Baldwin's Bounty 2016

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LY L A C O L OUR D FOODS! SOURCE

GULF COAST MEDIA THE COURIER • THE ONLOOKER • THE ISLANDER • THE BALDWIN TIMES

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Where your food comes from matters.

You want fresh, wild caught domestic seafood and seasonal, locally sourced vegetables. You want an inspired menu with unique twists on classic southern dishes. You want a clear view of the Gulf and a soft sea breeze while you dine.

This is Bill’s By The Beach, where we bring fine dining food from the farm to your table while you enjoy an unobstructed gulf view.

Bill’s By The Beach Chef Jon has the rare privilege of serving as a Chef Advocate for the Wild American Shrimp Chef Ambassador Program, and we are passionate about using only wild shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico in our delicious seafood dishes.

The saltwater fish we serve is like-wise fully traceable to the Gulf of Mexico, the South Atlantic and North America.

At Bill’s by the Beach, you can be certain that 100% of the seafood you eat is wild caught from the Gulf of Mexico or other domestic waters.

This is Bill’s By The Beach, where we strive to ensure premium quality and nutritional value for our guests.

You care where your food comes from, and we do, too.

SEAFOOD • STEAKS • WINE • SPIRITS GULF SHORES, AL 251-948-5227 | bbtb.com | 300 West Beach Blvd., Gulf Shores, AL 36542 | twitter.com@billsbythebeach facebook.com/billsbythebeachgulfshores | instagram.com/bills_by_the_beach Hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday — Friday | Saturday & Sunday 9 a.m. — 10 p.m.

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TABLE OFS T N E T N O C

06 Bayou Cora Farms ■ 08 Ber’s Preserves ■ 09 CAFFM ■ 10 Hillcrest Farms ■ 12 Katy's Catering ■ 14 Krupinski Farm ■ 16 Nature Nine Farms ■ 17 Local Appetite ■ 20 Perdido Vineyards ■

23 BSVI ■ 25 Presto Coffee ■ 26 Wolf Bay Lodge ■ 27 Cassebaum Farms ■ 28 Sweet Bee Farm ■ 30 Bon Secour Fishing ■ 32 Humming Star Farms ■ 33 Craine Creek Farms ■ 34 Cain’s Piggly Wiggly ■

A specialty publication of Gulf Coast Media

publisher

Parks Rogers parks@gulfcoastmedia.com

editor

Allison Woodham allison@gulfcoastmedia.com

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advertising

LouAnn Love louann@gulfcoastmedia.com 251.243.7620 Frank Kustura frank@gulfcoastmedia.com 251.923.8129

Jeniece Bouzan jeniece@gulfcoastmedia.com 251.978.0497

design and layout Hailey Hodge Cary Howard Leigh Mitchell

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Bayou

by Allison Woodham

There’s no doubt about the history that lies within the soil of Baldwin County. We know great battles were fought on the ground we walk every day. But did you know a food source from one of those great wars is grown in soil on a farm in Bon Secour?

“This is a non-GMO corn; some people call it old Indian corn,” said Jarred Higginbotham.

Jarred and his brother, Josh, are owners of Bayou Cora Farms. “This came into my family right after the Civil War. My great-greatgreat grandfather, James Phillip Lipscomb, brought it into Baldwin County from Marengo County in 1875. It’s been here ever since and my family has been growing it for several generations.”

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Cora Farms

Jarred’s grandfather, Sheldon Lipscomb, and great uncle, Claude Lipscomb, continued to grow the corn until the agriculture industry took a dive in the late ‘80s. They put the corn in a freezer and it sat there for 24 years.

“We brought some out in 2011, planted just a handful, maybe 98 seeds,” said Jarred. “We started growing it. It was almost perfect germination coming out.”

This is an heirloom corn with kernels that change color.

“Mostly my ancestors and family used it for livestock feed,” Jarred explained. “They did eat some, it’s just not as sweet. But it does still have a good flavor. They always had an idea for a long time that it could be milled

into corn meal.”

Last year, after all this talk, Jarred and Josh, decided to put this idea into action.

“We planted five acres and didn’t really know what we were going to do with it,” Jarred said. “We milled some in July 2015 and had about 30 pounds.”

The brothers sold out of their product in a few hours. They mill the corn into corn meal, grits, flour and make a fish fry mix. They harvest the corn in a combine and it comes out in kernel form. The brothers use a new age stone mill grinder and it goes straight in the bag.

“With the demand and great response this past year, we’ve planted 22 acres this year,” Jarred said.

Is anything about heirloom corn grown or harvested different than sweet corn?

“It’s grown just the same,” said Jarred. “It’s a little bit taller. A lot of corn now is genetically modified to be shorter so the wind doesn’t damage it. It’s all meant to be uniform to grow at the same time and it tassels and pollinates at the same time.”

This is the same corn, just naturally grown.

Right now, Jarred and Josh sell their products at the Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermen’s Market in Foley, but they have restaurants interested in their products in Gulf Shores, New Orleans, and Rouses Market.

“When we can sell to the local people at the farmer’s market, it boosts the economy, but it also helps us,” Jarred explained. “Or shipping costs are reduced so we don’t have to send our products somewhere else and the money stays right here. And it’s going to be fresh.”

The grits Jarred and Josh take to the market are usually milled that week.

“People can come talk to us and ask questions; we can tell them what we do, what we don’t do,” Jarred said. “It’s very upfront. You can’t have that interaction with someone shipping something hundreds of miles away.” • Photos by Allison Woodham.

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What’s the difference?

By Allison Woodham

Kim Hocking, owner of Ber’s Preserves in Elberta, grew up in a home of cooking and canning.

“My mother was a great cook; she always canned and cooked. So it’s a heredity thing,” Hocking said, laughing.

Although she has a commercial kitchen now, Hocking has always made preserves, just out of her home, instead.

Everything Hocking uses to make her products is grown on her property or she gets it from local farmers in the area. If it doesn’t grow in the area, Hocking doesn’t use it.

“Nothing comes out of the grocery store; not even the sweetener,” she said.

And the only sweetener used is cane syrup and cane sugar. Most of the preserves are fruit, exactly what a preserve should be.

“I want you to taste the fruit,” Hocking said.

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jam - made from juice & pieces of the fruit jelly - made from the juice of the fruit marmalade - made from the juice of the fruit preserves - a general term - jam, jelly & marmalade

are under the umbrella of preserves.

Hocking sells blueberry and strawberry preserves, jalapeno jelly, mayhaw preserves, kumquat preserves, persimmons, muscadines, salsa, cane syrup, pear and fig preserves and much more.

“I sell at two places: Market in the Square in Mobile and on the farm,” Hocking said.

And there’s no need to call ahead or make an appointment. Just come to the farm and enter the kitchen to see the selection.

Hocking wishes more people would eat local.

“If people want to eat local they need to realize that in the winter time, you have greens,” she explained. “You don’t have watermelons or figs all year long. If you’re going to eat local, eat in season and in time.” •

By Allison Woodham “We have a local food source; if we don’t support it, create it and have it, then we lose it...Being able to provide our own food in our own area is powerful. It’s powerful to be able to provide for ourselves in a lot of ways.”

Heather Prichard, market manager of the Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermen’s Market in Foley, has a long list as to why we should all buy local, fresh produce and ingredients; after all, that’s what the market is all about.

“It’s healthy and it tastes good because it is literally picked that morning,” Prichard said. “You’re not going to get anything that fresh.”

In grocery stores, tomatoes are bred for shipping quality rather than taste.

“Growers are picking them ripe here” Prichard said. “You can’t get that taste from a tomato that’s been shipped from California or Mexico.”

Prichard also said it is the responsible thing to do.

“We have a local food source; if we don’t support it, create it and have it, then we lose it,” she said.

“Being able to provide our own food in our own area is powerful. It’s powerful to be able to provide for ourselves in a lot of ways.”

And, of course, shopping local puts dollars back into the local economy.

“It’s economic development, period,” Prichard explains. “To be able to create an industry — maybe it’s a small industry — for all the people that are providing food puts dollars back into local peoples’ pockets rather than sending it far away. That in itself has a ripple effect on our economy.”

On a large scale, buying local means less “burning up the roads” to ship food.

Prichard also explained to eat local you have to eat seasonally, thus naturally diversifying your diet, which is a healthy result.

The market opened its first day on Oct. 8, 2013.

With numerous farmers and producers throughout the year, the average number of vendors at

the market fluctuates week to week, depending on what’s in season and what everyone is growing.

“Our maximum capacity is 40 and we have every bit of 40 vendors that show up, if not more,” Prichard said. “Right now we have about 23 farmers alone every Saturday.”

Prichard said the market is designed for participation.

“I’m flexible. I know that when farmers have something to sell, they need to be here,” she said. “If they don’t need to be here, they don’t. They can come three weeks or every Saturday. It’s what they need.”

The Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermen’s Market has a great variety of seasonal produce; seafood from the Gulf; fresh baked breads, pies and sweets; meat products like beef, pork, lamb, chicken and farm fresh eggs; specialty handmade products such as soaps, body products, candles, jewelry, handmade furniture; and plants such as flowers, hanging baskets, vegetable and herbs. •

Ber’s Preserves

13747 County Road 87, elberta, alabama 36530 (251) 978-9477 ber@berpreserves.com Open daily Daylight to sunset products are either grown by the owner or purchased & handpicked from local farmers.

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F

or over 35 years, blueberries and grape

vines have grown at Hillcrest Farm in Elberta.

“My mother-in-law, Laurel Hixson, bought the farm about 40 years ago,” daughter-in-law Christel Hixson said. “They put in blueberry bushes and grape vines then; about 1,000 plants out back.”

The store at Hillcrest Farm began about six years ago and the Hixsons sell in-season; for example, persimmons, peach trees, pineapple plants, papaya trees, plants, flowers, u-pick blueberries, muscadine grapes and blackberries, homemade ice cream, honey, eggs, homemade preserves and much more to explore every month of the year.

“We grow whatever we can grow in season,” Hixson said. “Vegetables are grown on a smaller scale than fruit.”

Hillcrest Farm is open year round, so the produce and products change depending on what’s in season.

“I like to grow things even though it is tough,” Hixson said. “It’s a challenge, but I love the reward and being able to grow the produce. I also like working with all the people and being outside.”

In October, Hillcrest Farm has a corn maze

that’s about three acres in size. Laurel and her son, Wayne, and Christel are the only three that operate the farm.

“We do our best to sell everything we can grow,” Hixson said. “We do support other neighbors and buy produce from them that don’t have a public market like this.”

Whatever your taste or craving, Hillcrest Farm has something for every member of the family, from ice cream, to picking your own berries or enjoying a fresh tomato from the market. •

Hfarms

illcrest

by Allison Woodham

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"I like to grow things... it's a challenge, but I love the reward." open all year round Photos by Allison Woodham

Cain’s Piggly Wiggly Fairhope: 100 Planation Pointe; Foley: 1200 S. McKenzie St.; Loxley: 1087 Hickory St.; Spanish Fort: 6530 Spanish Fort Blvd.

PHONE: 855-584-3744 EMAIL AND WEBSITE: CainsPigglyWiggly.com HOURS OF OPERATION: Fairhope: Sunday – Thursday, 7 a.m.

– 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Foley: Sunday – Thursday, 7 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Loxley and Spanish Fort: Sunday – Thursday, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.

What products or foodstuffs are locally sourced or produced? Grocery products, meat and wine.

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“I think you get a warm, fuzzy feeling supporting local people and they’re supporting you.”

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by Allison Woodham As the farm-to-table initiative begins to trend, Kathleen Baskin, just continues what’s she always done: bringing fresh, local products from the area to your plate.

“What I see farm-to-table as is actually going to the farm and getting produce,” Baskin said. “I go to the shrimp boats and get shrimp and crabs to make my seafood gumbo and shrimp dishes.”

Baskin grew up on a farm and feels it’s important to incorporate the farm-to-table concept in her catering business for health reasons and also to support the local economy.

“I think you get a warm, fuzzy feeling supporting local people and they’re supporting you,” she said.

Baskin’s concept is that this is the freshest food you can buy. Eating locally means eating season to season, but Baskin’s menus stay relatively the same throughout the year.

“I do have special dishes I like to incorporate, like in the fall using harvest-type vegetables like squash and sweet potatoes,” she said. “Right now, we’ve got pretty much everything: fresh green beans, corn, potatoes, and we have squash right now, too.”

Buying local gives you a sense of community.

“It links us with each other so that we do support

each other,” Baskin said. “It’s the freshest you can prepare; it’s also the tastiest and healthiest.”

Something new Katy’s Catering is now offering is casseroles on an everyday basis.

“The need is more prevalent right now for busy households,” she said. “We believe this is a service to the community to offer something that’s easy and fresh for people to prepare for everyday dinners.”

And Baskin points out it doesn’t cost more, it just takes a little more effort — more love — to prepare fresh, locally grown foods. •

coastal alabama farmers & fisherman’s market 20733 Miflin Road, foley (251) 597-5567 mktgmrfoley@gmail.com • coastalalabamamarket.com Tuesdays & saturdays: 9am - 2pm year round great varieties of seasonal produce; seafood from the gulf; fresh baked breads, pies, sweets; meat products: beef, pork, lamb chicken & farm fresh eggs; specialty handmade products: soaps, body products, candles, jewelry, handmade furniture; plants: flowers, hanging baskets, vegetables & herbs

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Krupinski Farm

by Allison

Woodham

At Krupinski Farm, it’s a family affair … and it has been since the 1920s.

“My grandfather came down here in 1926 from Nebraska and bought the initial 40 acres we’re standing on right now,” Mark Krupinski said.

Mark’s parents, John and Margaret Krupinski, his brother, Joey, and Mark’s wife and children make up some of the employment on the farm.

“I’m not the owner; it’s definitely a family farm,” Mark said.

The family owns about 160 acres and sells their produce in a retail shop on the land.

“You know where this is coming from,” Mark said. “Local food is a lot fresher and it’s harvested usually within a day of when you get it.

You’re getting right-out-of-the-field produce.”

Buying local also helps the economy and the farmers here in Baldwin County.

“It helps us go the way we’ve been going,” Mark said, laughing. “It helps us keep our way

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of life up.”

Items grown on the farm right now include sweet corn, squash, cucumbers, peas, butterbeans — most any summer vegetable there is, the Krupinskis try and grow it. The family also grows tomatoes, peanuts and soybeans.

“We try to grow everything we sell here if

“The best feeling is when someone says, ‘Y’all have the best corn,’ or whatever it may be,” he said. “It means you’ve got to be doing something right.”

possible,” Mark said. “If not, we can get it from another local farm. It’s all local; you just can’t grow it all.”

Mark’s favorite part about working on the farm is working with the produce.

“We start most of our stuff by seed in either the greenhouse or in the field,” he said. “It’s neat to see things start off from just a seed, and in about three months, you’re seeing the manifest of your efforts — being able to eat what you grow out in the fields.”

Mark also likes to see customers enjoy the Krupinski produce.

“The best feeling is when someone says, ‘Y’all have the best corn,’ or whatever it may be,” he said. “It means you’ve got to be doing something right.” •

Voyagers at perdido beach resort

27200 Perdido Beach blvd., orange beach, al 36561 (251) 981-9811 • Tuesday - sunday 5-10 pm info@perdidobeachresort.com www.perdidobeachresort.com

we work with the my gulf wild program, which allows us 100% traceability of our fish. we also utilize bill “E” small batch bacon from fairhope, cane creek farms, arabelle pepper jellies & lots of local shellfish: oyster, shrip & crab

Photos by Allison

Woodham Baldwin’s Bounty 2016 h

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N

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ATURE NIN FARMS

Nature Nine Farms planted its roots about a year ago just outside of Magnolia Springs. Stewart Perkins and his wife operate the 40-acre farm, land originally farmed by Perkins’ grandfather.

“We have six cows right now,” Perkins said. “We have one dairy cow we will start milking at the end of the year.”

Perkins is trying to build his beef herd.

Nature Nine Farms offers pork, chicken and eggs right now and will begin offering lamb in the fall.

“People in my industry call ourselves grass farmers,” Perkins explained. “The grass is really what feeds everything else.”

And all animals are affecting the other animals.

“Everything we do here layers on top of each other,” he said. “The chickens, moved daily, are giving manure, fertilizing the grass. Cows then eat that grass. Typically, the hens will follow the cows and they scratch the cow pies and look for worms and bugs. They also spread the manure out to keep it from staying in one spot. The hens are getting a good source of nutrients from the bugs.”

The chickens release 300 pounds of nitrogen per acre — these are Nature Nine’s fertilizers.

“We are raising animals in their natural environment supplementing their diet with non-GMO and non-antibiotic grain,” said Perkins.

Right now Nature Nine Farm items can be found

at Virginia Health Foods in Fairhope, at the Fairhope Farmers Market, Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermen’s Market in Foley, two markets in Mobile and, of course, at the farm on Mannich Lane. There are many reason to shop local.

“You’re supporting the local economy,” said Perkins. “The funds go to local farmers. Also, there’s a freshness factor. Most of the time what you buy at a market has been picked that morning.”

The nutrient content is also a lot higher at the time produce is picked.

“As you go from an item being picked and you follow that long supply chain, by the time it gets to you, there aren’t many nutrients left in the produce,” Perkins said. “It’s started to break down.”

Shopping local also saves money.

“You save money buying from a farmer’s market, a farm or a CSA because growers and producers don’t have to charge sales tax, which can add up to significant savings.” •

By Allison Woodham

Photo by Allison Woodham

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Baldwin pair teams up to meet demand for fresh vegetables

by John Mullen Two Baldwin County men with a yearn for growing things saw a need in the local food market and decided to try their hands at filling it.

“It seemed like there was a demand and there weren’t many producers,” Will Mastin of Local Appetite Growers said. “There seems to be more since we started doing this. When we started there was hardly anybody growing for the local farmers markets.”

Partner Karl Brantley has been around farms all his life and felt a natural calling to start the fledging business in 2012.

“My family have been farmers my whole life on both sides,” Brantley said. “It’s my blood, I guess.”

Their lifeblood in growing right now are lettuce and a variety of tomatoes. The lettuce is grown hydroponically and some tomatoes are also grown using a watering system. Mastin says the crop is 5050 on hydroponics and field crops.

They concentrate on niche vegetables as well.

“We try to grow stuff that’s specialty,” he said.

“These Japanese cucumbers are thin-skinned, no seeds and it’s a gourmet product. Everything we grow, we try to grow gourmet.”

Other varieties include Japanese eggplant, lunchbox peppers as well as southern staples like cantaloupes, squash, okra, carrots and even some specialty herbs including the fragrant and tasty lime basil.

Baldwin County has a rich farm history, Brantley said, but that has mostly been in the larger cash crop market.

“Most farms around here are big ag farms where they’re growing cotton, soybeans, peanuts, maybe sweet potatoes,” Brantley said. “But nobody grows that many just vegetables.”

The pair started out on rented land on County Road 32 and now own their own plot of just more

than three acres on West Boulevard in Silverhill.

Their business is part of a growing trend in the county of local producers supplying vegetables to restaurants.

“The last five years there’s been a big increase in small farms,” Mastin said. “Five years they were few and far between. People are trying it out because the see there is demand there for it.”

“Restaurants are our main customers. We do restaurants in Fairhope, Point Clear, Orange Beach, Gulf Shores and deliver to Mobile.”

One of his best customers are Johnny Fisher and Chef Bill Briand from Fisher’s Upstairs at Orange Beach Marina. Fisher is a big proponent and supporter of local farmers and said about 20 percent of the vegetables at his restaurant are locally grown.

He wishes it were more and he’s encouraged Brantley and Mastin, among others, by giving them suggestions on what to grow for use in his kitchen.

“Ultimately it’s important because it puts the best food on the table,” Fisher said. “The difference between good food and really great food is the ingredients most of the time. A tomato that was picked this morning and is on you plate tonight makes all the difference in the world.”

While this is a labor of love for Brantley and Mastin, they hope to make it a full-time livelihood as continued expansion is planned. Both are landscape artists by trade but are slowly weaning themselves off their day jobs as the growing business expands.

“The sooner the better,” Mastin said. “We were hoping to be there by now, but we’re not quite.

We’re learning what works and what doesn’t.”

Brantley says his growing job is about 60 percent of his income to about 40 for the landscaping job.

He also solely owns another business that grows Daphne peaches and strawberries.

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Tanger Outlets

FOLEY BEACH EXPRESS

HWY. 59

Located at 20733 Miflin Rd. Foley, AL

Miflin Rd. / Co. Rd. 20

Event Rentals Available 18 g Baldwin’s Bounty 2016

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Farmers F armers a and nd F Fishermens ishermens

Market

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"Buy local, Perdido eat local...

Vineyards It's good sense."

by Allison Woodham

Perdido Vineyards currently has 19 wines and 15 vinegars … and the growing list doesn’t end anytime soon.

“We have new vinegars we’re working on now,” JIm Eddins said.

Perdido Vineyards’ 50 acres of Muscadine grapes was established in 1972 by Jim and Marianne Eddins to produce grapes for Bartels Winery of Pensacola. Eddins sold the crop until a death in the Bartel Family. Eddins decided to build his own winery, but there had not been a legal winery in Alabama since prohibition. Eddins pushed for the passage of the Alabama Native Farm Winery Act in 1979.

This act allowed wineries, but 75 percent of the produce used had to be grown in Alabama.

Perdido Vineyards makes its wine from native Scuppernong and Muscadine grapes.

The 100,000-gallon manufacturing facility not only uses local ingredients in its products,

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local artists design the wine labels representing local history. Artists Tom and Dess Sangster did Delta Bouquet, Demopolis Ecor Blanc and Magnolia Springs. Faye Earnest designed Daphne and Clash at the Point, and Donna Lambert designed King and Queen of Carnvial, Bodega Mauvilla and the Jubilee wines.

There are several reasons one should buy local.

“I have outstanding reasons,” said Eddins.

“Food is perishable; one word: perishable. The further you haul it the better chance it has to spoil. The best flavor is fresh.”

Eddins explains what large stores are about.

“In stores, it’s all about ‘pretty;’ it’s not about nutrition, it’s not about what tastes good,” he said. “’Buy local, eat local,’ is my sales slogan.

It’s good sense.”

He also explains the difference in the U.S. compared to other countries.

“If you go to France or Italy, you order something with herbs and vegetables, whatever,” Eddins explains. “The chef goes out back and picks the herbs and vegetables from the garden. Now people think milk comes in a carton, beers comes in a can … and now we’ve got beer that doesn’t even come from grain. We’ve lost a lot.”

It’s very important people have healthy food.

“Local products support Alabama farmers, markets, food service and create Alabama jobs, economic development and consumers,” said Eddins. “We believe in local and we want other to, too.”

Eddins said wanting to eat local is a revival of past sentiments.

“This is a throwback to what people did thousands of years ago,” he said. “Look and see what we have here is good and use it! This is something to be proud of. We’ve got a good living. We’ve got beauty queens. We’ve got good cooking. We’ve got a story to tell.”

The Eddins welcomes all to visit Perdido Vineyards to stop by, learn and taste gourmet wines. •

"Local artists design the wine labels that represent local history."

farm fresh meats 22057 highway 59, s., robertsdale (251) 947-7385 • farmfrsh@harboraccess.com Monday - friday: 8am - 5pm thursday & saturday: 8am - 3pm what products or foodstuffs are locally sourced or produced? Sausage: old timer, german, cajun, italian, andouille & more!

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Executive Chef Brody Olive brings his award winning cuisine to Voyagers.

The Island’s Only Distinctive Dining With A Gulf View

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Chef Brody proudly serves local seafood and knows the source. Just ask!

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Photo courtesy of michelle consuegra

Valley Ingredients

by Allison Woodham

Although Bon Secour Valley Ingredients (BSVI), a division of The Woerner Companies, is still under construction, the company is working to utilize fresh produce that would typically go to waste and dehydrate it, producing powders and other custom processed items to send to buyers around the country for use in their food products.

“Everything that comes into this plant is traceable, all the way back to the field from the time it was harvested,” said Mike Murphy, general manager of BSVI. “Every load we ship will have a pack of documents going back to what fertilizer was used, what kind of pest controls chemicals were used or if any were used.”

Max Woerner, sales manager for BSVI, says buying local products keeps money in the community.

“It’s a win-win for everybody from the farmer to the end user,” he said. “You can trust these products. Produce sourced from foreign countries does not have the same traceability as ours. Being local, every step in the supply chain can be approached with a ‘boots on the ground hands in the field,’ quality check so customers can actually see what they’re purchasing from start to finish. A few hours down the road, we’re looking at the farm where our products are growing.”

Potential customers are requesting domestic sources.

“We are reaching out to potential customers and they think very favorably of the local sourcing and the customer opportunities we provide here,” BSVI’s Chris­tina Woerner McInnis said..

The first three items BSVI is going to produce will be sweet potatoes, carrots and chicory all in the form of a slice, dice or powder. There is a variety of food applications these products can be used for.

“They can go to the bakery industry, pet food industry, cereals and snacks, baby foods,” said Tom Luallen, process consultant. “These are just initial market introductions.”

The products can also be used by pie manufacturers.

“I have a client on the west coast in California and in North Carolina, and we’re hoping to have international interest,” McInnis said. “East to west coast and even international interest … it’s amazing to think of something sourced here in the southeastern United States will one day be able to potentially reach worldwide.” •

Photos courtesy of bsvi

BON SECOUR VALLEY INGREDIENTS

816 N. MCKENZIE ST., FOLEY • (251) 923-6345 CMCINNIS@BSVINGREDIENTS.COM • BSVINGREDIENTS.COM CHICORY, SWEET POTATOES, CARRROTS & KALE Baldwin’s Bounty 2016 h

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“ACIDITY, BODY, AROMA & BITTERNESS.”

presto coffee by allison woodham 24 g Baldwin’s Bounty 2016

F

irst, Steven and Susan Quantz, owners of Presto Coffee in Elberta, tried to raise cattle; with lack of land, they tried something different: olives. They bought 1,000 olive trees in Northern California and planted them on their acreage.

“We put them in the ground and the fatal mistake we made was thinking just because one variety would work, they all would,” said Steve.

And unfortunately, the year the olive trees were planted, there were 17-degree winter days and that summer the county received about 30 inches of rain. This was not a good combination for these trees and they died. So what was next for Steve and Susan?

“We thought the coffee business would be a good business,” said Steve.

The couple has “stumbled on” making a great product, and get this: they’ve only been roasting coffee for about 10 months.

“We’ve been operating right at a year now, but a lot of that time was spent getting everything assembled,” Steve said. “We really started roasting late summer last year. It was a three step process. We had to investigate what equipment we wanted, buy it and receive it; train on the equipment; and then actually roasting and selling.”

Steve and Susan operate in a state-approved operation facility attached to their home.

“We’re not trying to make a living at this,” Steve explained. “This is something we enjoy doing and to stay active.”

The couple buys one-pound samples of beans and uses a small, sample roaster to decide what they like and want to mass produce. The large bags of coffee beans are 150 pounds.

“You definitely don’t want to buy a large bag and find out you don’t like it,” Steve said. “We find the taste we’re looking for and then we make that investment.”

There are four main elements in coffee: acidity, aroma, body and bitterness. As you roast, each of these elements peaks at different times, depending on how long your roast your beans. Body is the last element to peak before dropping off and bitterness peaks — which you don’t want. But the acidity and aroma peak before body does, and you want to make sure you have acidity, aroma and body in the perfect cup of coffee. So what do Steve and Susan do to

ensure their coffee has the body it needs with all the other elements?

“That’s when bean selection comes in,” Steve explains, “when we find the right bean or right collection of beans. You compensate for the lack of body through bean selection. You really just need the right bean and not to burn your beans … it’s really that simple.”

Presto Coffee can be found at Forland Family Market in Foley, Elberta Grocery, Island Grocery in Gulf Shores, and you can find the Quantzs serving their coffee out of their airstream at the Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermen’s Market.

“What we’ve found is that people respond to this like would’ve never imagined it,” Steve said.

“We tell people to taste our coffee first without the cream and sugar. It’s amazing the number of people that say it’s good without anything in it. It encourages us every time we hear it. We think, ‘Wow, we really did stumble onto something and we’re pretty good at it.’ ” •

PHOTOS BY ALLISON WOODHAM

burris farm market

intersection of hwy 59 & county road 64 23200 wharf lane, orange beach (251) 964-6464 • burrisfarmmarket@gmail.com monday - sunday: 8am - 6pm what products or foodstuffs are locally sourced or produced? silver king corn, yellow squash, red potatoes & blueberries Baldwin’s Bounty 2016 h

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by Allison Woodham

“You’ve got to support the people that supThe Wolf Bay Lodge in Orange Beach also port you; you have to,” said Charlene Haber, has a “you hook it, we cook it” option on the owner of Wolf Bay Lodge in Foley and Orange menu. If you have a fresh catch, the restaurant Beach, about about buying local foods and will cook it to your liking.

That’s about as fresh as you can get. • products. “If you don’t support your local people, your community dies. It’s also fresher. You know who grew your food and where it came Photos by Allison Woodham from. I want to support the community and be a part of it. If you’re going to do it, you have to do it right.”

When Haber and her husband first got married, they grew cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and green onions in their yard.

“Mom bought them from us and we put it in 20801 Miflin Road (County Road 20), Foley; this restaurant,” she said. “And we still keep a 26619 Perdido Beach Blvd. (in Zeke’s Landing), Orange Beach garden today.”

Foley: (251) 987-5129 • Orange Beach: (251) 965-5129 Wolf Bay Lodge buys whatever it can from loInfo@wolfbaylodge.com • WolfBayLodge.com cal farmers: sweet potatoes, strawberries, brocFoley: Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. coli, cabbage, bell peppers and seafood.

Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

“We buy from Carson & Co., Bon Secour FishSunday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. eries, Shutt’s Seafood,” Haber said. “We buy Orange Beach: Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. shrimp, flounder and oysters.”

Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

What products or foodstuffs are locally sourced or produced?

The fresh hamburger meat and T-bones also Kichler & Sons, BJ Farms, local shrimp and fish, T-bones from Elberta come from Elberta Grocery.

WOLF BAY LODGE Restaurant & Bar

Grocery

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m u a b e s s Ca Hours of Operation:

by Destiny Brown

farms

Cassebaum Farms has been a growing part of Lillian since the early 1920s when owner Todd Cassebaum’s grandfather moved to the area.

When Todd was 16 years old, he took over the farm and has been operating it ever since. Now he and his wife, Hope, and their family and friends play their part in making sure the family farm runs smoothly.

It wasn’t until 41 years ago that Cassebaum Farms began growing vegetables. They started off with planting sweet corn, which is still the main reason why people visit the farm.

“We grow everything we sell...It’s all grown here on the farm.

“We started growing sweet corn and then a little at a time, we worked our way up,” Cassebaum said.

“Nine years ago we went off to get peas, watermelons and tomatoes. I’ve increased it all in the past 10 years. We had to have other attractions to keep people coming.”

Cassebaum says the main attraction to their farm is still the sweet corn, and if the farm runs out of corn, the rest of the produce is slower to sell.

“We start planting in February, then we’re done after July 4,” Cassebaum said. “June is our biggest month. Memorial Day through the Fourth of July is the peak of the season. After that, it kind of slows down” Unlike many farms in the area, Cassebaum doesn’t sell to restaurants or retailers.

“We grow everything we sell,” Cassebaum said.

“It’s all grown here on the farm. I don’t sell to peddlers because if they put my name on it, I want it guaranteed fresh. Being fresh is our biggest thing.

Everything here is picked ripe off the vine and that’s where you get the real flavor. There’s nothing added or specially done to these vegetables.”

Corn is picked every day to sell as needed and is sold at a large volume at an affordable price.

Though Cassebaum Farms specializes in sweet corn, that’s not all they have on their land.

“We also row crops,” Cassebaum said. “We originally derived from cattle, and now have 150 head

of mama cows, 350 acres of corn, 350 acres of peanuts, 200 acres of cotton, 400 acres of soy beans, and 40 acres of pecan trees. In the fall, we crack and shell pecans also. That begins the last week in October.”

Visit Cassebaum Farms on Country Road 91 in Lillian, Al. •

Baldwin’s Bounty 2016 h

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Sweet Bee m r a F

by Allison Woodham

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It’s a funny story how Daryl Pichoff and his wife, Susan, came into beekeeping.

“About seven years ago I had a garden, about 80 by 130 feet, and I was growing vegetables and had cucumbers,” Pichoff explained. “I noticed they weren’t growing nice and straight; they were curly on the ends. I started wondering why that was and began researching.”

A cucumber has a flower that has three parts that need to be pollinated, and if all three parts aren’t pollinated, you get a curly cucumber.

“I pulled up a chair and watched the cucumber patch for a few hours,” Pichoff said. “I saw bumblebees but not many honeybees. I started reading up on pollination and honeybees and became fascinated with the honeybee, the lifecycle, the colony. I read more and more and took a course on beekeeping. “ Pichoff ordered a few hives and became a beekeeper. He befriended two gentlemen, Rex Aldridge and Bill Booker, that he credits with much of his beekeeping knowledge today.

“They taught me a lot … things you don’t learn in a book,’ Pichoff said.

A few hives turned into 10 and Pichoff said he would stop at 20; then 20 became 50.

“I blew right past 50 and now I have about 85 hives,” he said. “The honey sales have been absolutely tremendous. People really appreciate good, raw, unfiltered honey. It’s absolutely fabulous.”

To support the demand of honey, Pichoff said he will probably have to go up to 150 hives. Last year, he ran out of honey for several months.

Local honey is better for you because it contains all the local pollens and boosts your immune system, according to Pichoff.

“It supports local farmers and the economy,” he said. “Being a farmer is a tough job. There are a lot of expenses and factors that you really don’t control: weather, climate conditions, what other farmers do. A local farmer isn’t looking for the best yield; they’re looking for the best crop.”

At Sweet Bee Farm, Pichoff sells mainly wildflower honey and some gallberry honey. For wildflower honey, the bees feed on whatever plants may be around. Pichoff uses no insecticides or herbicides on his plants because when the weeds bloom, the bees love it. Sweet Bee Farm sells raw, unfiltered honey.

Pichoff sells his honey at the Coastal Ala-

bama Farmers and Fishermen’s Market in Foley, Daphne Farmers Market, Piggly Wiggly, The Happy Olive in Fairhope, Geeze Louise in Gulf Shores and at LuLu’s. LuLu’s also uses Sweet Bee Farm honey in their dishes.

Pichoff’s favorite part about his job is simple.

“When you get out there on a nice, sunny day where there’s just a very light breeze,” Pichoff said. “You hear that gentle hum; those bees don’t care about you. You’re working and they’re working hard, doing what’s good for them … you’re at one with nature. It’s kind of like my Zen moment. It’s my happy place, and I enjoy it a lot.” •

Photos by Allison Woodham

Billy’s Seafood inc.

16780 River road, bon secour, al 36511 (251) 949-6288 billys@gulftel.com • www.billys-seafood.com monday - saturday: 7am - 5pm • Closed sunday locally sourced food includes shrimp, live blue crab,crabmeat, oysters, variety of fish, tuna dip & crawfish (in season) Baldwin’s Bounty 2016 h

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Bon Secour Fishing & Shrimping Industry One of the main attractions to our area isn’t found on land. Alabama Gulf Coast seafood is one of the most important assets of our area that people from all over the country come to enjoy.

The credit for the fresh seafood we get to enjoy goes to the fishermen, shrimpers and oystermen that are constantly out on the water catching our next seafood feast.

Bon Secour is French for Safe Harbor. The fishing industry in the area dates back to the 1800s, and the docks on the water are staples to the Bon Secour community.

Bon Secour is the biggest and nearest inlet to the Bay in this area, making it a perfect location for the seafood industry to sell its catch to the public.

Boats are out every day catching fresh seafood to bring in. Even on the weekends, the “Weekend Warriors” work on the boat overnight. The boats mostly travel to Mobile Bay and the Gulf and the seafood unloaded at the docks in the Bon Secour varies and is brought in daily.

Flounder, snapper, grouper and more can be found on the docks, but the most popular and plentiful seafood distributed is shrimp.

“We have two shrimp we mainly catch, brown shrimp and white shrimp,” said Billy Parks, owner of Billy’s Seafood in Bon Secour. “Brown shrimp is coming out now and growing, but they’re small. The ‘mama’ white shrimp, the ones that are 12 months old, are making their run to the Gulf to lay their eggs.”

Though there are many different types of shrimp caught in local waters, a favorite to many are Royal

BY DESTINY BROWN 30 g Baldwin’s Bounty 2016

Reds.

Aquila Seafood in Bon Secour owns the only Royal Red Shrimp boat in the area.

“Our major seafood is the Royal Reds. That’s our bread and butter,” said Alfred Sherman, retail manager at Aquila Seafood.

Royal Reds are caught in 1,200 to 1,800 feet water and approximately 200 miles out in the Gulf. They also have 44 to 48 percent head where as white or brown shrimp have 30 to 35 percent head. But, Royal Reds are sweeter than other shrimp and taste similar to lobster or crab meat.

The Bon Secour area used to be home to big, beautiful oysters, but today the oysters are gone from the area.

“In the 1920s or 1930s, Bon Secour was known for their oysters,” Parks said, “Bon Secour oysters are long gone. My dad always said it was because of the shell dredge up near Mobile. They dredged up the reefs.”

There are many important benefits to buying local seafood.

“It’s always nice to buy local to keep money into the economy for this area,” Sherman said. “Freshness of product and quality of water is what people are looking for and that’s what keeps us going.”

Giving back to the Baldwin County economy and freshness of product are high on the list of reasons to buy local.

“It’s fresh, wild caught, comes in daily off the boats and it doesn’t have the bacteria or stuff that some of the imported seafood may have,” Parks said. “It makes good sense to get local, and it tastes better.” •

Photos courtesy of Nature Nine Farms

Bill’s By The Beach

IP WE SHOD SEAFO

Open Air Seafood Market

Fresh Mobile Bay and Gulf Shrimp, Royal Red Shrimp, Grouper, Snapper, Mahi-Mahi, Flounder, Crabmeat, Oysters and much more.

16780 River Road, Bon Secour, Al 36511 251-949-6288 Open Mon.-Sat. 7 am - 5 pm • www.billys-seafood.com

HWY. 59, ROBERTSDALE, AL. 251-947-7385

Our Famous Sausage is made right here with premium Beef Chuck & Pork Shoulder. It’s one of a kind sausage! A variety of Cajun, German, or Smoked.

Also try OUR Top Choice Steaks, Boston Butts, Bacon, Sausage Patties & much more.

Cut & sliced to your personal order.

300 W. Beach Blvd., Gulf Shores, Alabama 36542 251-948-5227 bill.henry@bbtb.com, www.billsbythebeach.com twitter.com/billsbythebeach facebook.com/billsbythebeachgulfshores instgagram.com/bills_by_the_beach Tuesday–Friday 11 a.m.–10 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m.–10 p.m.

Fresh, wild caught domestic seafood which is hand cut Seasonal, locally sourced vegetables Wild shrimp harvested from the Gulf of Mexico Sustainable and traceable fresh fish Catch of the Day, Crab, Bill’s Bacon Fondly known for serving ‘Comfort Coastal Cuisine’ Chef Jon is one of only two Alabama Chefs who serve as a Chef Advocates for the Wild American Shrimp Chef Ambassador Program.

Stop in our Bakery for Fresh made daily Pies, Pastries, Cakes, Breads, Cobblers, etc.

All made with local fruits

VEGETABLES & FRUITS, FARMERS MARKET

3100 Hickory, Loxley, Al. 251-964-6464 Now open at the Wharf, Orange Beach www.burrisfarmmarket.net

Old Fashion Butcher Shop Since 1976

Open 7 Days A Week

Orange Beach Location: Monday - Sunday 8 am - 6 pm Wharf Location: Monday - Sunday 10 am - 8 pm Baldwin’s Bounty 2016 h

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r a t S g n i m m u H m r a F a c a p l A in S il ve rhil l Alpacas are ready for their close up during a recent Family Farm Day at Humming Star Alpaca Farm in Silverhill.

They’re cute and furry and their coats can be used in a variety of ways from socks and scarves to sweaters and teddy bears. Sheep?

Or maybe lamb?

Think again.

One family in rural Baldwin County invites residents to check out what alpacas have to offer at their farm, located at 19700 Blueberry Lane in Silverhill.

by John Underwood

Bowen said. The product also wicks moisture because it has a hollow shaft.

Right now, the Bowens have 18 of their own alpacas, plus a few boarders from other farms.

Wool from the animals is harvested at the end of March or firsts of April.

“This is done both to keep the animals cool during the hot summer months and for the fleece,” she said.

Wool is processed both at the farm in Silverhill and at a small cottage farm in Tennessee.

Products are made using a combination of wool from Humming Star Farms and from other coop farms. The Bowens also sell raw materials to those who want to process the wool for themselves.

Bowen said they are also available for live The store at Humming Star Alpaca Farm in demonstrations, both at the farm and in local Silverhill features a classrooms. variety of items made from alpaca wool.

Tours are by appointment only she said. For more information call Bowen at 251-214-8224, Andy and Cheryl Bowen started Humming email hsalpaca@centurylink.net or visit the Star Alpacas in 2007and they invite young and website at hummingstaralpacas.com. • old alike to come, visit with the animals and see what they have to offer including roving, yarn, socks, sweaters, teddy bears, finger puppets and scarves, among others.

While the farm’s store has closed for the summer months, Cheryl Bowen said they plan to open back up in fall offering new products.

“Alpaca wool is hypoallergenic, is warmer by weight than wool, but softer than cashmere,”

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Craine Creek Grows 20 Varieties of Lettuce by john mullen When Anita Craine and her son Micah began studying how to implement a lettuce-growing operation, she learned an interesting fact about Baldwin County.

“Baldwin County is uniquely situated for small, boutique growers because we have three essentially metropolitan areas because we count the Gulf as a metropolitan area,” Craine said. “And we have Pensacola and Mobile and they have alternate high points in their seasons. Mobile and Pensacola do a lot in the winter when things are quieter.”

Craine and her son have been in the business of honing their skills in the four years since they first started their business. They have a quarter of an acre under a greenhouse which allows them to produce as much lettuce as 13 conventional acres using a 10th of the water a 13-acre crop would require.

“Do you smoke?” she asked a visitor in an alcove just outside the growing area. “No? Good. You’ll need to wash your hands.”

It is indeed a controlled environment.

“We grow a little differently than most people,” she said. “People bring in insects and they also bring in viruses. That can affect our plants. We grow with the theory you give a plant everything that it needs, the right proportions and allow it to drink and everything. That it will be healthy and fight off viruses and most insects.”

Another thing you won’t find in the house is dirt.

“When you eliminate dirt you really eliminate the need for about 90 percent of any kind of pesticides,” Craine said. “Obviously there’s no herbicides because you just bring in the seeds trays.

“You can’t grow everything hydroponically and some things grow very well hydroponically. Leaf is one of those.”

Craine Creek’s water comes from an aquifer 126

Anita Craine of Craine Creek Farms looking over her lettuce crop.

Photos by John Mullen

feet underground that previously irrigated surrounding fields.

“Our water is read by the lab at Clemson University,” Craine said. “Like a soil sample. We have very pure water, very acidic and lettuce loves acidic water. That gives us an advantage we believe because other places in the state that are growing haven’t been able to produce the way we’re able to produce.

We think at least part of that is our system and part of that is our water.”

Part of that system includes a home mix of nutrients for the crop of 20 varieties of lettuces and leaf.

“We mix our own nutrients,” Craine said. “We don’t use any kind of prepackaged fertilizer or anything because we want them rich in the minerals that leaf is supposed to bring to you. But if you don’t pay for that expensive mineral and put it in your mix you don’t get it when you’re eating it. That’s what people talk about in the taste at Craine Creek.”

It has been an award-winning combination as Craine Creek recently was ranked best-tasting locally grown lettuce at competition at Auburn University.

A computer controls and monitors just about everything in the house from making sure the PH balance is right, the water is flowing at the correct pace – not too fast or too slow – and even the temperature and air flow.

“It will call us if it’s out of its parameters and there is an issue,” Craine said.

Craine Creek’s lettuces can be found at local farmer’s markets and restaurants like Anchor Bar and Grill, Fisher’s and the Flora-Bama Yacht Club in Orange Beach, Jesse’s in Magnolia Springs and all Moe’s BBQ locations in South Alabama.

Recently she had to stop shipping to customers in New Orleans’ French Quarter because the demand in Baldwin County was taking all the product she could grow.

“We stopped about three weeks ago,” she said of French Quarter business. “We used to send about one third of our product to New Orleans, but the local demand had reached a point. It’s our hope to place it all within 50 miles of our farm.”

She wants to continue to build among what has become an increasingly vibrant culinary community in Baldwin County.

“There’s certain kind of restaurants that we like, the small, most particular chefs because we learn a lot from them,” she said. “They show the most interest and appreciation for what we do.” • Baldwin’s Bounty 2016 h

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by Crystal Cole “If we can get it local, we get it local.”

Buying local has become a big trend across the country in the last few years, but at all of the Cain’s Piggly Wiggly stores across Baldwin County, it’s been a core value as long as they’ve been in business.

“It might be the trend nationally now, but it’s always been the trend here,” John Smith, purchasing director for Cain’s, said. “We’ve always done it that way. If we can get it local, we get it local.”

Smith said it’s been important for all of the Cain’s Piggly Wiggly stores to make sure they carry locally made and grown products because they want to support the communities that support them.

“We’ve always liked to support local people because they’re the customers that support us,” Smith said.

They get items from local farms like Bengston Farms and Lazzari Farms, as well as locally made products like Daddy D’s Barbecue line from Perdido and several items made by the

34 g Baldwin’s Bounty 2016

Fairhope Brewery and Fairhope Coffee Company.

Smith added that the Cain’s Piggly Wiggly customers across Baldwin County enjoy and have come to expect those local products on the shelves and in the aisles.

“Our customers like knowing that when they shop here, they’re also getting to support families and businesses right here in Baldwin County,” Smith said.

Cain’s Piggly Wiggly also takes part in the “Buy Bama” program, which helps supply vendor items from other locally sourced farms and industries from around the state.

Smith said the Cain’s Piggly Wiggly stores continue to be on the lookout for more ways to source products locally.

“We’re always happy to have the vendors reach out to us to see what they can offer our customers,” Smith said.

Cain’s Piggly Wiggly has four locations throughout Baldwin County in Foley, Fairhope, Loxley and Spanish Fort. •

Local seafood tradition since 1973 Foley • 251.987.5129 Orange Beach • 251.965.5129

We Cater!

WolfBayLodge.com Baldwin’s Bounty 2016 h

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36 g Baldwin’s Bounty 2016