What happens when you mix 150 pounds of flour, nine gallons of buttermilk, six pounds of sugar, 2 ¼ gallons of water, four cups of salt, three cups of yeast, one cup of baking soda and a score of the finest hams in the world — then shove all of that in a 7,000-pound, 576-cubic foot, propane-powered and specially-built oven?
You get the world’s largest country ham biscuit — one that weighs more than 400 pounds, expands to at least 10-feet x 10-feet and requires a forklift to finish.
Once again, the Helping Hands of Trigg County are bringing this treat to the 45th Annual Country Ham Festival, with preparations beginning at 8:30 Saturday morning in the Bank of Cadiz Parking Lot — and the biscuit ready for sale by approximately three hours later (11:30).
K.G. Ariagno, a chair of Helping Hands, noted the process is a labor of love, and one that requires the efforts of multiple teams to bring things to life.
Even now, less than a day away from its manufacturing, Ariagno said it isn’t too late to offer assistance.
Ariagno added that while the expense of the biscuit could be as heavy as the biscuit itself, everything evens out — because the notoriety it brings to Helping Hands lends to a greater message.
Helping Hands of Trigg County is in the middle of big changes, too. By November 1, Ariagno said the organization hopes to be moved into its new building on 307 Main Street — which used to be the former Pennyrile Medical Supply location.
She said the move wouldn’t have been possible without the generous donations of two unnamed donors, and comes after the organization tried to acquire the NAPA building. The hope is to eventually consolidate into one location — combining the Bargain Barn on Jefferson Street and the Food Bank on Line Street into one cohesive spot.
Volunteers for Helping Hands are asked to work three hours a month if possible, and donations to Helping Hands can be mailed any size, any time and designated for specific projects to PO Box 1874, Cadiz, Kentucky, 42211.
