The Produce Stands of I-82

A couple of weeks ago, I took my little pug, Napoleon, on his first trip to the family beach condo in Destin, FL. It rained practically the entire weekend and I quickly learned that a condo on the 20th floor is no place for a semi-housebroken puppy, but one great thing did come from the weekend- a wonderful blog topic!

The drive from Tuscaloosa to Destin is about 4.5 hours, the first two of which take you along the winding two-lane I-82. I absolutely LOVE this part of the drive. Besides the scenic landscape and quaint little towns between Tuscaloosa and Prattville, I-82 is FILLED with wonderful family-run produce stands that are stocked with the freshest and most gorgeous produce you can find. I didn't get to make any stops on my drive to or from the beach (not having cash and the stands being closed on Sundays), but it was all I could think about when I got home. A few days later, my afternoon class was cancelled so I decided to make the trip.

My biggest fear, which, of course, I was stuck behind for most of the drive.

Now, I understand that most of you aren't willing to spend four hours in the car just to go get some fresh fruit and veggies, but if you're passing through, STOP! AND STOP AT ALL OF THEM! Not only is this produce amazing, but it is so much cheaper than what you find in the grocery store! (This is probably because you aren't paying to have it shipped half-way across the country.) Unfortunately, I had waited a few weeks too late and many of the stands had already closed until Spring, but don't think that stopped me from bringing home a trunk-full of goodies!

Whether I'm talking to a chef at an esteemed restaurant or a 60-year-old farmer at a produce stand on the side of the interstate, my first question is always, "Is there something that I absolutely have to have?" This isn't because I'm indecisive, but because they know better than I do. The thought of missing something special and different is unacceptable in my books, so I always make sure to cover my bases.

My first stop on this adventure was Buddy Jones Fruit Stand.

Talk about the nicest people on Earth! The man working that afternoon was so helpful and, thankfully, open to my chatty nature. I must have asked him a hundred questions. When I asked him what I absolutely had to have, to my surprise he said, "Well a pumpkin, of course!" And man did they have some pumpkins! You know how when you go to the local farmers market to get one of those giant pumpkins to carve and put on your front porch, they are usually misshaped, bruised, or completely rotten on one side? NOT the case at Buddy Jones's. I've never seen such gigantic and utterly perfect pumpkins in my life. Because of the limited space on the front steps of my apartment, I came home with two unique little pumpkins, but they had some that were up to 75 pounds!

I also fell in love with Buddy's small decorative pumpkins and gourds and came home with a bag full- more than a centerpeice could ever dream of holding. I admit, I got a little swept up in the moment while making this particular purchase, not bothering to realize that I don't have a table in my apartment remotely big enough to hold any sort of centerpiece at all. Whoops!

While I was there, I also picked up some gorgeous tomatoes and a basket of Starfire peaches. Before this stop, I had no idea what a Starfire peach was, but the nice man at Buddy's was happy to explain. Starfire peaches are sweeter and jucier than most, with a non-browning flesh, which is super convenient if you are a slow peeler like me! They're great for cooking, baking, canning and freezing.

At this point, I thought it was time to move on to the next stand, until I saw my ultimate weakness- homemade canned goods. Seeing those Mason jars with the hand written labels took me right back to the shelves of canned green beans and peach preserves in my Grandmother's storm shelter in Golden, Mississippi. I simply couldn't resist. I went straight for a jar of fig preserves, Mama's favorite, which are TO DIE FOR! Then I saw something unfamiliar. Scuppernong Jelly. I didn't have a clue what a scuppernong was, so I turned to my helpful new friend, who taught me that it is a lot like a grape. It grows on a vine and is similar to a white grape, but has a bronze color and is a little bigger. Whatever it is, it makes delicious jelly!

My second and, unfortunately, my final stop was Lawley's Chilton County Peaches.

This stand was run by an older couple, who weren't quite as comfortable with my chattiness. Honestly, when I asked them what I absolutely had to have, they looked at me like I was an idiot. The little woman replied with, "Well, how would I know. You're the one who needs it." Not quite the answer I was looking for, but then again, I guess she had a point. I tried to easy my way through after that, picking up some more peaches and some more tomatoes. The thing I loved about Lawley's was the personal aspect. When I asked the old man about the peaches, he told me that he had personally picked them from his home down the road that very morning, that they were still a little hard, but that they would ripen up in a couple of days. Apparently, I was lucky to be getting peaches at all. He was telling me that peaches are usually done by this time, but because of the cold winter last year, they were a few weeks late.

My last purchase at Lawley's was something I had never seen before. I looked at the basket of fruit for a good while before I got the guts to ask the woman what I was looking at. They looked like apples, but were much bigger, had a rough skin, and were a strange shade of green- not like a Granny Smith apple, but green like a pear. I was right on the pear part. They were what she called "pear apples". I asked her if I could use them in a pie and she told me that she had a woman come by last week to tell her that they made a better pie than any apple she had ever seen. I didn't have a clue, so I went ahead and bought a basket of them.

I did a little research on them and found that they are actually Chinese White Pears. They have a rough skin, which is EXTREMELY difficult to peel, a high water content and an ultra-grainy texture. From what I found on the Internet, they usually aren't used in pies of jellies because of their high water content. Despite my research, I followed the lady's advice and baked the most beautiful apple tart I've ever made.

Upon returning home, I realized that I bought WAY too much and had some serious baking to do.

Napoleon was worn out from shopping all day!

 Be looking for my next few blog posts to see which recipes I chose to use up all of my I-82 goodies!