CANTON -- TAUNY’s pea soup and johnnycake meal is set for Saturday, Feb. 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at TAUNY, 53 Main St.

The event is free and open to the public, though donations for the lunch are welcome.

Pea soup is often served in Quebecois sugar shacks during maple season. Green or split yellow peas are flavored with salt pork (for Saturday, there will be a vegetarian version as well), simmered until good and savory, and served piping hot.

“Pea soup came to the North Country with the many Quebecois families who settled in the region, and its pairing with the cornmeal-based johnnycake reflects the meeting of Francophone and early American traditions,” says TAUNY founder Varick Chittenden.

North Country Heritage Award winner Lynn Ekfelt is cooking up the pea soup, and Varick Chittenden shares his special Johnnycake. Additional community and student volunteers will take part as well in making and serving this hearty traditional meal.

"It hasn't been very cold lately, but it's still hard to beat a steaming bowl of soup and plate of cornbread on a midwinter afternoon," says TAUNY communication director Aviva Gold.

An exhibit curated by historian Hallie Bond entitled “Material Remains: One Woman’s Life Through the Eye of Her Needle” will also open at The TAUNY Center on Saturday February 13. Hallie Bond will be on hand at the Pea Soup lunch to talk about the exhibit with interested visitors.

“Rural women used to produce most of the textiles used in their homes. Their needlework served purposes, of course, but also expressed and strengthened the bonds among family,” says Bond. The exhibit will remain up until March 19.