Artisan Pickles: An Indiana Heritage Company

Max Troyer lifts the top of a large bin and the sweet aroma of oranges and sugar mixed with vinegar wafts through the air. Peeking inside, I see cucumbers bobbing along the surface of a brine that is dotted with slivers of orange strips and pickling spices.

Troyer is taking me through a tour of his company, Sechler’s Fine Pickles, located in the micro sized town of St. Joe, Indiana tucked close to the Ohio border. The pickles he is showing me, Candied Sweet Orange Strip, are one of their best sellers.
To me it sounds like one of those new trendy food items.


It wasn’t the first time I was wrong.

“We’re using recipes that are 60 years old or more,” says Troyer, who worked at the company for over a decade before buying it from the Sechler family last year.
Indeed, the recipe for Candied Sweet Orange Strip pickles was added to the company’s list of pickle varieties back in 1940 and it’s still one of their most popular types today.

1914 was the start of the pickle business for Ralph Sechler who delivered what was called brine stock, freshly picked cucumbers in salt brine, by horse drawn wagon to the station in St. Joe. It was a time when most of the small farming communities around here were connected by railroads and the train would transport the pickles to Sears, a pickle company in Fort Wayne, some 20 miles away.


“At the time, almost every little railroad station around here had pickle stations,” says Troyer.

After serving in World War I and getting a college education, Sechler returned to work for Sears and two years later leased two of their pickle stations. He also shipped brine stock to such companies as Heinz. Flash forward to the early 1930s, when Sechler was selling both pickles and relish in wooden kegs and barrels to hotels and restaurants and his wife, Anne, was hand packing pickles for consumers in the couple’s kitchen.


The business was so successful that the family cow was moved out of the barn and Anne and other farmers’ wives started packing their pickles there. When the barn burned in 1937, another building was erected and, still standing, serves as part of the present facility which now is over 60,000 square feet.

Now a niche pickle producer, the Sechler brand offers 39 items but their original Genuine Dill, whose recipe hasn’t changed since 1920, is still a best seller.

Visitors can sample pickles from a bin in the gift shop, browse through the numerous types of items made at the plant including Candied Raisin Crispy, Hungarian Pepper Relish, Candied Gherkin, Candied Sweet Lemon Chunk and Garlic Genuine Dill and buy a variety of Amish foods (there’s a large Amish community just south of St. Joe).

“We also make pickles for other labels,” says Troyer noting that their pickles are sold under the Tony Packo brand.


Troyer also offers tours of the pickle factory where visitors can watch the process of cucumbers and other vegetables such as peppers, being turned into pickled products. The tour, which takes about 20 to 25 minutes, is free.

On the day I’m there, Troyer leads me out into the large back area where cypress vats are filled with brine and pickles (some of the pickles are aged this way). Conveyor belts, loaded with brightly colored red, orange and yellow peppers are being unloaded from trucks and wind their way into the factory.

We follow them into a room filled with the smell of hot peppers and watch as they are chopped and made ready to be put into jars. In another room, the colorful peppers are packed into jars which are then filled with brines. The jars move along another conveyer belt where lids and labels are slapped on and then are put into boxes.

Troyer, who is a hands-on owner, picks up random jars to make sure the labels are on correctly and there’s no leakage. Along the way, he explains the different ways that pickles are made and stops to open bins so I can appreciate the aroma of his freshly made pickles.

And of course, we munch on some pickles in the tasting area of the gift shop. Each is crisp with intense flavors.

“We added hot recently,” says Troyer noting how he keeps up with food tastes. “But besides that, little has changed here.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tours are between 9 and 11 am and 12:30 pm to 2 pm on weekdays from April 1st to October 31. Groups of six or more should call ahead. 5686 SR 1, St. Joe, Indiana. 800-332-5461 or www.sechlerspickles.com

Madison's Old and New Charms

Whenever I visit Madison, which is never as often as I would like, I start off by buying a latte at one of the charming shops downtown and then ambling through this historic river port. No matter how many times I’ve been here, I always find something new – or something old that I’ve never seen before.

Settled on the north banks of the slow moving Ohio River, Madison, in the rolling hills of Southern Indiana, has the largest historic district in the state with more than 133 blocks on the National Register of Historic Places. But historic preservation buffs can do more than just stroll through the downtown with its fine examples of Second Empire, Classical Revival and Italianate architecture and in residential neighborhoods whose early Federal style buildings seem more akin to Alexandria, Virginia than Southern Indiana. That’s because Madison has several unique homes and businesses, now open to the public, whose interiors have remained intact since their doors closed, some almost a century ago.

When Dr. William Davies Hutchings died in 1903, his daughters turned the key on this early Greek Revival building. Inside the office, sealed for almost 70 years, were all his belongings and medical instruments. Now the property of Historic Madison Inc. (HMI), a not for profit historical preservation organization, Dr. Hutchings office as it was 104 years ago gives a glimpse of the practice of a horse and buggy physician.



“You’ll see a number of these places in Madison,” says John Staicer, executive director of HMI. “It’s as if they were frozen in time from the day they closed to when they were reopened.”

According to Staicer, another example of this preserved in amber aspect of the city is the Ben Schroeder Saddletree Company, also operated by HMI. The business manufactured wooden frames for saddle makers from 1878 to 1972, outfitting the troops (or at least their horses) in every American war that occurred during those years.

“They just shut the doors, leaving all the original equipment in the factory,” Staicer says noting that there was very little modernization over the years. “The earliest documented piece of machinery there dates to 1882. It’s like the workers left one day and just never came back.”

The first time Maryanne Imes unlocked Mundt’s Candies in downtown Madison, 30 years after the store, which opened at this location in 1917, went out of business, she remembers a feeling of awe as well as an overwhelming smell of mustiness.

“My mother used to take me there to buy candy when I was a girl,” says Imes who restored the 1835 Federal style building, preserving the glass and wood display cases which date back to the turn of the last century and the hand pulled elevator that takes workers and goods to the third floor kitchen. It is in this kitchen that Imes and her staff, using antique wooden molds, make the colorful fish candies that have been popular in Madison since the mid 1800s. Downstairs, shelves and cases are stuffed with candies and the old fashioned soda fountain is once again dispensing malts and ice cream sundaes.



For years, Madison was a popular steamboat stop and today it’s still possible to see ornate riverboats make their way along the Ohio River. The movie “Madison” is based upon the annual regatta which started in Madison back in 1914. The city’s Riverfront Park offers views of the bridge which crosses over into Kentucky, boat launching facilities and is where many of the city’s annual festivals including Barbeque Blues & Balloons and Ohio River Valley Folk Festival, are held.



Follow the walking path along the river west to the apricot colored Lanier Mansion, built in 1844 and considered one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the country. The home, with its formal gardens stretching down towards the river’s edge, is now a house museum and features a myriad of distinctive details including a spiral stairway that tightly curls upwards like the interior of a seashell, an octangular cupola and oculus windows.



During the financial panic of 1837, J.D. Lanier, bank president, loaded $80,000 on a horse and some mules and rode to Washington D.C. to prove the financial stability of his Madison State Bank. It worked becoming one of the few in the west to stay open.

Just blocks from the river, downtown Madison is a charming collection of colorfully painted storefronts housing restaurants (try that southern specialty pimento cheese sandwiches at The Attic/Coffee Mill Café), antique shops and small town businesses that haven’t, unlike many cities, been shuttered by encroaching malls.



Gardens are important in Madison, so be sure to take a peek through the many decorative wrought iron fences (the city used to have several iron mongers) and around corners to see the profusion of blooms and garden art that abound. Grab a latte and a newspaper at Madison Coffee and Tea and stroll to the Broadway Fountain, a whimsical bronze piece with three basins of flowing waters. The fountain was first exhibited at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876 and then purchased ten years later and moved to Madison.

Need to walk off the candy and pimento cheese sandwiches? Just a mile away is the awe inspiring Clifty Falls State Park with its limestone bluffs, fantastic river overlooks, canyons, creeks and seven waterfalls. Or hit the trail at Shilo Farms in nearby Canaan, where horses are available for trail riding.

For more information, call Madison Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at 800-559-2956or www.visitmadison.org.

Events to check out:

Madison Regatta
812-265-50000 or www.madisonregatta.com
July 4th weekend

Madison Ribberfest
800-559-2956 or www.madisonribberfest.com
Third weekend in August (Friday and Saturday)

Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art
800-559-2956 or www.madisonchautauqua.com
Last full weekend in September

--Jane Ammeson

American Kobe Beef -- An Indiana Specialty

I’m following Alice Eshelman through a rural patchwork quilt of squares dotted with country cemeteries, barns and even Victorian era manses to her Heritage Farms, located about six miles from Roanoke in Northeastern Indiana.

Eshelman is the type of woman who takes her food so seriously that she was excited when her husband, Pete, gave her 40 Angus cows impregnated by Wagyu bulls for her 50th birthday. No diamonds and Mediterranean cruises for this gal.

“I knew Pete was getting them for me,” says Eshelman, who with her husband, owns Joseph Decuis (pronounced Day Kweeze) a high end restaurant in the charming but tiny town of Roanoke.

Eshelman isn’t a traditional farmer, but those pregnant cows were the perfect present because the couple has long had an interest in sustainable local agriculture – foods grown and produced close to home – as well as organic foods. The pregnant cows were part of their ongoing quest for quality foodstuff to serve in their restaurant.
That’s why raising and harvesting American Kobe beef to serve at Joseph Decuis was so enticing.

Kobe beef, which comes from a breed of cattle called Wagyu, is a delicacy in Japan. American Kobe is a cross between Angus and Wagyu cattle, a pairing that creates a tender beef much more suited to American tastes. Joseph Decuis is the only restaurant in the United States that produces its own Kobe beef.




“Wagyu started off as working cattle hundreds of years ago,” says Pete Eshelman who notes that working cattle have the genetic capacity to store fat in their muscle. “So if you look at the beef, because the fat is in the muscle, it creates an intramuscular marbling which adds to the flavor of the meat.”

According to Eshelman, two percent of the beef sold in the U.S. is prime, the most tender of the grades, and Wagyu is on top of that one percent.

From the original herd of 40 cows, the Eshelman now have 113 that they raise on their Heritage Farms, about six miles from the restaurant. The cows give birth each spring (there are accommodating Wagyu bulls who are part of the bovine community).

Spring is also when the offspring are harvested. Because these calves aren’t given drugs or hormones, they have a slow maturation rate and it takes 24 to 36 months for them to grow to the 1750 pounds needed for harvesting. The Eshelman also stress that their cattle are raised in a stress free environment.

Indeed, the farm, located in, seems cozy. The hen house – the Eshelmans, with the help of farm manager John Pulver, also raised free range chickens whose organic eggs are used at the restaurant – is two stories high with plenty of windows and a cute sign on the exterior reading Hungry Fox Inn. The cattle have large pens and plenty of ground to roam, though the pregnant cows seem to mostly just sit. Nearby are the organic gardens where seasonal produce is grown for the restaurant.

Pete Eshelman says that he first became aware of Kobe beef when one of the chefs at their restaurant put it on the menu. The taste was enough to send the Eshlemans down to Texas to meet with a farmer who was raising American Kobe beef. Not long after, Alice received her 40 cows.

Eshelman believes that Kobe beef will soon be going mainstream. But though the taste is rich so is the price. The American Kobe raised at Heritage Farm is used at the restaurant and also sold next door at The Emporium at Joseph Decuis, an exquisite gourmet shop with cookware, ceramics, cookbooks, art, signature coffees and a variety of packaged foods from the restaurant including Gumbo Ya-Ya made with fried chicken, heirloom tomato bisque, quiche, raviolis and more.

Joseph Decuis is an interesting anomaly in Roanoke which has a three block long downtown. A destination restaurant located in an early 20th century bank building (the vault is now the wine cellar), it has an exhibition kitchen, several softly lit dining areas and a large two story solarium with views of the lush New Orleans style back gardens. The name Joseph Decuis is from an Eshelman family ancestor who was from Louisiana and the restaurant's logo is a stylish depiction of Decuis’ signature from his Last Will and Testament in 1818.

The Eshelmans sell their food products by mail and also to further their understanding of raising Kobe beef cows. Peter is going to Japan in April to meet with Kobe farmers.

“We’re hooked,” he says.

Breakout: Glossary for Beef Aficionados

Kobe – Kobe is the name commonly used to describe fine Japanese beef. Kobe is known for its incredible marbling and comes from Japan's Hyogo prefecture, where Kobe is the capital.

Wagyu – Wagyu literally means "Japanese cattle" and is the breed of cattle which produces Kobe beef. Wagyu is so rich it is often sold by the ounce.

Angus – Angus is a breed of cattle that consistently produces well marbled beef and is considered America's finest beef. The best Angus meat is labeled "Certified Angus Beef."

American Kobe – American Kobe is the cross between Angus and Wagyu.
Marbling – Marbling is the density of intramuscular fat which gives beef a superior taste.

Grading System – The USDA has eight levels of grading beef quality. Beef that is typically available in the supermarket is graded "select" or "choice." The highest USDA level is called "prime." About 2% of the beef produced in the United States is "prime." Because "prime" is rare, the majority of this beef goes to fine dining restaurants, and is available through select distributors. American Kobe exceeds the grading of "prime," making it even a more rare delicacy. In Japan Kobe is based on a grading scale between 1 and 12, based on the density of the marbling.

Wet vs. Dry Aging – Wet-aged beef is vacuumed-sealed and aged for up to several weeks which helps tenderize it. Dry-aged beef is hung in a cold, moderately humid space where the beef's enzymes breakdown and tenderize the meat, giving it a unique flavor. In this process the beef loses weight through evaporation as it hangs, which makes it more tasty. Joseph Decuis dry ages their beef for 14 days to maximize tenderness and taste.

Certified Humane – Cattle have access to clean food and water, sufficient protection from harsh elements, and enough space to move around naturally. They receive antibiotics only when sick, and no hormones.

Grain Fed Beef – Beef that is fed a diet primarily of corn after weaning is generally considered grain fed beef.

Typically in the United States, beef are fed a high volume of grain for 60 to 90 days before butchering. In contrast, Joseph Decuis American Kobe beef is raised in a natural environment and fed a special diet, which typically includes corn, until its harvesting at 24-28 months. Their harvesting date is determined by the point in time when the beef reaches its maximum marbling and achieves its greatest taste. The beef is certified humane.

Joseph Decuis is located at 191 North Main Street in Roanoke. 260-672-1715 or www.josephdecuis.com Kobe beef can be mail ordered from their Website or purchased at the Joseph Decuis Emporium next door to the restaurant.

Kobe Beef Recipes from Joseph Decuis

Creole Crawfish Stuffed Kobe Filet Mignon

4 filet mignons (6 ounce)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon finely minced onions
1 teaspoon finely minced green onions
1 teaspoon finely minced celery
2 teaspoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 pound cooked crawfish tails
2 tablespoons chicken stock
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Joseph Decuis Creole Seasoning

First, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat. Sauté the onions, green onions, celery, shallots and garlic for 1 to 2 minutes. Next, add the crawfish tails, stock, breadcrumbs and 1 teaspoon of our Creole seasoning and cook for 2 minutes. When this is done, remove from the heat and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Using a small sharp knife, cut a slit about 2 inches long into the side of each steak. Make sure to cut about 2 inches in to make a pocket. Season the meat with the remaining Creole seasoning, both inside and out. Stand the steaks on their uncut edges and open the pockets. Using a spoon, fill each pocket with 1/4 cup of the stuffing. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a sauté pan over high heat. When the pan begins to smoke, add the filets and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium rare. This will serve 4 people.

Chargrilled Kobe Hamburger with Wild Mushrooms

4-8oz Kobe hamburger patties
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 C assorted fresh wild mushrooms chopped
(shiitake, morel, crimini, portabella, oyster, etc)
2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
salt and black pepper
4 ounces gorgonzola cheese
4 each of your favorite hamburger buns
In a sauté pan set over medium-high heat, sauté the mushrooms with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms until they become just tender. Then, add the garlic and cook for another two minutes. Set this aside for now.
Now, season the hamburgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated grill and cook to desired doneness. Top each hamburger with one ounce of the gorgonzola cheese and a quarter of the mushroom sauté. This will serve 4 people.

Bourbon Marinated Kobe Rib eye Steaks

2 large red onions
1/2 c fresh rosemary
1/2 c fresh mint leaves
1/2 c bourbon
1 tb salt
3/4 c balsamic vinegar
2 c tomato juice
8 garlic cloves
1/2 c soy sauce
4 - 16ounce Kobe Ribeye Steaks

Start by combining all of the ingredients for the marinade in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Next, place the ribeyes in a glass dish and pour the marinade over them. Let sit for 2 hours at room temperature, or up to 3 days refrigerated. Grill or broil to desired doneness.

Ragu Bolognese

¼ Cup olive oil
2 medium yellow onions (finely chopped)
4 ribs of celery (finely chopped)
2 large carrots (finely chopped)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
1 pound ground Kobe beef
1 pound ground pork
4 ounces bacon (finely chopped)
1 can tomato paste (6-ounce)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup white wine
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
salt and black pepper

In an 8-quart heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic and cook until the vegetables are translucent (but not brown). Now, add the Kobe beef, pork and bacon and increase the heat to high. Brown the meat, taking care to stir frequently. Add the tomato paste, milk, wine, and thyme and bring just to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Make sure to season the ragu with salt and pepper before removing from the heat and letting it cool. This will serve 4-6 people.

--Jane Ammeson

Dinner for a New Year

Greetings from the Hoosier Table

A Dinner for a New Year 2008

Indiana lamb may be difficult to find at times. The state ranks about 28th in lamb production, with about 50,000 head per year. Our farmer's markets are the best bet for fresh lamb during the warmer months, and local meat markets often process local lamb. I have found excellent lamb chops from county fair winners at Archer's in Fishers, but they don't stay in stock for long. If you get to know your butcher, he'll let you know when local lamb is available.

Our son was home from college over Christmas break, and returned for a few days of work at the 21st Amendment Wine Gallery where he did an internship last summer. His favorite dinner is lamb, and even though I am not an enthusiast, I picked up a nice boneless leg of lamb at O'Malia's market, on sale, for a holiday dinner. Elliott immediately rose to the occasion by bringing home an Australian Shiraz he has wanted to pair with lamb; McLaren Vale's 2004 d'Arenberg "Footbolt" Shiraz, named for the race horse whose winnings provided the seed money for the South Australian winery.

I received a boxed set of the 1961 Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Berthole and Simone Beck for Christmas, and used Volume I's roast leg of lamb recipe, fused with Julia's later recipe found in my dog-eared copy of From Julia Child's Kitchen to prepare the lamb. I must say it made a delicious roast, and the spicy wine was a perfect compliment.

Our menu:
Boneless Roast Leg of Lamb
Potatoes Roasted in Cream
D'Anjou Pear Salad
Popovers with lamb/beef au jus
D'Arenberg's 2004 The Football Shiraz
Crème de Menthe Parfaits

The recipes:

Roast Leg of Lamb

3- 4 lb. boneless leg of lamb
1 large clove garlic, peeled and slivered
2 tsp light olive oil
½ tsp tamari or soy sauce
1 small onion sliced thickly
1 stalk celery or 1 carrot, halved
1 cup of beef stock or broth

Move an oven rack to the to third of your oven and pre-heat to 450 degrees. Use a bit of the olive oil to film a metal roasting pan and rack. Pat the lamb dry and trim fat in excess of 1/16th inch. Use a sharp knife tip to make small pockets to hold the slivers of garlic all over the roast, and then oil the entire surface. Sprinkle with the tamari sauce (a richer form of soy sauce) and rub over the surface to facilitate browning. Place on rack in pan, fat side up, and roast in a pre-heated oven for 15 - 20 minutes, turning half way through so that entire roast browns nicely. Remove from oven, lower rack to the middle of the oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees.

Add the vegetables to the pan and return roast to fat side up position on the rack. Return to cooler oven and roast to an internal temperature of 140 degrees for medium rare and rosy. This will take 50- 80 minutes depending on the size of the roast. Check it with an instant-read meat thermometer often and do not overcook.

Remove the roast to a plate, keep warm, and let it rest for 10 -20 minutes while you remove the vegetables and visible fat from the pan. Add 1Tbs. flour to the drippings and stir till smooth on top of the range until bubbly. Add the beef stock and stir to a simmer. Remove from heat and pour into a measuring cup to let fat rise to the top so it can be skimmed. Reheat if necessary before serving. Serves 4

(When roast is removed from oven, remove potatoes and immediately turn heat up to 450. Place popovers in the oven as soon as the higher temperature is reached.)

Potatoes Roasted in Cream
(Place potatoes in the oven after you turn the heat down to 350 when roasting the lamb - remove during initial high heat period while popovers are baking. You can return the potatoes to the oven for the last 10 minutes while finishing the popovers at 350 degrees.)

6 - 7 medium potatoes, cut into large cubes
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp dry mustard (Coleman's)
½ tsp salt
cayenne pepper
paprika

Butter a 9x6 glass baking dish and cut 6 medium Idaho potatoes in to 1 inch cubes into the dish. In a measuring cup, pour ½ cup of heavy cream, 1 tsp Coleman's dry mustard and ½ tsp salt. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper if desired and use a wire whip to mix. Pour mixture over the potatoes and stir to coat. Sprinkle with Hungarian paprika and bake for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven, stirring every 20 minutes until golden and crispy. Serves 4

Popovers

2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
½ tsp salt

Grease 8 large muffin tins and pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, break eggs and stir just until yolk mixes with whites. Stir in milk, then flour and salt just until smooth. Do not over beat. Fill tins ¾ full and bake at 450 until lightly browned and puffed, about 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and turn tins around for even browning. Bake another 10 minutes until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from pans and serve warm with au jus or gravy. Serves 4


D'Anjou Pear Salad

Romaine lettuce leaves
2 ripe pears, cored and sliced
matchstick slices of brie
toasted walnuts for garnish

Place bite-sized lettuce leaves on salad plates to cover and arrange pear slices in a pin-wheel design on top. Scatter brie slivers and walnuts over plate and serve. A raspberry vinegar-olive oil dressing may be added, but is not recommended if served with wine.
Serves 4

Crème de Menthe Parfaits

Vanilla ice cream
Green crème de menthe
Dark chocolate syrup

Pour a few drops of crème de menthe in the bottom of a parfait glass. Spoon a layer of good quality vanilla ice cream over it to cover the bottom of the dish and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Add another layer of ice cream, more crème de menthe, more ice cream and more syrup, ending with crème de menthe. Place in the freezer for at least half an hour so that the syrups thicken. Serve with a cherry or mint cookie garnish.