all within just like 45 minutes of the market.

The fish that are used to produce caviar here, what kind of fish are used for that?

What we call the American sturgeon, which is you're going to hear a hackleback sturgeon.

Now, that is in the river.

That is not in the lakes.

That is in the river system.

The paddlefish comes from the lakes and the rivers.

So, I've never had caviar.

When I tried for the first time, what am I in for?

And if somebody is, not me, scared to try it, what do you do to kind of get them over the hump?

I think a lot of people are scared.

So, the first thing that I would do is pair it with something that is going to guarantee you a good flavor.

Let's just pair it with something to give you an idea of what the taste is, because 100% of the people that I've given it to that's never had it says, “Wow, I never thought it would taste like that.” But before I could try the caviar, there was some work to be done.

Local fishermen drove in after a windy morning on the river.

David pulled a number of paddlefish from the boats, measuring each one to make sure they met state regulations.

Then, it was time to get our hands dirty.

Well, at least it was for David.

He cut open each fish and pulled out large egg sacs worth their weight in gold.

I was astounded by how much each fish produced.

Next, it's time to process the caviar.

Okay, we're just going to individualize these eggs.

We're just going to get them off the pouch.

And I guess the technical term would be screen.

Okay, so basically there's a fine line into how aggressive you can be.

And every pouch is different.

You can try if you want.

Okay.

[music playing] So is that about the█ Yeah, yeah.

You kind of figure it out, you know, as you go.

And you don't rub real hard, it's just kind of... You kind of get the feel for it through there.

Yeah.

So, David, walk me through what we're doing right now.

Okay, I'm just removing the impurities from the eggs and I'm washing them.

Okay.

So, we have membrane, just bits and pieces of things.

We have poor eggs.

We have immature eggs.

All that stuff is going to float, and we're just pouring it off.

And so, once they're clean and they're clean to where I think they are, or where they should be, then we [crosstalk] with the salt.

So, you mix the salt in, and then at this point, is it ready for packaging?

Not yet.

We're going to let it cure, lay it out, and let it dry because what the salt is going to do, it's going to dehydrate that egg.

Right.

So, you're going to see here in just a second, see how it's dry.

But as the more that I stir, it becomes, for lack of a better term, wetter and wetter.

Okay.

What it's doing is it's dehydrating that egg.

After dehydrating the eggs, David poured thousands of dollars' worth of caviar onto simple parchment paper.

He spread the eggs out flat underneath a fan to cure them.

And in just a few minutes, the caviar was ready for packaging, which also meant it was ready to eat.

David, why am I nervous about this?

I don't know.

I am, I am.

It looks amazing.

I'm anxious to try it, but I'm a little nervous about this.

I think, you know, a lot of people are a little apprehensive about it because they have -- we have these preconceived notions of what we think something is going to be like.

Right.

It's not going to be what you think it's going to be.

Tell me what to expect.

I think you're going to get a richness.

I think you're going to get a little bit of salt.

And then, you're going to kind of feel the flavor hit you.

It's going to -- you're going to feel the depths of flavor.

It's going to be a little salty at first, I think.

And then, it's going to be creamy.

But then, if you're going to kind of get that earthy.

So, the flavor evolves as you.

Absolutely.

All right.

Let's give it a shot.

Cheers, brother.

Cheers.

Here we go.

[music playing] It's not at all like I thought it was going to be.

You said that's what I was going to say.

It's not fishy at all.

I feel the earthy part that you were talking about.

That's really good.

That's really good.

Yeah.

Wow.

That is amazing.

And when was that in the river?

That was in the river like an hour ago.

[laughs] Not anymore.

[chewing] No, that's legit.

Yeah?

It's really good.

To top off my caviar experience, I took a trip to the Paducah restaurant Freight House to visit renowned chef Sara Bradley.

This Kentucky native is a Food Network star, winning their series Chopped and appearing on multiple seasons of Top Chef.

I wanted to learn more about dining on caviar, how she utilizes it, and getting people to try it for the first time.

So, wild-caught caviar like this versus farm-raised, what are the differences and what are the nuances there?

I mean, I think it's the same as like, you know, when you go out and you find like wild blackberries Right.

and they're just tiny and they're just packed with so much flavor and so much sugar, and they're like warm, you know, you're picking them off the thing and they have -- they're different or the way like sweet corn is to like commodity corn.

I think wild-caught caviar just possesses something that they'll never get out of farm-raised, and it's because it tastes different when you eat it in the summer than when you do -- when you eat it in the winter.

Like, the fat content that's around the eggs is different.

Farm-raised, it's so controlled.

You know, Kentucky is known for all its agriculture, right?

We've got all this agriculture.

We have, you know, more cows than anybody else on this side of the Mississippi.

You know, like we have so much agriculture.

This isn't really an agricultural product because it's wild.

I mean, it's, you know, it's so different.

It's one of those products that is so refined, and that by people seeing that this comes out of Kentucky, it gives, you know, a little refinement, a little mystique to our region.

Tell me how you serve this in the restaurant.

How do you like to use this when it's available?

Okay.

So, we've got a couple different things here for you.

We're going to start out with our kind of our savor stuff.

Okay.

So, deviled eggs, right?

And I know that sometimes people can kind of -- it's kind of hard, you know, to maybe get people to eat caviar.

So, you start with something that everyone's comfortable with, right?

You know, there's just a tiny bit of mustard in the filling itself.

Right.

And then, on top, we have some little little butter-fried cheese crackers.

Oh, wow.

I think that if you want somebody to taste something that they're not so sure about, you hit them with nostalgia.

These are Cheez-Its.

They have like blackening seasoning, which always pairs really well with any kind of seafood item.

Also, we're not doing like where we're eating it right off the spoon.

You know, there's other flavors there.

So, may be not so overwhelming.

But cheers, deviled egg.

Cheers.

Let's try it.

I like it.

Let's see what we got here.

[music playing] Hmm, that is really good.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, my gosh, that's really good.

[laughs] Wow.

You just do one of those deviled eggs, you do a whole bunch.

I'm doing more now.

Oh, that is good.

So, you get it.

You get like.

Wow.

That it's there, but it's not like screaming.

It's not over -- it's not.

It's not screaming.

Nothing like eating it straight out of the tin.

It's not even close to that.

Which, that is luxury right there.

Right, right.

That doesn't happen that often that you've got like, you know, huge tins of caviar in front of you and you're just dolloping it out.

That's really good.

What do we have here?

We have some hibiscus sesame ice cream.

So, let me get this straight.

[laughs] Caviar ice cream.

Yeah, why not?

Like, you just -- your amazing palate just picked up on that sweetness.

Okay.

So, like I was saying, it has a nuttiness to it.

It does?

Sesame and caviar are perfect pairing.

Right.

What I love about hibiscus is if we went out and we drove around Paducah right now, everybody's hibiscus are blooming.

This was just harvested yesterday.

Oh, wow.

The hibiscus are all over the city.

So, if it grows together, it goes together.

That is really good.

Right.

And what two things love each other, salt and sugar.

Yeah, I'm picking up on both of them right now.

Yeah.

A little bit of salt.

The sugar kind of kicks in the beginning, and then the salt kind of chases it there at the end.

Yeah.

And you know, like we said, this doesn't have a fishy flavor to it.

It doesn't.

So, it's not like you're putting, you know, weird fish on it.

What you're getting is that salt, that salinity.

Absolutely.

And that kind of like, this is delicious.

This is really good.

So, let's recap.

Caviar in Kentucky, believe it or not, it's really a thing.

And after tasting it for the first time, I can see why.

Learning about the process was interesting, and getting hands-on in the processing of fish eggs that I would eat just minutes later is an experience I won't soon forget.

[music playing] The Louisville Nimble Thimbles is a non-profit quilting guild that's been sewing and serving the community since 1979.

It began when a group of women in Louisville taking a quilting class together decided to continue meeting once the class ended.

The group grew and expanded beyond simply quilting together to include education, historical preservation, and charity work.

Let's meet the Nimble Thimbles.

[music playing] Nimble Thimbles is a community organization that promotes quilt making.

They're very active in the community.

There are a lot of community-based projects.

We also hold a lot of classes and workshops.

And it's just a place where you can come and learn more about quilting and be involved with other people with the same interest.

How are we coming with our [activity]?

I've draft this out at home on graft paper.

It's something that you can do at home by yourself or something you can do within a group.

It is very relaxing.

Just the hands-on, the repetitive process of sewing can be very soothing.

And so, people are just drawn to something of that nature.

And I think, you know -- and women of all ages.

I mean, I started out doing this when I was a teenager and have been involved in quilting in some way all my life.

We see the full spectrum here in our guild, everybody.

We have artists.

We have craftspeople.

We have people who treat it as a hobby.

And that's one thing about quilters, that they're very friendly and inviting and supportive.

And they're always wanting to welcome new people in, whether you're an experienced quilter or whether you have less experience, or even if you like quilts and have never made a quilt, and you're thinking about quilting, we'll welcome you in.

It's just that common thread that we all can connect with.

I think most people would be absolutely stunned to learn that quilting is a six billion with a B industry.

And that includes shops and shows and classes and fabrics and books and magazines.

And it is just booming.

Quilting is a very American art form, but Kentucky really takes it and makes it quilting its own.

And the reason I say that is we do see periods where there are very Kentucky-centric styles where women were really taking it and making it their own and really communicating with one another, being inspired by one another.

And quilting has really been at the heart of Kentucky culture for over 200 years now.

And Kentucky was really at the center of this 1980s quilting revival.

And Kentuckians have had a huge impact and have really influenced the national quilt world.

Erica, [crosstalk] Mary Kate, Billy, Isabelle.

The impact of the Nimble Thimbles has been very significant in this community.

When it was formed in the late ‘70s and early '80s, that's still a time when women are looking to connect.

You have people who are still working in the home, some people who are seeking out full-time careers.

But quilting was a way for these women to find each other and men as well, and find each other and connect around this common interest, which is quilting, and to really help promote the benefits of quilting, why people quilt, why quilting matters.

And we have had an impact in the community through all of our community projects as well.

Here at Nimble Thimbles, we have several charity projects.

We make a five patriot quilts a year and present to veterans.

We do quilt registries and documentation.

We make cuddle care quilts for Norton Children's Hospital.

And those patients range in age from newborns to 18 years old.

And in order to be eligible for one of our fine quilts, you have to have spent an overnight at the hospital.

Last year, Cuddle Care provided 720 quilts to Kosair Children's Hospital.

We also provide tote bags to Maryhurst.

And Maryhurst is a residential facility for girls ages 6 to 18, who have been living in an unsafe and maybe abusive home situation.

In 1980, the director of Maryhurst actually called the Louisville Nimble Thimbles and asked the president if she would consider making tote bags.

When they would go to visit family on weekends, they were taking their clothing home in plastic bags.

But now, they have their own personal tote bag, fabric tote bag that was made by members of Nimble Thimbles to take their things home.

And that will stick with them, that somebody cared enough to make this bag so that they had something proper to take their belongings in.

I think that's just the nature of quilt makers.

They're givers.

They're nurturers.

And we had the capability, we had the time, and we wanted to make a difference.

[music playing] Kentucky is known for its vast array of wildlife, but above all else, the bluegrass state is synonymous with horses.

Now, we celebrate horses better than anybody else, which is why stories like this next one hit so close to home.

In late 2024, the Kentucky Humane Society was called to Franklin County to rescue 13 horses found abandoned and neglected, confined in muddy pens, and at the brink of starvation.

Among these horses was a notable name, War Envoy, a previous Breeders' Cup competitor who was once a prized racehorse.

So why did this happen?

Have the Franklin 13 recovered?

And what can we do to make sure this doesn't happen again?

Let's find out.

[music playing] [music playing] [music playing] It's something unique to Kentucky.

There's no question about that.

But there's something special about a people that give such uncommon reverence to an animal.

And the reason we do that is that we recognize what they have done for us.

And now, the recognition is the thrill and happiness of sport, of racing, and the other horse sports.

And we honor the effort that they give in the same way we honor our human athletes.

We honor these horses.

But I do think it goes beyond that.

I think it is an unspoken recognition and respect for what the horse has done for us over the ages.

And again, Kentucky celebrates that better and more intently than anybody else in the world.

The Franklin 13 were 13 horses that were found to be neglected in Franklin County, Kentucky.

We were called by a state investigator who we had worked with in the past to ask if we were able to take the horses that day.

He was on-site inspecting and knew that they could not stay in those conditions.

We did agree.

We originally were asked if we would take seven.

I think that's all they could see when they first showed up.

But luckily, we took extra trailers and extra hands, and there ended up being 13.

Upon arrival to rescue the Franklin 13, we found that several horses were locked in 10x10 pens and ankle deep or shin deep mud.

Most of them had no food available whatsoever.

So, some of the horses were reaching over the fence to try to eat buds off of trees and stuff to sustain themselves.

Some were in so-so shape, and some were very critical and close to dying from starvation.

One thoroughbred from that case was fairly notable.

He had a notable race history.

His name is War Envoy.

He was actually a horse that raced in the Breeders' Cup, so people did recognize who he was and were very invested in his recovery.

A common misconception is that if a horse was famous at some point in their life or achieved great things, or came from a great pedigree, that they are somehow less susceptible to winding up in a bad situation.

As we found, that's just not true.

A horse having a long list of of accolades or great breeding doesn't necessarily make them any less susceptible to end up in a bad situation.

The good news is that these horrific stories are less and less.

And because they are less and less, they are unique circumstances and we give a lot of attention to them as we should.

The industry, and I think for the first time in history, in a major way, is now totally and intently focused on making sure that this kind of thing becomes impossible.

There's a word that is on the lips of everybody in aftercare now called traceability, and what we've got to do in the years ahead.

And we have the technology to do this, is to be able to identify the location of any horse at any time.

And that is I think is going to be the focus of the industry's attention in the years ahead.

And I think it's a full-court press now that the industry isn't going to tolerate this.

The people in the industry are good people; the vast, vast majority.

And this vast, vast majority of people are not going to let this happen again.

Old Friends is a thoroughbred retirement sanctuary in Georgetown, Kentucky.

It existed since 2003 as not only a sanctuary for retired thoroughbred horses, but as a place for people to come and see those horses, celebrate their lives, and also celebrate the sport of thoroughbred racing.

And the ascendancy of Old Friends kind of mirrored the industry becoming more and more and more serious about making aftercare a pillar of the industry.

And now it is an expectation.

It is a moral expectation that if you are in this business, you have a responsibility for that horse from foaling to forever.

Each horse from the Franklin 13 will be rehabilitated fully and evaluated for their temperament, their training, what sort of adopter would be great for them.

And they will all be offered up for adoption.

These horses should get a second chance because they didn't ask to be brought into this world.

They didn't ask to belong to the people that they belong to.

They didn't ask to get neglected and emaciated.

So, it's our job to take care of them properly.

And while there was a time, and really the majority of our species, we were dependent upon the horse for transportation, for agriculture, for military.

We're dependent on them now in a different kind of way, in an emotional way.

But even though the relationship has changed a bit in that way, the emotional connection is still the same.

And I think that as a Kentuckian, that may very well be the singular greatest gift that Kentucky has given to the world and is giving to the world today.

That is the celebration of that bond between mankind and the horse.

Because the bond is eternal, it continues, and it's celebrated all over the world.

We just do it better than anybody else.

We just do it better than anybody else.

[music playing] We've had a great time here this week at Locust Grove in Louisville.

It's one of the many places.

We'll be celebrating America's 250th birthday and Kentucky's impact on our nation.

Lots more great adventures are ahead.

Now, if you've enjoyed our show, be sure to like the Kentucky Life Facebook page or subscribe to the KET YouTube channel for more of what we like to call Kentucky Life Extras, where you'll have access to lots of other great videos.

Until next time, I'll leave you with this moment.

I'm Chip Polston, cherishing this Kentucky life.

[music playing] [music playing] [music playing]