Me and Meg Cranston... East West Bistro ...downtown Athens ...on a game day.

A year ago…I met a girl…with curls & sparkly eyes & purpose. Her name is Meg. She gave me a gift…& I never thanked her.  She gave me acceptance….& a boost of confidence.  And…I haven’t been the same since.  Athens is a college town. …& I love living here among the students, the energy, the celebration that comes with living in ‘bulldawg country.’ …& I get asked a lot… ‘what year did I graduate from Georgia??’ and…until I met Meg, I would sink down into my shoulders and explain my ‘situation’ …& how I went straight from high school to working…and so on….and feeling so un-proud…and like a misfit. When I answered Meg this way…she said: “don’t you ever….ever do that again!” ….and I never have and I will never again. Now I know…I was always a thinker and a writer….and if I had been able to go to college…I would’ve studied journalism….& would probably be doing exactly what I am now.  ….writing my thoughts.  ….and thinking A LOT.   …maybe I would be more well-versed…but all is well.  Thank you, Meg…for the realization that me NOT being a college graduate is a BEAUTIFUL part of my story. & I have a feeling…it’s a BIG part of my purpose.  I guess…the future only knows….

And then there’s ‘Meg Pie.’  I met Meg Dure years ago…while I was a bank teller at Athens First Bank.  She came in every now and then…& shared her smile with me…and I shared mine with her…. never having enough time to really get to know each other completely.  This year…we established a new-found connection through facebook.  Birds of a feather flock together…right? So…it didn’t take long before Meg asked to do a little interview at the Pickle Parlor…and I CAN TALK.  And…Meg is like a sponge. So…a little interview meant to focus on the pickle business and such….turned into Meg absorbing my whole story. She asked THE question…& I answered in a NEW way…one I learned after the first Meg taught me… I answered it with confidence.  And….thus came this story from Meg Dure:

http://athens.patch.com/articles/out-of-a-pickle-and-into-a-phickle

Meg is the perfect example of a good listener….with eyes of wisdom & a heart of gold.  I bet all of these attributes Meg has balled up in her southern belle body…comes from experience.  ….the experience of walking around, over, and finally through life’s tangly wilderness.  Meg says making her locally-famous ‘bisquettes’ is like therapy for her…& I have been lucky to be the recipient of them on three occasions now.  Of course…with every bite…I am always pondering how I can maybe sell ‘em! haha.    But…maybe….just maybe there are some things money can’t buy….& I’m not sure Meg could put a price on them anyway….nor could I.  They are priceless.

Meg Dure's 'Bisquettes!'

Yesterday, Meg dropped by my home with a special gift for me.  ….a Christmasy package topped with a Santa w/a dangling pickle ornament. …& tucked inside were her bisquettes and some yummy peach preserves.  I showed her around the mess of our move….which was kinda healing for me.  …to give someone on the outside a look at what really goes on…here on the inside of my habitat.  It is a huge work in progress…and now I have Meg to vouch for me….just in case I go insane! She saw it ALL first hand. I’m putting Meg…up there on my list of friends that know too much to ever let down. So…after a good heart-to-heart…she was on her way. And…I dug right in to her bisquettes! I had them for dinner….and then again this morning for breakfast.  I wondered…what makes me deserving of her sweet, generous spirit.  …& as I read the card she’d attached along with the gift….I knew. Her giving spirit makes me wanna be better….at giving.  Noone really ever is entitled to being a recipient ….but I believe God sends people into our lives to fill in the crevices of our stories.  …to erase any doubt we might have. Memories of words said to me in my past…flood me with doubt at times…and Meg shines light into those areas & helps fill me with confidence.  And for that I am…& will always be grateful to her.  If you took a minute to click on the above link…you know now that Meg Dure….just like Meg Cranston… put my un-college-graduate-ness front and center….and made it to be a beautiful story.  Pretty neato, huh?! To me…it is! I’m glad my mind works this way.  I see God working in every situation I’m in.  And…I hope that you…the reader…notice Him working around, for, and through you too.  Meet Meg…..

Meg Gunn Dure ....my friend.

And…Meg wrote:

"Dear Angie, Thank you for all of the positive inspiration you give to all you see every day... especially me. I so admire your spirit and in my eyes you are a real star. With love, Meg"

My kiddies reap the benefits too! We stretch Meg’s bisquettes as far as we can…for as long as we can. …alongside our dinners, the stars of our breakfasts, and they are tasty instigators of tea parties!  Thank you Meg… for giving to me again and again with your kind, edifying words and your tasty treats.  It is because of the gift of acceptance you give to me…that I am excited to show my daughters my acceptance of them…no matter what…and to teach them how to show all they encounter in their paths…this kind of acceptance…the GRACE kind! You are a priceless gift.  ….a treasure. Thank you…from the bottom of my proseco sippin’ heart. I love you~ your friend and student,

~angie

Eating my very first bisquette from Meg!

Town 220 Bistro in Madison, Georgia

A chat with our waiter thanking him for his excellent service….& we were off.  …headed south…on our way to make a delivery of Phickles to Striplings  (www.striplings.com) and then on to the Skillet Festival in Quitman, GA.

For me, nothing brings fonder memories and feelings than taking a drive down the long, straight country roads of south Georgia.  Rows and rows of cotton, corn, and peanuts surrounding little homes with manicured lawns, porches for sippin’ sweet tea….with tractors and huntin’ trucks parked out back…driven by good ole boys that say ‘yes, ma’am….’ They were taught right.  To some, these residences may seem small…but to me they are more grand than any mansion in Beverly Hills.  ….because they are FULL of what’s real.  They are full of praying people.  ….people sowing seeds & giving thanks.  …never taking the rain for granted.  And the benches in front of the roadside stores…are like board rooms holding ‘meetings’ of generations of farmers….intelligent men….full of knowledge that can only be achieved by experience.  I know I’m lucky to have grown up in south Georgia …experiencing first-hand what it’s like to bounce over Georgia dirt on the seat of a tractor, shell peas,  catch catfish and bream from a cane pole, plant seeds, and pray for rain…

Phin…with the pig at Striplings General Store

Cordele, GA

Those were the days, right?  Well, those days are still here.  Those people are still around….sowing seeds and praying for rain.  And…I got to immerse myself right smack in the middle of a town full of those good ole days…at the Skillet Festival in Quitman, GA!  My cyber friend, Eliza McCall….grew up in Quitman.  We met through twitter when Eliza started following my morning devotions.  She is another reason I love social media….it’s about the relationships.  LIFE is about relationships!  Eliza came to see me at The Rose Festival in Thomasville, GA this past Easter weekend.  And now…we are surely friends for life.  Her sister, Lauren Basford was in charge of coordinating the events of the first ever Skillet Festival and so, with Eliza knowing how much I enjoy tweeting, eating, cooking, & talking about FOOD…she asked me to be a ‘celebrity judge’ at the Cast Iron Chef Competion during the festival.  http://t.co/rOgHSXWO  I was thrilled!  No invitation will ever be too small to be an honor for me.  Being a judge on a food television show might make you famous.  Being a judge at a small town festival…makes you friends! …real friends.  I am proud to have been a part of such a special event in such a special part of the world….at least in my world.

Me on the left...& Angie, the winner! Cast Iron Chef Competition -1st ever Skillet Festival!

Meet a few of the people I was lucky to have shared a slice of time with this past weekend….people sowing seeds.  –>

Lauren Basford.....sowed the seeds, watered them with hard work, and harvested a fabulous festival for her city!

Lauren Basford...announcing winners of the skillet medals

Grassroots Coffe Co.'s booth

I bought these 2 towels to hang in my kitchen.

Mary Ellen Payne & Johnny Bracey

Eliza McCall's 'Dear Liza' hair fixin's... Wish I'd gotten a pic of her aprons too!

Sweet Grass Dairy

Grassroots Coffee Co.A few 'skillet medal' winners!Winner of the 'Golden Skillet!'

Dreaming Cow Yogurt

A few 'skillet medal' winners!

I loved these handmade baskets.

Winner of the 'Golden Skillet!'

“I’m writing at the suggestion of John Edge.  He is working on a tasting seminar that will be part of the Fancy Food Show education program this Summer and we would like to invite you to participate as well.  The panel is called REVIVING THE RELISH TRAY and it will take place Sunday July 10 from 8am to 9:45.  ………….. We envision this session as a guided tasting of what is hot and new in the world of pickling…….. As you are in Athens, we would pay for your travel to DC  as well as 2 nights of comp hotel in DC.  You would also receive a complimentary badge to the trade show floor for yourself and two others……….”

And to answer this email I received in January 2011…..I said YES!

My social anxiety meds: Proseco filled tea cup, Margaret's bracelet, & my good luck charm....a little painted piece of wood from Cap Man!

If you’ve known me for any time at all…and especially if you were in school with me…you’d know that I DO NOT SPEAK IN FRONT OF LARGE CROWDS!  In middle and high school…I’d write a splendid book report and then take a zero on the oral part because I just couldn’t do it.  I just couldn’t.  So…this was a really big, exciting, SCAREY opportunity for me.  Not to mention….John T. Edge is someone I really wanna impress.  I mean…hello…Southern Foodways Alliance, Oxford American, Garden and Gun Magazine, Several books about people kinda like me…from the south….doing food the way it oughta be done.  So….I had about 5 and a half months to stress about it! I lost a lot of sleep….

So…the day finally came…..

Thank goodness Phin was with me to excort me through the Atlanta and D.C. airports & especially when it came time to hop a ride on the METRO in D.C. I wouldn't have known how to navigate w/o him....I would've been a basket case! We made ourselves home at the Renaissance on 9th in D.C. & then picked up my Speaker Badge at the Convention Center & headed to China Town. Fortunately Clyde's Irish Pub called our name...as we weaved in & out of sweaty people in the humid, soy sauce-filled air. I wasn't in the mood for chinese food....& the basil-y concoction & good conversation w/locals at Clyde's was the perfect refreshment to calm my nerves.

There were folks at Clyde’s that were in D.C. for the Fancy Food Show….and after making them promise me they wouldn’t attend my portion of the education series….to see me ‘make a fool of myself,’ we made our way back to the hotel…. I set my alarm for 5am, slid my mask over my eyes, and I slept…

They were just gonna throw our panel signs away so.... I had to take them!

Reviving The Relish Tray ....a guided tasting

And guess what? There was absolutely nothing for me to be afraid of! I didn’t have to stand up alone in front of everyone… I just had to talk. And talking I can do! James Beard Award winner, Ann Cashion talked about her pickled sour cherries and her pickled taco relish…both unbelievable! And Noel Garrett talked about his food production business, ‘Low Country Produce,’ and I talked about my favorite chow chow from Blackberry Farm and our best seller…the Okies.  John Edge talked about Miss Jenny’s Salt & Pepper pickles and Alecia’s Tomato Chutney.  I also got to talk about how I started Phickles….where the name Phickles comes from….the why behind Phickles….and where I hope Phickles is headed.  And…my two favorite parts of the whole speaking part are:

John T. Edge introduced me as ‘the girl traveling the south with a fanny pack full of pickles’ and secondly….Jess, his son was lying on the floor under the table during the whole thing…right at my feet.  Oh yes, we’re like family now. Hehe!  All I gotta do now is learn a few french words….         And in case y’all are wondering if we were able to ‘revive the relish tray…’ Well, it never ended in the south.  We grew up on pickles…. Pickles are still in our fridges and on our plates…. & Pickles are our future.  Oh wait! PHICKLES ARE OUR PHUTURE! 

Fat Tuesday at Nona ~New Orleans 'n Athens

double you double you double you dot PHICKLES dot com to order the best pickles in the south!     “If it ain’t fun…..don’t do it!”

Old Farmall Tractor....at Thompson Family Farms.

Like the song goes…. Where I come from…it’s cornbread & chicken & what goes better with cornbread & chicken than…. fresh from the farm peas and butterbeans?  Our farmer, David Thompson grows rows and rows of peas, corn, butterbeans, tomatoes, egg plant, peppers &…. oh, I’m sure I’m leaving something out. Oh yeah …melons too!

….and cucumbers! …even little gherkins he’s growing just for us.

<–I think my Paw Paw had a tractor just like this one.  …memories!

Thompson Family Farms is a family business with David and his sons Will and Clay all working together to plant and harvest the acres of vegetation and also delivering to farmer’s markets and running their own farm stand on Highway 11 just north of Monroe in the Campton Community.  Their farm stand is open to the public and I love their sign which reads:  ‘We only sell what we grow.’  Farmer David bought a pea sheller this year….& from what I saw on the tour of his farm a couple of weeks ago…he’ll need to run that sheller all hours to keep up with the harvest!  I feel lucky to have memories of pushing beans through a sheller as a kid…  and then the memories of opening the heavy, squeaking door of the rusty chest freezer at my grandparents’ to retrieve a ziploc of fresh frozen white acre peas to boil with a hamhock for dinner! Really….there might not be anything better.  At least…nothing beats those memories.

Now-a-days… many people have no clue where their food comes from.  We save up to take our kids to the magical world of disney…and that’s all good.  But…real magic happens when we plant a seed in the dirt.  Our short tour of Thompson Family Farms planted mystery in my kids’ minds and that kind of mystery will stay with them much longer….and mean more to them than anything they could get from an amusement park.  If you get a chance….take your kids to tour a farm.  You won’t regret it!  And…let them get right down close to the blossoms…where the bees are.  Speaking of bees……..  

The Farm Stand Hwy 11 in the Campton Community north of Monroe, GA ....

I could tell Farmer David took great pride in his farm the day he took us on the tour.  He pointed out the trouble spots….where ‘the tractor had to go around a wet spot’ which created bare spots and then there were the few weeds poppin’ up here and there and he pointed those out too.  I loved hearing how passionate he is about the land he works, the vegetables he harvests and the people that make it all happen alongside of him.  His parents have lived right there…on the farm for many years. …and that was sweet too!

A view of the 'hub' at Thompson Farms. It holds the pea sheller and the refrigeration and all the crates for packing the veggies harvested.

Tomatoes! These are the ones we use to make Phickles WEDGIES! and I learned that even with irrigation...their leaves still curl in the sun's heat.

Melons at Thompson Family Farms

I had to hop out and snap a pic of the melons! These will be lots bigger and a completely different color once they’re ripened.  They are cantelopes!

I didn’t get a pic of them….but oh yes! He’s growing OKRA too! Farmer David and his crew pick through the okra he harvests from his farm and selects perfect little pods for us to put in our pickle jars.

If you live near Monroe, take a drive out to Thompson Family Farms’ farm stand on highway 11.  You won’t be sorry and you’ll be supporting good people, working the land the way God intended.  And….take your kids with you and let them help fill a bag with veggies.  They won’t forget it! …and they’ll probably be more apt to eat it!

Thompson Family Farms can also be found on Facebook!  http://www.facebook.com/pages/THOMPSON-FAMILY-FARMS/

Out of town…and wanna taste of what’s growing at Thompson Family Farms?  Order some Phickles!  We ship!  http://www.phickles.com   4 jars for $40, 6 jars for $50, and 10 jars for $75.

HAVE FUN!  EAT A PHICKLE!

Gettin' ready for a tour of the farm.

Marketing strategies, concerns of families, an important topic to chefs & food store owners… L O C A L  is a hot, hot topic these days  …as if farming & local sourcing are new ideas.  Our culture has gotten to be over-indulgent with our bigger is better & more is more way of thinking…. Seems this way of thinking is on its’ way out of the ‘land of the free-for-all.’  And…that’s a good thing.

Billups & Rosey rode in the back of Farmer David's pickup truck during the farm tour.

I had the pleasure of touring Thompson Family Farms in Monroe, Georgia this week.  Thompson Family Farms grows tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, & okra for my pickle company.  Owner, David Thompson drove my family around the whole place.  Looking out the back window of the pickup truck with my kids bouncin’ in the truck bed as we moved over the bumpy Georgia red dirt paths….memories of my weekends growing up feeding calves with giant milk bottles, fishing for bream & catfish with a cane pole, shelling peas & butterbeans, husking corn….& then everyone…my parents…all my aunts & uncles & cousins & grandparents…all of us gathering in my grandma’s humble kitchen to thank God for the just picked & just cooked…true Farm-To-Table meal we all were about to eat.  The smell of fresh butterbeans -every time- reminds me of those meals & knowing that I couldn’t leave the table ’til my plate was clean.  Appreciation for the work that went into growing, harvesting, and preparing the vegetables on my PawPaw’s little farm in Sylvester, GA kept us all honest…and kept our plates clean.  And, so…now it’s twenty-eleven…& my kids don’t get to grow up farming like I did.  But there is one thing I can do to teach them the same appreciation I had. ~and that’s the Clean Plate Club!  A local farmer grows & harvests the veggies on our plates, & real hands prepare them.  We all need to scrape less into the trash can and savor every bite..  “CLEAN YOUR PLATE!”

After our tour….we got to watch Farmer David drain the cucumbers that had been soaking in cold water before he packed them into crates for us to take back to our facility to pickle.  I’m glad my kids got to experience a little behind-the-scenes action on the farm.                    When we know better….we DO better.  I’m hoping they took a little bit of appreciation back home with them…& a little excitement too…about what we’re doing…as little as it may be…in the scheme of things…local and sustainable….and real.

Thompson Family Farms' Produce Stand

Rosey...learning where veggies come from at Thompson Family Farms' stand in Monroe, GA

Our farmers packing cucumbers for us that they just picked!

]]> http://southlandroots.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/clean-plate-club/feed/ 0 Thompson Family Farms southlandroots Thompson Family Farms Thompson Family Farms Thompson Family Farms Thompson Family Farms Thompson Family Farms http://southlandroots.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/groupies/ http://southlandroots.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/groupies/#comments Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:39:48 +0000 southlandroots http://southlandroots.wordpress.com/?p=201 Continue reading →]]>

If it ain't fun.....don't do it!

My facebook status today reads:  “To love what you do and feel that it matters…How could anything be more fun?”     I can’t remember where I read this quote…but I’m sure it could roll off anyone’s tongue who is lucky enough to be able to make what they enjoy most…the way they make their livin’.  I love a-ha moments.  I love chatting face to face with people I’ve met through cyber space….& that moment when we both grin & know we’re on the exact same page… We get each other! We are being who we were created to be! And…the world is getting closer together…because of it!  So…that’s a big reason we do lots of festivals.  Festivals get us right smack dab into the midst of the people that make up the towns we’re peddlin’ pickles to.  And the best part for me….is our ‘groupies!’ We actually have people that come to festivals just because they find out we’re gonna be there! They wanna get another ‘phix’ of their favorite pickles…and I love that! …especially cause I need another ‘phix’ of just getting to connect with them.  So…yes, all this traveling is a lot of work….especially with three hungry kids packed in the van with our tent, tables, and 100s of jars of Phickles.  But….there really is nothing more fun than loving what you do…and feeling that it matters! 

For all our groupies….here’s where we’ll be next! …and a shout-out to my friend Wendy Rutherford…who you oughta be following on twitter to keep up with all things Atlanta!  @Atl_Events is her handle.   http://exploringatlanta.tumblr.com/post/4397807616/inman-park-festival  See y’all at Inman Park!

So….planning on bringing your wedding party back to Athens for a charming wedding at an Athens historic home, garden, or boutique hotel??  … Treat your wedding party to favors with Athens, Georgia on the label!  Phickles Pickles does FAVORS!  www.phickles.com 

Email Angie….the owner and creator of Phickles to inquire about how Phickles can PHIX up your wedding party in a PHUN ….local to Athens way! angietillman@phickles.com 

We've been pickling asparagus! Add a jar or two of 'Spears' to your shipping order for just a dollar more per jar than the other products! Example: 2 jars Spears + 1 Snaps + 1 Okies would be $42 shipped! angietillman@phickles.com to order! www.phickles.com

Phin and Rosey...plowing at The Farm

Forecast is calling for more wintry precipt tonight.  Two days of sneaking out to the hammock to soak up the sun…& I don’t know if I can tolerate another icey day.  We were blessed with our first white Christmas this past year…& that was only the beginning.  After the long holiday break…the kids went back to school for a week…& then we were iced in for a week.     I’M LOOKIN’ AHEAD TO SPRING ALREADY!!!  

With most of the country freezin’ and thawin’…and freezin’ again… Produce prices keep rising and it’s getting dificult to find vegetables at a price we can afford….at least if we wanna keep our prices the same. And that…we do!  The demand for our products has steadily grown over the past two and a half years and now it’s time for us to ….re-calculate. Til now…we’ve been able to keep up with the demand by purchasing our vegetables from local farmer’s markets and Thompson Farms in Monroe, GA.  Now…we’re looking into contract farming.  Decisions! Decisions!    I guess the reason for this…not so fun post…is just to share with you…what we’re going through…& also so you’ll know that we’re doing the best we know how to to provide a quality product, with quality local produce.  It’s important to us!   

We’re lucky…to be in Georgia.  So many farmers around us….so much farming land.  So…we’ll be seeking out for the pick of the litter…so-to-speak!  Feel free to comment on this post…especially if you know of farmers we should contact.  We’d like to work with farmers within a 35 mile radius of Athens….so…. Let us know!  Shoot me an email:  angietillman@phickles.com  :)

Billups, Rosey, & Kat... A Cotton Wagon in Bostwick, GA

         Too bad we can’t pickle cotton…  Or can we?

                   HAVE FUN!  EAT A PHICKLE!

HOTTIES! ...pickled jalopeno slices!

4 PACK SAMPLER OF PHICKLES!