Throwback: Georgia On My Mind // March '13 Mantry

Stripling General Store // Pork Jerky // Cordele, GA

For 45 years the Stripling’s team has been raising fresh whole hogs out back and selling hand-crafted sausage out front of their original country general store. Family built over three generations, this roadside stop’s peppery pork jerky is far from general, outmatched only by the store’s slogan “You Never Sausage A Place”.

Pearson Farms // Georgia Pecans // Crawford, GA

Can a lazy day watching March Madness actually be approved upon? Well, sub in a couple pints & pecans for that guy complaining the #11 seed screwed his bracket and there’s a shot. Pearson Farm Pecans get shelled out everywhere from michelin star joints like Per Se in Manhattan to man caves across the Empire State South. Crack em’ like a local: squeeze two together in the palm of your hands and chase with a frosty brew and college sports.

Raw Honeycomb Pecan Butter Recipe Here

Savannah Bee Co. // Raw Honeycomb // Savannah, GA

Boasting a bio and awards mantle that parallels the The Karate Kid Savannah Bee founder Ted Dennard boasts an unparalleled dedication to unique single-origin honey native to the South. Ted was a 12-year old boy on his father’s Coastal Georgia property when a battered old pickup carrying beehives rattled into his life. Luckily the truck was also carrying Roy Hightower, an elderly beekeeper who taught Dennard the sweet science. 100% edible, treat honeycomb as you would honey, but for a recipe that’s the bees knees: 1) Mix pecans, honeycomb and salted butter in a food processor 2) Turn out on plastic wrap, roll into a log and chill 3) Capp off a batch of hotcakes with a coin and your guest will surely be buzzin’.

Hugh Acheson’s Shrimp and Grits Recipe Here

Nora Mills Granary // “Georgia Ice Cream” Grits // Helen, GA

We’ve invented the lightbulb and put a man on the moon but when it comes to grits, humanity can’t top the process of a water-powered grist mill, stone-grinding local corn to order. Luckily for Nora Mills they haven’t flinched on the process, as these old hand baggin’ sons of b’s have been up to the same old tricks in the North Georgia Mountains since 1876. New to grits? All good, it cooks up like oatmeal and you don’t even have to rely on us because top chef judge and award-winning Georgia Chef Hugh Acheson helped out and offered up his recipe for Shrimp & Grits (recipe: mantry.com)

Georgia Olive Farms // Arbequina Olive Oil // Lakeland, GA

Georgia is as synonymous with olive oil as Naples is with Nascar, but Jason Shaw has been turning heads since since turning out the first harvest of EVOO east of the Mississippi in 150 years. Leading chefs agree it’s worth the wait as gents like Sean Brock and Hugh Acheson have taken notice to Shaw’s commitment to quality, popping bottles of his small-batch, cold-pressed, extra virgin oil for their patrons.

Southern Soul BBQ // Hot Georgia Soul // St Simons Island, GA

From Powerball tickets to moon pies many of life’s cheap thrills are had at a gas station. You just don’t always expect to find the best damn BBQ in the state. That’s exactly what’s going down at the most decorated joint in Georgia Southern Soul BBQ, where a 1955 pit stop has been revamped into a refuge for all thing wood-fired and slow-cooked. Although we don’t endorse open-fire cooking in your home kitchen, we highly recommend tossing this sauce on some ribs and hosting a sud fueled shindig for your mates.