The Pepper Patch

story by Millie Hutchinson

The City Center Farmers Market is littered with locally made delicacies that keep customers returning week after week. Fan favorite, The Pepper Patch, ran by Rick and Eileen Segers, serves up the most amazing mixtures of jarred peppers. Rick, originally from Thomasville, North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina before beginning a career that included sales and marketing, being a business owner, and working in the loan department of a local bank. Eileen is from Darlington and the reason the couple decided to call the Pee Dee home. She attended the University of South Carolina and retired as a registered Nurse after 45 years.

Retirement for Rick and Eileen involved gardening and growing their beloved backyard veggies. “We made jams, relishes, and pickles as Eileen had been canning from an early age with her parents,” explained Rick. “Our hot sauces evolved with the desire to use our hot peppers in a unique way. Interest in our product grew, and we were having fun working together in our garden and in the kitchen!” As time passed, Rick and Eileen continued to develop new and unique sauces and canned goods. “In 2017, our daughter asked Eileen to help her with the Dargan Farms strawberries at a Saturday City Center Farmers Market (CCFM). We saw an opportunity for us to use the Market to our advantage,” said Rick. Since then, The Pepper Patch has participated in the CCFM at least twice a month. “All the while, we have been constantly working to improve our products through trial and error and customer input,” adds Eileen. The Pepper Patch packages and sells seasonal jams, pepper jelly, Cowboy Candy, Green Monster hot sauce, Hot Banana Caribbean hot sauce and many other items. For those who like it extra hot, they offer a Ghost and Reaper pepper sauce that will set your palate ablaze. During November and December, Rick and Eileen will offer gift baskets that include handmade wooden bowls along with a Pepper Patch product. This has been a customer favorite over the years as it’s convenient and reasonably priced. “We are proud to call CCFM our home market and appreciate all of the support and help we have received from staff.”

Visit the City Center Farmers Market for unique, locally made gifts for its annual Gift Market on November 26th!