Fine Food and Good Eats

POPPIN’ GOOD

This group of Kansas producers offer comfort goods of all sorts, from snacks to skin care

By Amber Fraley

Princeton Popcorn

Bob Ralph was raised a city boy, in the heart of Overland Park. But when he was growing up there in the 1980s, he frequented a patch of nearby farmland that became his touchstone to a rural future. “That’s my earliest recollection of anything rural. My mom would hold me up to the fence so I could pet cows.” That was the limit of his agricultural exposure. “Literally nobody in my family history had anything to do with agriculture,” he says. Still, he was fascinated by farming and the power of the American farmer to feed so many people. “I like the concept of putting a single seed in the ground and getting back thousands of seeds,” Ralph says.

As he got older, he knew he wanted to farm something; he just wasn’t sure what. In 2004, he bought six cows and kept them on a friend’s land. Four years later, he bought forty acres near Princeton and made friends with the farmers at the local co-op. They were gracious enough to explain the business to him, making it very clear that farming is a love of the labor, with little, if any, profits. Having not come from a farming background, Ralph knew he had to be careful with his investment, which meant traditional row-crop farming was probably not an option.

“Excuse the pun, but one day this question popped into my head: ‘Where does popcorn come from? I literally didn’t know.’” He went to his local grocery store, bought some unpopped popcorn kernels and planted them. “Over that summer I enjoyed so very much growing that popcorn,” he says, which was a patch of only a few square feet. But he was hooked.

Today, Ralph grows 130 acres of premium “mushroom” popcorn. “That’s mushroom-shaped popcorn,” he explains. “My variety pops large and in a ball or mushroom shape. It doesn’t taste like mushroom.”

Ralph’s venture into farming has been a huge success. Princeton Popcorn, named for the city, is now shipped all over the country and the world. Ralph raises the popcorn, cleans and packages it on-site. It’s available in 50-pound bags, 1- or 2-pound jars, and may be purchased from the Princeton Popcorn website, as well as online through Walmart, Amazon, eBay and Etsy. Princeton Popcorn also sells license plates, coffee mugs, iron-on patches and vinyl stickers with their logo, which are available only on their website. However, Ralph says, “If any kids wanted to write me a letter, I’d return them a patch for free.” princetonpopcorn.com | (785) 222-0297

MedZone Products, LLC

Based in Lenexa since 2001, MedZone specializes in skin care products. But the big news for MedZone right now is their award-winning anti-chafing Face Balm for Masks. The travel-size balm is made from all-natural ingredients and can be used anywhere on the face and ears to prevent masks from chafing or causing chapped skin.

MedZone also offers a variety of muscle rub creams, sweat wipes, anti-chafe sticks for men and women, blister prevention sticks, and saline wash. In addition, they sell hand sanitizer in a variety of sizes and even in bulk for businesses. Purchase MedZone products from their website or through a local distributor listed on their site. medzonecorp.com

Soul Sister Ceramics

Opened by Shanna Lindberg and Michelle Lindberg in Courtland, Soul Sister Ceramics offers ceramic jewelry and pottery they create from Kansas clay dug in the Flint Hills. “We’re soul sisters, not real sisters,” Shanna explains. “Our husbands are first cousins. We started hanging out at family events and became best friends.”

The friends bought a kiln together and started selling their mugs and ceramic jewelry on Etsy. Two and-a-half years ago, they opened a shop featuring their art, plus other handmade items. “Our boutique features a lot of Kansas-made products,” Shanna says. Soul Sister Ceramics also sells Fresh Seven coffee from St. Francis and the skin-care and perfume Where in Kansas? line Rouge & Rye. They also offer Kansas teas, home décor such as throw pillows, and art. Soul Sister Ceramics, located at 328 Main St., is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and closed Sundays and Mondays. soulsisterceramics.com Courtland Princeton Lenexa