A Very Deep Past: From an Ancient Ocean to Today’s Table
J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works has a fascinating history. In the minds of most, West Virginia is tied to coal mining. But coal was not the State’s first industry; salt was.
J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works’ salt well is located in Malden, West Virginia
It does not appear particularly dramatic from the top. There is no audible sound louder than the gurgle of brine coming out the end of a hose and into tanks. It’s more of a whisper, actually. The real action is—and perhaps more importantly was—at least 350 feet below today’s ground level in a nearly inconceivably ancient rock formation that is what remains of the Iapetus Ocean that once separated what is now North America from Siberia and the Baltics. The real action, the real drama, lies in what comes to the surface from that very deep past.
In the minds of most, West Virginia is tied to coal mining
But coal was not the State’s first industry; salt was. Before the turn of the 19th Century, Elisha Brooks began producing salt in the Kanawha Valley near a spot deer and buffalo frequented to lick the salt. The spot, dubbed the “Great Buffalo Lick” would later be called the “Kanawha Salines” and is now known as “Malden.”
J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works ancestors first drilled for brine in 1817
This was near the same property the company operates today, less than two decades after Brooks started making salt. At that time were over 50 salt furnaces in the area. By the mid 19th Century, the valley was the largest salt producing region in the country and its salt was awarded “The Best Salt in The World” at the 1851 World’s Fair in London. By the end of the century, though, the area’s salt production declined to the point that Dickinson was the only remaining producer in the Kanawha Valley.
That which was at the bottom of the ocean now might be at the top of the world
Quite literally: there are marine fossils on Mount Everest! Then, as now, it is that which remains of the Iapetus Ocean that makes West Virginia salt possible. And it is the movement of the outer layers of our planet, explained by the theory of Geology called “plate tectonics,” that makes that possible. Plate tectonics teaches that the outermost shell of our planet, the lithosphere, is broken up into about eight major plates and many more minor ones. Earthquakes, volcanic activity, subduction and orogeny (think mountain-building) have led to a continual process whereby the maps of our planet change dramatically.
How long ago was the Silurian Period?
In the Silurian Period of the Paleozoic Era, what is now West Virginia was at the bottom of the Iapetus Ocean. Did dinosaurs roam the earth? Hardly. Dinosaurs lived in the Mesozoic Era between about 250 and 66 million years ago. The Silurian Period was about twice as long ago as that: between 443-419 million years in the past. Since then, the actions of plate tectonics drove the Iapetus Ocean underground, folding it 80 to over 8000 feet below ground in different locations. The result is that what was once an ocean is now a briny, below-ground rock layer. And, no, it is neither an underground river nor an underground sea, but rather the salt remaining from that sea that has mingled with the groundwater that has undergone a natural filtration process by the earth itself as it comes down from above to form a valuable brine.
William Dickinson was grandfather of the company’s namesake, John Q. Dickinson
It is from that briny layer that William, like all the salt makers of that era, boiled the brine in big furnaces to separate the salt. Dickinson and progeny continued to make salt from the brine using that process until a 1945 fire destroyed the furnace facility.
Fast forward to May, 2013 and meet Nancy and Lewis
Nancy Bruns, a trained chef who had recently sold her restaurant, convinced her brother, Lewis Payne, to go back into the old family business. Neither of them had even known of their family’s salt-making heritage. But the increased focus on salt—in part because of Mark Kurlansky’s book Salt and, even more particularly, artisan salt production—had caught Bruns’ attention. Bruns and Payne were also motivated by the desire to help West Virginia move away from a coal economy and toward a more agrarian-based, climate-friendly future.
Bruns and Payne’s intention was for salt to be a part-time sideline
But the salt had another idea. Instead of using coal-fired furnaces to separate the liquid from the solid salt, Bruns was determined to use natural evaporation to achieve the same results. By the time they went to market, in October 2013, their salt-making process had nearly completely changed.
It starts with a 350 foot well that pulls up the brine
The brine rises based on the pressure in the well. That brine, red from iron oxide, goes into 2500-gallon tanks where it sits for 5 days to settle and clarify. From there it passes into an evaporation sun house filled 4 inches deep. As the brine evaporates it changes from 4.5% salinity to 15% salinity. During this process calcium carbonate, which both discolors the salt and makes it bitter, precipitates out. From there Dickinson moves brine to a crystallization sun house that’s filled to an inch deep. That’s where the salt crystals form, are raked up and left to dry. That’s also where they clean, sift and sort the crystals by size (and thus intended end-use).
J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works today
J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works now produces over 16,000 pounds of salt a year and has numerous wholesale accounts, selling both to chefs and specialty food shops. The salt features a minerality that contrasts with and lends depth to the salinity. The finishing salts feature larger, coarser crystals and work particularly well with both meats and vegetables. In addition to the simplest (and perhaps most elegant) Heirloom salt, they offer Applewood Smoked, Bourbon Barrel Smoked, Mushroom Herb, Ghost Pepper and Ramp-flavored versions.
Appalachian Mercantile
J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works’ line of local artisan products is called Appalachian Mercantile. Products from pantry supplies like dried mushrooms, sauces, tea or pancake mix to home goods like soaps, fragrances and candles. From Nancy Bruns’ point of view, Appalachian Mercantile is an extension of what she and her brother are doing with the salts. It is building a stable local economy that is not based on coal and not on heavy industry. Instead, it is based on that which is produced locally and has a lighter footprint.
But the core of what the company does remains the salts.
It is a bit of back-to-the-future. It is all about taking the gifts that the Iapetus Ocean left combined with natural groundwater and additional local flavoring ingredients to yield extraordinary salt products. In a sense, as Bruns sees it, J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works is the shepherd of gifts bestowed by something far larger and deeper than a simple business opportunity: the movements of the Earth itself.
Appalachian Mercantile is an extension of the salts. It is building a stable local economy that is not based on coal and not on heavy industry. Instead, it is based on that which is produced locally and has a lighter footprint.
Salt Ash in Fresh Cheese with Port Reduction
Salt is nearly ubiquitous.
We add it to just about every meal we eat. Just as the deer and buffalo sought it out in the Kanawha Valley near the location of today’s J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works because their bodies needed it, so too do ours.
Salt is often that final touch that brings a dish together. It can pull a dish into balance. It can bring out the natural flavors of the center-of-the plate star. But while we may add salt to most dishes it is rarely the unquestioned star in and of itself.
Here, in this dish that straddles the line between sweet and savory, main course and dessert, it is the salt that is the key. Two different J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works salts—the Heirloom Salt and the finishing touch of Ghost Pepper Salt—feature on the palate. Beyond that it is salt that makes that center-of-the-plate element (the fresh cheese) possible.
Ingredients
For the Fresh Cheese Ball:
- •7 ½ liters (about 2 gallons) whole milk
- •32 grams (about ¼ cup) cider vinegar
- •Several pinches salt
For the Salt Ash:
- •3 large onions, sliced
- •3 large leeks (white parts only), sliced
- •J.Q. Dickinson Heirloom Salt
For the Port Wine Reduction:
- •2 medium shallots, minced (about ¼ cup)
- •2 bay leaves
- •700 milliliters (about 3 cups) Ruby port (or other relatively light port wine)
- •4 grams (about 1 teaspoon) granulated white sugar
For the Garnish:
- •J.Q. Dickinson Ghost Pepper Salt
- •4 attractive mint leaves
Preparation
To make the Fresh Cheese, pour the milk into a large pot, and heat the milk until it is almost boiling, about 195° Fahrenheit, stirring constantly to prevent the bottom of the pot from scorching. When the milk reaches the desired temperature, remove from the heat, and stir in the vinegar. Let stand for 10 minutes.
While the milk is standing, line a strainer with several layers of cheesecloth and set over the sink or a large pot or bowl. The milk should separate into a white solid part, and a yellowish liquid (whey). Stir the salt into the milk, then pour through the cloth-lined strainer. Let the curds continue to drain in the strainer for an hour. Reserve the whey for another purpose (such as, for example, fermentation).
After the cheese has finished draining, remove the cheese from the cheese cloth and pat into 4 perfectly round balls. Wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Refrigerated, fresh cheese will last about a week.
To make the Salt Ash, preheat the oven to broil (at least 500° Fahrenheit). While the oven is heating, line a metal baking sheet with aluminum foil (for ease of clean-up). Spread the sliced onions and leeks in a single layer on the foil and place under the broiler. Cook, turning once or twice, until the alliums are fully charred and crisp, about an hour. Remove from the oven and cool fully. Working in batches, add the alliums to a food processor or high-speed blender and pulverize the charred vegetables to a powdered ash. Weigh the ash and then combine it with an equal (by weight) amount of the J.Q. Dickinson Heirloom Salt. Pulverize the combined salt ash then store indefinitely in a tightly sealed container.
To make the Port Wine Reduction, combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low and continue to reduce the port to ½ cup, about 45 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve; let cool to room temperature before serving.
To plate the dish, spoon enough of the Port Wine Reduction to cover the bottom of each bowl. Place a fresh cheese ball in the center of each bowl and powder the top half of each ball with the salt ash. Sprinkle a few grains of J.Q. Dickinson Ghost Pepper Salt on top of the ash and garnish with a mint leaf.
