Hazel Sprayberry

Hazel Sprayberry, 92, who lives southwest of Calhoun City,  is well-known for making sourdough bread, and frequently shares the bread ‘starter’ with friends and neighbors.


Hazel Sprayberry, 92, who lives southwest of Calhoun City,  is well-known for making sourdough bread, and frequently shares the bread ‘starter’ with friends and neighbors. She got her first starter from a cousin about 20 years ago. Mrs. Hazel takes sourdough bread to most meals at her church. She also loves to share her homemade vegetable soup. She has always had a garden and says she could live off of greens and tomatoes. Her daughter, Beth Vance, says that her mother still likes to cook a lot, and she refers to her as “the cook of the house.” Beth says that Mrs. Sprayberry seasons food very well, often putting onion in most of the vegetables she cooks.

As a young person, she worked in field, and her sister stayed in kitchen learning to cook. She did learn to make cornbread when she was 11, commenting that there was no self-rising meal available then. To this day, she enjoys being outside working in the yard and garden. She freezes a lot of foods now including homemade sauerkraut, which is a favorite of children and grandchildren for holiday and other family gatherings. They also request Mrs. Hazel’s blueberry salad.

Bro. Joey Hamilton’s first church was Bradford Chapel, of which Mrs. Hazel is a member. When she told him she would provide the juice and bread for communion, he wasn’t sure what to expect. Little did he know that Mrs. Hazel grew her own grapes and canned the juice herself, and she made the bread with plain flour and water. He said it was real special and very neat.