Foothills CELEBRATING NORTHEAST ALABAMA FALL 2026
Pie Pie VS.
REACH NEW CUSTOMERS! Our quarterly magazines offer: • Captivating content • Engaged readers • Credibility of print advertising • Three-month shelf life or longer • 4,000 copies distributed in Calhoun & Cleburne counties • Online digital flipbook off the shelves!” “It flies
ld be u o c s r de Our rea mers! o t s u c xt your ne TISE IN R E V D TO A
, Glisson y s l e h Call C 5 35-921 2 ) 6 5 ar.com t (2 s n o t s i s@ann foothill 2 Foothills
In This Issue FALL 2026
22 Scents of the Season Planting for a fragrant garden year-round
6 Seasonal Stroll
Places to sip and shop for this fall
10 Indian food, close to home Pick up butter chicken and more at SpiceBox in Rainbow City
13 Pie vs. pie
A fall flavor faceoff between pumpkin and pecan
18 Castle in the sky
Bringing new life to an iconic 100-year-old home
26 Girls on Bikes
Alabama mountain biking league wants girls to ride strong
30 Industrial Decay
An abandoned downtown building houses remnants of the past
33 Piano man
Andy Nevala has built up the JSU jazz program, while still touring and recording
36 Quick Bread
Focaccia only needs five ingredients and four hours
40 Stewards of livestock
At Indigo Ridge Farms, the focus is on caring for land and animals
Cover Photo by Rachel Webb
Foothills 3
Editor’s Note | LISA DAVIS
Season's greetings
Welcoming Fall with open arms After this summer, I am extremely ready for fall. I’m ready for long sleeves. I’m ready for scarves. I’m ready for soups and stews. I’m ready for Halloween-sized candy bars. I’m ready for the songbirds to come back. I’m ready for the tree frogs to quiet down at night. I’m ready for the leaves to change at Cheaha State Park. I’m not, however, ready for pumpkin spice lattes. I tried one of those once, a very long time ago. I did not find it pleasant. Maybe it’s genetic. I’m one of those people who think cilantro tastes like soap and Diet Coke tastes like chlorine. Over the years, just for grins, I’ve sampled various pumpkin spice foods — donuts, Pop-Tarts, Moon Pies, Oreos, Twinkies, M&Ms — and I have come to the conclusion that the highest and best use for pumpkin spice is … pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie. Really love it. My love for pumpkin pie is so deep that none of these other pumpkin pretenders can come close. For the fall issue of Foothills, food writer Rachel Webb asked people to pick their favorite seasonal pie: pumpkin or pecan? You know where my sympathies lie. You can read the poll results — and find Rachel’s amazing recipes for both pies — on page 13. Elsewhere in this issue, our shopping columnist goes hunting for tailgating goodies, we visit a house that feels like a castle, we profile a farm offering locally raised meats, and photographer Bill Wilson presents his annual “Spooky Places” Halloween photo essay. Wrap up in a blanket, find a hot beverage, and enjoy.
Foothills CELEBRATING NORTHEAST ALABAMA VOLUME 2, NO. 3
EDITOR Lisa Davis foothills@annistonstar.com DESIGNER Angela Reid Williams CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Bill Edwards WRITERS Misti Hayes Sherry Blanton Greg Bailey Joe Skaggs Rachel Webb Bill Wilson Lisa Davis Lauren Ballard PHOTOGRAPHERS Misti Hayes Sherry Blanton Seth McWilliams Joe Skaggs Tucker Webb Bill Wilson Rachel Webb Ellen Bass Hervey Folsom ADVERTISING SALES Chelsy Glisson foothills@annistonstar.com (256) 235-9215 CONSOLIDATED PUBLISHING CO. Blucher Ehringhaus, President and Publisher John Fry, Vice President and Publisher Ginna Gray, Director of Operations Foothills is a product of The Anniston Star, 1118 Noble Street, Anniston, AL 36201 Copyright 2026. Consolidated Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
4 Foothills
THANK YOU to our advertisers!
We’d like to thank the local businesses that have advertised with us since Foothills started. Your support makes it possible for us to keep celebrating the people and places of Northeast Alabama. Oxford Lumber The Kress Mercantile Aquality Farms Called Coffee Rosa Lee Boutique Bloom by Rosa Lee McClellan Sports and Outdoors Layne Lenses Photography Gadsden State Community College Family Savings Credit Union Nunnally's Noble Frame & Gallery Regions Bank
The 19th Hole at Cider Ridge Heavenly Host of Angels AOD Credit Union FabArc Steel Grizzard Living Aids J&M Plants First Bank of Alabama Cullman Christkindlmarkt The Aisle Bridal Expo Bill Whittaker, Architect Comfort Keepers
To advertise in Foothills: Call Chelsy Glisson, (256) 235-9215 Email: foothills@annistonstar.com
Foothills 5
Foothills Faves SHOP LOCAL
Places to sip and shop this fall
The Seasonal Stroll
1
Story and photographs by Misti Hayes
W
hile summer is lingering well past its welcome, I’m already anticipating that first cool morning — the one that calls for a sweater, a coffee in hand and nowhere particularly urgent to be. There’s something about fall that makes me want to get out and wander. Read on for a guide to where to take a picturesque small-town walk, grab that coffee, pick up something for the tailgate, watch the game, or celebrate afterward. And if the temperatures haven’t quite gotten the message yet? Grab an iced coffee. We’re going anyway.
6 Foothills
The Anchor Coffee Bar & Bistro
Biscuits and gravy so good I’m transported back to Ma Ma’s cat-head biscuits and my mother’s homemade gravy. Opened on the square in Jacksonville in October 2025 by Josh and Jay Fertic, this nautical-themed breakfast and brunch spot doesn’t seem to be losing steam. The outdoor patio is well shaded, delightfully decorated, and the perfect spot to linger this fall. ❱ 5 Public Square E., Jacksonville, (256) 365-1044, theanchorjaxstate on Facebook and Instagram
2
Mathew’s Meat Market
Football and tailgating are the peas and carrots of the south. This local butcher and grocery shop has opened a new location in north Anniston (in the old Christian Corner Meats space), and it has everything you need for a tailgating party of two or 20. Wings, fresh meat for that pot of chili, ribs if you want Southern barbecue. Grab some fudge, cheese straws, buffalo wing rub, brown sugar sweet barbecue rub or teriyaki beef jerky. They also carry a buffalo chicken dip I want to try. While you’re there, grab a half-gallon of the peach apple cider for those chilly fall evenings by the fire. ❱ 1002 U.S. Highway 431, Anniston, (256) 237-3518, Mathew’s Meat Market on Facebook
3
Chef Whit’z Hand-Popped Kettle Corn
If you need kettle corn for the game or a movie night, this is the place. Located in Main Street Anniston’s Small Box Shop, the gourmet kettle corn comes in flavors from classic (movie theater, caramel, white cheddar) to sweet (cookies and cream, chocolate) to spicy (jalapeno, salt and vinegar). ❱ 126 W. 11th Street, Anniston, (256) 405-9448, chefwhitz on Facebook and Instagram
Foothills 7
4
The Rhythm Cafe
Who doesn't love a cafe that loves Dolly Parton? This Heflin eatery is a place for conversation and community. There was a line for the hand-scooped ice cream when I walked inside, so I lingered to take in all the pictures and art while I waited. From the coffee menu, I ordered my usual chai, but the Cinna-Dolly is a bestseller for a reason. I’ll be back for one — and a little lunchtime sandwich to go with it. ❱ 1221 Almon St., Heflin, (256) 357-6774, rhythmcafeheflin.com
5
High Country Cellars
Owner Skipper Bailey has a good thing going at this Heflin winery: a vast selection of wines, plenty of them ready-chilled, plus wine slushies for when that summer heat lingers into fall. Be sure to say hello to Karen, and ask about her fainting goats. After all, wine and good conversation go hand in hand. ❱ 849 Almon St., Heflin, (256) 463-3456, highcountrycellars.com
8 Foothills
6
Apothecary Draft House
Need a place to watch the game if you’re not at home? A tap wall with beers, wines and ciders? Gimme. At this laid-back watering hole on the Jacksonville square, you can bring your own food or have your favorites delivered right to you while you watch. Game days, elevated. ❱ 7 Public Square E., Jacksonville, apothecaryjax.com
7
Almost Italy
If you need a place to celebrate (or cheer up) after the game, this little Italian restaurant in downtown Heflin offers gluten-free meatballs that are to die for, and the tiramisu is some of the best I’ve ever had. Celebrating a win or nursing a loss, good Italian food seems appropriate either way. If you’d like a glass of wine, bring your own, or stop by High Country Cellars beforehand for a bottle of red or white to accompany some fantastic Italian fare. Open only for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. ❱ 910 Ross St., Heflin, (256) 201-3649, Almost Italy on Facebook Misti Hayes is a lifelong Foothills native, mother of three, and writer who can most often be found with a notebook in hand and her dog Luke at her side.
Foothills 9
Food & Drink RAINBOW CITY
Pick up butter chicken, palak pareer and more at SpiceBox in Rainbow City
Indian food, close to home
S
Story by Greg Bailey Photographs by Seth McWilliams
hrey Desai describes himself as a “foodie” and his wife, Nupar, as a talented chef with a passion for the craft. “She loves cooking and I love eating,” he said with a laugh, noting that she’s fluent in all cuisines. But the couple got tired of having to drive to Birmingham or Atlanta to dine on the fare of their native country, India — only to find the results wanting. “She cooked everything (at home),” Desai said, “but when we went out to eat, it was not the same thing that we had at home.” So they took what Desai called “a leap of faith,” given that neither had any previous restaurant experience, and opened SpiceBox RBC in Rainbow City, offering an assortment of Indian dishes for takeout.
10 Foothills
The restaurant debuted in June and quickly attracted repeat customers — Desai said he counted 15 in the first three days of operation — and drew stellar reviews on social media. It’s the second option for Indian cuisine to open in Etowah County this year, joining the Curry Cart, a food truck that launched in February and now splits its time between Rainbow City and Gadsden. “This area can manage two (Indian restaurants),” Desai said. “People love Indian food and this area is deprived of it. There are plenty of Hispanic restaurants, burger joints and fried chicken places, but nothing beyond North America.” Desai said Etowah County has become a “melting pot” of multiple cultures, opening the door for diverse dining. Desai grew up in South Georgia, after his family immigrated to the U.S. when he was 12. He and his wife moved from the Peach State to Alabama in 2012. They also own The Country Store gas station in Cedar Bluff. The restaurant’s name comes from the spice box, or masala dabba, that’s standard in Indian households. It contains things like chili powder, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, mustard seeds, turmeric and various masalas, or spice blends. These boxes are passed down through generations. Nupar got her mother’s spice box when she married, Desai said, and it will go to their daughter, who’s 11, when it’s time. (They also have a son, 9.) Spiciness is a hallmark of Indian cuisine, and the restaurant uses hand-picked spices imported from India, Desai said. “It’s not the heat you get from other foods, where they throw in red chiles or jalapeño, Serrano or habanero peppers,” he said. “The spice has the heat factor.” He said they work to educate customers about that. “When someone says ‘I can’t handle spicy,’ I’ll say, ‘Try this,’” Desai said. “You’ve Foothills 11
got to build your palate up. It’s not going to be instantaneous.” Dishes available at various times have included Indian restaurant favorites like Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala, a spicy curry specialty called Truck Stop Chicken, Malai Chicken (mild and creamy curry), Chana Masala (chickpea-based), Cheese Butter Masala (made with an Indian cheese called amul), Palak Paneer (with spinach), Vegetable Korma (mixed vegetable curry), Pav Bhaji (mashed vegetables in gravy, served with soft buns) and Kadai Paneer. Desai said the Butter Chicken and Truck Stop Chicken have been so successful they will be regular offerings. How the menu shapes up moving forward will depend on the popularity of dishes. “If it becomes a hit, it’ll stay on the menu,” he said. “If not, we’ll try something else.”
Shrey and Nupar Desai
"There are plenty of Hispanic restaurants, burger joints and fried chicken places, but nothing beyond North America." — Shrey Desai
AQUALITY FARMS SUSTAINABLY HEALTHY
Mushroom Coffee that actually tates good! That’s what Aquality Farms has perfected with Blend Functional Mushroom Coffee. Sourcing the highest quality coffee beans and partnering with local roasters to infuse pure and potent beneficial mushroom compounds into your favorite beverage. The end result a great tasting coffee that has functional health benefits. No more dirt water for your morning ritual or shady online mystery products. Pick up a bag today, your brain and body will thank you. Remember Don’t Trip, Just Sip!
12 Foothills
Appetizers include Vegetable Samosas, Jeera Chicken (marinated and grilled), Vegetable Manchurian (crispy vegetable balls tossed in sauce) and Chili Chicken. Along with soft drinks, diners can try Mango Lassi (a creamy concoction of fresh mango, yogurt and spices), and dessert offerings like Gulab Jamun (soft milk dumplings in a rose-flavored sugar syrup). Desai said if feedback is any indication, SpiceBox RBC “is heading in the right direction, as long as we maintain what we’re doing.” To ensure that happens, he doesn’t want “too many hands in the kitchen,” where his wife is the head chef “and what she says goes,” with him there “to provide a helping hand.” SpiceBox RBC is only doing takeout orders at present — Desai advised diners to call and “give us 20 or 30 minutes” and they’ll be able to pick up their food without waiting — but there are plans to add dine-in tables. SpiceBox RBC, 135-B West Grand Ave., Rainbow City, (256) 563-1078, or on Facebook. Open Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday noon-8 p.m. Orders must be phoned in by 7:15 p.m. ❰
Food & Drink FALL FLAVORS
vs
PIE PIE A fall flavor faceoff between pumpkin and pecan Story by Rachel Webb | Photographs by Tucker Webb and Rachel Webb
Foothills 13
T
he only thing I love more than eating pie is making it. Because I’m always looking for an excuse to make a few pies, and because I thought this would be a fun experiment, I made a couple of pumpkin pies and a couple of pecan pies and asked friends and family members to try both. Of the 20 people I asked to participate, not one turned me down. Folks really, really like pie. The pies made people nostalgic in the best ways. They talked about their grandmothers, remembered family gatherings, told stories about being together with their siblings and cousins, and wanted to compare recipes. Most people started off all business but after a couple of bites got very relaxed, and happy, and chatty. I love how pies and grandmothers seem inextricably linked. So many people immediately started talking about their Grandma or Nana or Memaw when they started eating pie, usually in the context of family togetherness. Making a pie is a labor of love, and time, and experience. It’s a secret weapon when it comes to bringing people together, and grandmothers seem to wield it very well. I also love that the tables have turned for me, and instead of my Memaw making me pies, I now have the pleasure and the blessing of making them for her. ❰
PECAN VS. PUMPKIN: SURVEY SAYS … I asked 20 people to choose their favorite between pecan pie and pumpkin pie. I would not have predicted pumpkin pie being the clear winner. A couple of folks were either allergic to pecans or had other reasons to not eat them, so they were default pumpkin pie votes. Four of the people who voted for pumpkin said they’d normally vote the other way. Several people expressed that traditional pumpkin pies are, in their experience, not like the one I made. But the hardcore pecan fans, they prefer a pie with crunch.
THE RESULTS Pumpkin: 11 Pecan: 5 Refused to choose: 3 Apple: 1 Tucker (my husband) Loves pecan pie most of all, especially with vanilla ice cream. Said pecan pie has the texture he craves, and while pumpkin pie is really good flavor-wise, it doesn’t have enough crunch. Alton (my 9-year-old) Loves to bake pumpkin pies with me. Refused to try pecan pie, much to his father’s chagrin. Sneaked multiple pieces of pumpkin pie during the sampling process. Orin (my 6-year-old) “I vote for apple.” After being reminded that the choices were pumpkin or pecan, he thought about it and still stubbornly voted for apple. My mom Hardcore pumpkin pie fan. Thinks pumpkin pie is best served cold, at breakfast, with hot black coffee. Voiced the opinion that these two pies are incomparable due to their deep “philosophical differences,” so trying to decide between them was unfair. Memaw Made the pumpkin pies that my cousins and I grew up eating. Voted for pumpkin by default as she can’t eat pecans. Papaw Has 94 years of pie experience. Expressed rapturous joy while trying both pies. Threatened to not save any pie samples for Memaw. Refused to pick just one.
14 Foothills
HOMEMADE PIE CRUST Makes one crust
6 ounces flour 4 ounces cold, unsalted butter, cubed ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon granulated sugar About 1.5 ounces very cold water Combine flour, cubed butter, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Pulse the mixture until it resembles lumpy cornmeal. This step can be done by hand (called “cutting in” butter), but it is labor- and time-intensive and requires a specialized tool. There are those who insist that cutting butter in by hand yields a more tender crust because it doesn’t overwork the gluten. That may be true, but I don’t have time for all that. I use my food processor. As the processor is running, drizzle in the cold water until the mixture just starts to come together. You want it to just barely be able to stick to itself without completely crumbling. You may not use all the water. I find that ambient humidity affects how much water is needed. When the right consistency is reached, dump the mixture out onto a clean, flat work surface. Using clean hands, work the mixture into a smooth ball. Add flour to hands and work surface to keep the dough from sticking. This is the step where I think the dough often gets overworked. Try to avoid that — gluten is a princess and hates to be overworked. Also, work quickly so the butter won’t start melting. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. This is an important step because Princess Gluten now needs time to relax. If you bake a crust that hasn’t had time to chill and relax, it’ll shrink. When chilled, take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit for 30 minutes so it won’t crack so badly when you start rolling it out. It should still be cold, but not so cold it’s brittle or crumbly. Unwrap the plastic and place the dough on a clean, flat, well-floured work surface. (If you doubled the recipe and made two crusts, cut the dough in half.) Using a heavy rolling pin, begin working the dough into a disc. Give the disc a quarter-turn every few passes to keep it round. After each full turn of the disc, flip it over and do a full turn of passes on the other side. Re-flour your work surface and the rolling
pin as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Work quickly so the butter won’t start melting. When the disc is uniformly about 1/8 inch thick and in the neighborhood of 14 inches in diameter, gently roll it around your rolling pin and transfer it into a pie plate. Don’t stretch the dough down into the corners of the plate! That makes thin spots in the crust and also creates tension. When Princess Gluten gets hot in the oven, it’ll pull back to its original shape in those spots of tension and your crust will shrink. Instead of stretching the dough, gently lift it and shimmy it down into place. Using kitchen scissors, trim the excess dough from the edges of the plate, leaving a 1-inch overhang all around. Fold the overhang under itself, on top of the plate’s lip. Using floury fingers, flute the edge of the crust all the way around. There are a million ways to flute a pie crust, and if you don’t want to mess with any of them, use the floured tines of a fork to lightly press down on the folded edge and seal it. Then put the pie plate and crust in the refrigerator or freezer to stay cold until you fill it. Before filling the crust, brush off any excess flour, then give it a thorough egg wash with a soft bristled brush. The egg helps form a bit of a barrier between the crust and the filling so the crust stays crisp. Also, with custard pies, the egg “glues” the crust to the filling so the crust doesn’t fall away so easily after it’s cut. TIPS: I double this recipe and make two crusts at a time. If I don’t need the other one, I freeze it. Invest in a bench scraper to help divide the crusts, lift them off the work surface if they try to stick, and clean up your floury mess. Preheat a heavy sheet pan when you turn on your oven. When you’re ready to bake, put your pie plate on the hot sheet pan and bake it there. This helps the bottom of the crust cook thoroughly, making the crust crispy all the way through.
How to make a homemade pie
Homemade pies are not supposed to look like store-bought pies. They’re supposed to look like they were made with someone’s hands, not stamped out of a machine. The human element of them (the “love,” as your Grandma would say) is the most important part. Your crust shrank a little? The egg overcooked a tad? Some filling sloshed up onto the crust or the pecans got a touch too browned? So what? It’s still going to be a delicious pie. Don’t stress about it. But if you feel like you really must, then cover that imperfection with a scoop of ice cream. Voilà. Beautiful.
Foothills 15
PUMPKIN PIE FILLING 3.5 ounces egg, lightly beaten 12.3 ounces pumpkin puree (canned or homemade) 8.5 ounces light brown sugar 11.3 ounces evaporated milk ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 ounce melted butter Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Combine egg, puree, sugar, evaporated milk, salt, and seasonings in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add the melted butter and mix again to incorporate it. (I have used a blender before to mix the filling ingredients and I really liked the results. The filling was airy and light. I’ve since killed my blender and 16 Foothills
haven’t replaced it, so I’m back to hand mixing.) Pour the filling into a prepared pie crust and bake for 5 minutes to “blast” or set the crust. After 5 minutes, reduce the heat to 340 degrees F and bake for about 40 minutes. If it’s very cold outside, you may have to cook the pie a little longer. I find that 45-50 minutes is normal in the winter. Summer pies are more eager to be done and cook in 35-40 minutes. When the middle of the pie jiggles but doesn’t slosh, it’s ready. If the pie filling begins to “puff” up so much that it cracks, take it out immediately! Turn the temp down in the oven! The egg is overcooking. It’s not a loss by any means, but the texture of the filling is better — silky and smooth — when the egg doesn’t overcook. Perfectly cooked eggs also help the filling retain its moisture, keeping the pie from “weeping.” Before cutting it, let the pie cool for at least 1 hour. Two hours is better, if you can hold off for that long. Note: If you want a sweet potato pie, substitute sweet potato puree for the pumpkin puree.
PECAN PIE FILLING 5.7 ounces light brown sugar 8 ounces light corn syrup 1.7 ounces unsalted butter .3 ounce vanilla extract .1 ounce salt (that’s POINT-1 ounce, which is about 3 grams, or somewhere between ½ and ¾ teaspoon, depending on the flakiness of the salt. This is why weighted measurements are better!) 5.7 ounces eggs, lightly beaten 7.1 ounces pecans (chopped, halved, or whole, your choice) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. In a saucepan over gentle heat, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir until the sugar melts and everything is smooth and incorporated. Remove the saucepan from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Gently and slowly stir in the eggs. If the sugar mixture is too hot, it will start to cook the eggs. Make sure it’s warm, but not hot. Stir in the pecans. Pour the filling into a prepared pie crust. I sprinkle a tiny bit of flaky salt and a tiny bit of brown sugar along the edge of the crust. Bake at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes to “blast” or set the crust. After 5 minutes, reduce the heat to 340 degrees F and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the middle is set. It should jiggle, not slosh, when lightly tapped, and the internal temperature should be between 185 degrees F and 200 degrees F in the center of the pie. After about 25 minutes in the oven, tent the pie with aluminum foil. This keeps the crust and the pecans from getting too brown before the filling is set. Let the pie cool for 2 to 3 hours before cutting so the filling can set up.
Extraordinary Custom Framing. Exceptional Local Artists. For over 50 years, Nunnally's Noble Frame & Gallery has brought the art of custom framing to our community. We are proud to offer expert design, quality craftsmanship, and the latest preservation products and techniques for your home and business. In addition to custom framing, Noble Gallery is home to over 30 Alabama artists, showcasing an ever-changing collection of local paintings, pottery, glass, jewelry, woodcrafts, books, and more. Whether you are looking to purchase or simply browse, we invite you to visit us and enjoy touring the gallery. We look forward to seeing you. Our team, Ann, Gary, Landon, Megan, Patsy and Nellie
Come celebrate 50 YEARS in business with us Oct. 1st 10am-6pm
Nunnally’s
Noble Frame & Gallery (256) 237-5921 Home@NobleFrameAndGallery.com www.NobleFrameAndGallery.com
Foothills 17AL 1014 Noble St. Historic Downtown Anniston,
Home & Garden ANNISTON
Bringing new life to an iconic 100-year-old home
Castle in the Sky
T
Story by Lisa Davis | Photographs by Tucker Webb
he Anniston house looks like a small castle rising out of the wooded hillside, with winding staircases and walls made of stone. Everybody called it “the Wheeler house.” Mike and Mindy Poe used to live in the neighborhood and would pass it frequently. “We had always admired the house when we walked by. It’s a pretty setting,” said Mike, who is a financial adviser. The Poes moved to Jacksonville, but by 2017
18 Foothills
were ready to move back to Anniston. Mike wanted an old-world-style house — “like the Wheeler house.” In a stroke of serendipity, the Wheeler house had just gone on the market. The house was built in 1929 by Raymond and Evelyn Wheeler, then expanded in the 1970s by their son John and his wife, Jane. John and Jane Wheeler were pillars of the Anniston community: John as a longtime bank
president and economic cheerleader, Jane as a volunteer with civic organizations including the Knox Concert Series and the Salvation Army. Mike and Mindy Poe set about restoring and updating the Wheeler house. It was a house full of character, with rooms at odd angles and details befitting a small castle. Some of the tall windows are decorated with stained-glass images of knights on horseback. A small, wrought-iron balcony overlooks the grounds (and was a favorite of generations of Wheeler kids and Poe kids). Every Christmas, the Wheelers would display an enormous star atop the house. Mike had always wondered how they got a 6-foot-tall star up on the roof. And then he found the pulley system in the attic. And he had a new star made. “We renovated but tried to keep the original character of the house,” Mike said. Among the things they kept: a stone fireplace mantel with a “W” carved into it; hand-forged wrought-iron stair rails and curtain rods; even some of the original 1927 bathroom fixtures. But the layout of the house needed to change to meet the needs of the 21st century. The original dining room, with mahogany paneling and built-in corner cabinets, became a cozy study. The original living room became the dining room. The old butler’s pantry became a home office. The biggest challenge was the kitchen. The Poes have a big family, and Mindy likes to cook. But “old houses have small kitchens,” she said. The Poes took part of the den to add a bright, open, spacious kitchen. The original kitchen is now the laundry room. Even with the changes, “we still call it the Wheeler house,” Mike said. “It will always be the Wheeler house,” Mindy said. “It’s like walking into living history.” One of the biggest restoration
Mike and Mindy Poe
Foothills 19
projects was the original steel casement windows, which had “100 years of paint on them,” Mike said. They were hard to open. Some were starting to rust. “But we didn’t want to replace them,” Mike said. Instead, they had them refurbished by Seekircher Steel Window of Peekskill, N.Y. The company repairs and restores steel casement windows at homes throughout the country — including Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. Pinnacle Restoration and Remodeling of Anniston repainted the exterior of the house, and also stripped and repaired the original heart-pine window trim, which was then stained to show off the beauty of the wood. David Christian, of Christian & Associates Architects in Anniston, helped with ideas for reconfiguring the interior rooms. Scott Skinner of STS Decorating and Design in Anniston helped with choosing paint colors, textiles, and finishing touches for the interiors. ❰
20 Foothills
Foothills 21
The Southern Gardener
Scents of the seasons Planting for a fragrant garden year-round Story and photographs by Sherry Blanton
A
garden is a treasure chest of delights for our senses. Birds chirping, bees buzzing, or water gurgling in a fountain engage our sense of hearing. Plants such as lamb’s ear, with its soft furry leaves, delight the sense of touch. Blooms in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes gratify the sense of sight. Fruits, vegetables, and herbs fulfill our sense of taste. Delicious fragrances cause us to literally stop and smell the roses. I enjoy walking through my garden to smell a gardenia, a tuberose, an old-fashioned rose. Their exquisite fragrances heal my gardener’s heart. The aroma of flowers is also attractive to the butterflies. These pollinators are essential to the chain of life in the garden. While bright colors help the butterflies spot flowers to pollinate, the fragrance confirms the presence of nectar and guides them to their destination. To help the butterflies, avoid using smelly pesticides and herbicides, which can interfere with their scent receptors.
22 Foothills
Ginger lily
Fragrance can also come from foliage. For example, the leaves of an evergreen anise (illicium), a shrub or small tree, smell like anise. Another way to add fragrance is to plant herbs in containers or beds. I keep a container of peppermint on the stairs and stop on my daily rounds for a whiff.
Scents for every season Winter
› WINTER DAPHNE (Daphne odora), an evergreen shrub with delicate but highly fragrant pink small blooms. Daphne’s rewards can be overwhelmed by its tendency to die for no apparent reason; alive one week, deceased the next. Despite its peculiarity, every garden needs one. › PAPER BUSH (Edgeworthia chrysantha), a deciduous shrub that blooms in January with highly fragrant, yellow, nodding blooms. › VIOLA, an annual miniature pansy whose cheerful rainbow-colored faces bear a wonderful sweet fragrance from fall through spring.
Winter daphne
Paper Bush
Spring
› BANANA SHRUB, an evergreen shrub or small tree, bearing small, creamy blooms that fill the air with a scent akin to banana pudding. › PINKS, which resemble carnations (different from florist carnations), are a very fragrant ground cover, blooming from spring to fall if deadheaded. › TEA OLIVE (Osmanthus), an evergreen shrub or small tree, with hundreds of highly fragrant small flowers covering the plant. It can perfume an entire garden. Blooms sporadically through summer. › CONFEDERATE JASMINE, an evergreen vine, blooms late spring into summer and bears fabulously scented small white flowers. Add a trellis for this climber, or allow them to run on the bare ground as a groundcover. › SOUTHERN MAGNOLIA (Grandifolia magnolia), a staple in the South, bears magnificent, creamy white, highly fragrant blooms in late spring.
Banana Shrub
Confederate Jasmine
Pinks
Foothills 23
Summer
Tuberose
Old-Fashined Roses
Four O'Clock
› TUBEROSE (Polianthus tuberosa), a perennial bulb with a creamy white flower able to sweetly perfume an entire garden. Often used in wedding flowers and made into leis in Hawaii. Also used to make perfume. Hide them from the deer, who also love them. › ANGEL’S TRUMPET (Brugmansia), a perennial shrub or small tree with large, downward facing, deliciously fragrant blooms that open at dusk and remain open the next day. Caution: All parts, including leaves, blooms and stems, are extremely toxic. › OLD-FASHIONED ROSES, whether climbing or shrub style, bring a highly fragrant gift to a sensory garden. (Newer roses that are bred for various traits such as size, disease tolerance, or blooms often have no fragrance.) › FOUR O’CLOCK (Mirabilis) a perennial growing from seed or rhizome. A spreader available in many colors, it blooms around four o’clock, making it an excellent choice for a night garden. › HELIOTROPE, an annual with vanilla-scented, purple blooms, is lovely in containers or the ground. › GARDENIA, an evergreen shrub (available in a range of sizes) with creamy white flowers and an unforgettable perfume. Gardenias and a warm summer night are a natural pairing. › LAVENDER (lavendula), a perennial loved for its purple blooms and aromatic foliage. Unfortunately, lavender does not always do well in our Southern climate; plant it in fast-draining soil in full sun, omitting fertilizer.
Fall
› GINGER LILY (Hedychium), a perennial from a rhizome, sports wonderful fragrance and exquisite blooms, attractive to pollinators. It spreads easily. ❰ Sherry Blanton, “The Southern Gardener,” writes about gardening in Northeast Alabama. Follow her on Facebook at Southern Gardener-Anniston Star. Heliotrope
24 Foothills
1400 BARRY ST. OXFORD, AL 36203 256-831-0540 oxfordlumber.com
Built on Service. Rooted in Community.
START
YOUR FALL WITH US
Projects. Game Days. Outdoor Living. Fall Done Right.
From weekend projects to cozy nights at home, fall is the perfect time to get things done. We’ve got the products, brands and expert advice to help you make the most of the season.
TACKLE YOUR FALL PROJECTS Gardenia
Cooler weather is a great time to check those projects off your list. From repairs and maintenance to bigger weekend projects, we have the materials, tools and know-how to help you get it done. Lumber • Tools • Hardware • Stains & Sealers
FIRE. FOOD. FOOTBALL Fall was made for good food, warm fires, and gathering outside. From grills and griddles to fire pits and outdoor cooking essentials, we've got what you need for game day and beyond. Solo Stove • Traeger • Weber • recteq • More
FALL CLEANUP MADE EASY When the leaves start coming down, the right equipment makes all the difference. From blowers and outdoor power equipment to lawn and garden essentials, we'll help you get your yard ready for the season ahead.
EGO • STIHL • Outdoor Power • Lawn & Garden
READY FOR WHATEVER Fall brings cooler weather, weekend FALL BRINGS projects, and more reasons to enjoy home. Whatever you have on your fall to-do list, Oxford Lumber has the products, brands, and helpful advice to help you get it done.
Ginger lily
ROANOKE TALLADEGA JACKSONVILLE LINCOLN Foothills 25 HOME CENTER HOME CENTER HOME CENTER LUMBER
Outdoors ANNISTON
GIRLS
N BIKES
Alabama mountain biking league wants girls to ride strong Story and Photographs by Joe Skaggs
26 Foothills
M
ountain biking as a high school sport came to the state of Alabama in 2014. Fast forward to the year 2026, and there are more than 600 riders, 400 coaches and 31 teams participating under the umbrella of the Alabama Cycling Association (ACA). Each season, the nonprofit organization sanctions six weekends of racing for high school and middle school athletes. The goal is to provide an environment where student athletes can develop new friendships, improve skills, learn discipline, foster respect, and understand the value of cycling as a mode of transportation and a lifelong sport. Another great thing about mountain bike racing? The teams are co-ed, and the guys and girls have opportunities to train alongside one another. But only slightly more than 10 percent of ACA racers are female.
The organization has tried to encourage more female riders, including a program called “Girls Ride Alabama Cycling” that included an activity tent and a preride for the girls before every race. But they needed more. “When I took over the program, I noticed there was a loss between the girls having a true connection and space within Alabama cycling,” said ACA program director Sara Steidinger, who was hired in 2025. The program has been rebranded as GRace, which stands for “Girls Race.” The goal is to create a space where girls can feel strong and capable, support each other, push their limits safely, and discover what they’re truly capable of. “Girls Race, to me, simply means girls do hard things,” Steidinger said. She went all in for the 2026-27 season. Partnering Foothills 27
with Treeline Expeditions, an outdoor adventure program in Birmingham, Steidinger spearheaded several pre-season events to encourage relationships with the girls, including a four-day immersive summer camp and four single-day events. Girls could attend any or all of them. The best part is that the girls did not have to be registered to race in ACA in order to attend. The events were open to all girls who love to ride bikes, who are excited about outdoor adventure, who want to build confidence, or who want to try something new. It was a chance for girls of all skill levels to build confidence, connection, and courage, on and off the trail. One of those single-day events was held in Anniston in August. The girls rode mountain bikes on the trails at McClellan, then had lunch downtown at the headquarters of the Northeast Alabama Bicycle Association. The girls worked through skills, crafts, had a good lunch and built memories. One of Steidinger’s hopes is that the girls who come to race in the spring will already have connections built. The partnership between ACA and Treeline Expeditions has been a game changer. The owners, Bill and Suzanne Andrews, brought not only a depth of experience and equipment to the table, but big hearts for the vision.
28 Foothills
When Steidinger approached Bill Andrews about the partnership, her No. 1 goal was to bring girls together in a place they could be themselves. Andrews listened, put his hand on his chin, nodded his head up and down, and then finally said, “Yeah, I think we can make that happen.” The girls now affectionately refer to Bill as “Chef,” because at the summer camp he cooked for them every day. From Day One, this has been about growing the cycling community one young woman at a time. But it’s also about putting smiles on the faces of the girls. But what does real success look like? Steidinger wants to get the number of female racers at ACA closer to 50 percent. She also wants more people to come along for the journey. ACA needs sponsors for supplies for crafts and games. Folks can help with meals. During the race season, volunteers are needed to help with crafts or even theme giveaways to help create an exciting vibe at the races. Helping GRace is as easy as sending an email to sara@ acamtb.org. For more information about the Alabama Cycling Association, visit acamtb.org, or find them on Facebook or Instagram. Check out Treeline Expeditions at treeline-expeditions. com. ❰ Joe Skaggs is an Oxford-based freelance photographer and writer. He enjoys writing letters and shooting black-andwhite film. Find him on Instagram @joeskaggsphoto.
Feel extraordinary about your home financing decisions with our newest team member. Contact Scott right here in Anniston today.
SCOTT NELSON
Mortgage Loan Officer NMLS 203863 c - 256.310.8542 scott.nelson@regions.com
Foothills 29
© 2026 Regions Bank. NMLS# 174490. All loans subject to qualification, required documentation and credit approval. Certain exclusions may apply. Loan terms and availability subject to change. | Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank. (07/26)
Spooky Places ANNISTON
Industrial
DECAY Story and photographs by Bill Wilson
30 Foothills
An abandoned downtown building houses remnants of the past
E
ach year around Halloween, I go looking for a place with a story to tell — somewhere forgotten, abandoned or simply hiding in plain sight. Over the years, I’ve photographed an abandoned elementary school, a partially burned-out church and an old shuttered mill, where it was easy to imagine the whispers of another time echoing through the darkness. Just a block off Noble Street, near downtown Anniston, sits an abandoned industrial building. Its days of humming machinery and busy workers are long gone. Today, the building is an eyesore to some and a shelter to others. Walking through its doors in the middle of the day is like stepping through a curtain. Outside, there is sunlight. Inside, the world suddenly becomes dim, gray and strangely quiet. It takes a few seconds for your eyes to adjust. Then you hear it. A bang. Foothills 31
It echoes somewhere deep inside the building, bouncing off the barren walls before finally disappearing into the darkness. You stop. You listen. Nothing. Then another sound. The building is filled with the remnants of those who have passed through it. Debris is scattered across the floors. The walls and massive concrete columns are covered with graffiti, some of it colorful, some of it crude, some of it downright unsettling. “Blood” is painted in green. “Madman” is scrawled nearby. There is something unnerving about standing alone inside a building like this. Every dark doorway becomes a question. Every distant noise makes you wonder whether you are truly alone. You find yourself looking over your shoulder. More than once. Perhaps it is simply your imagination filling in the blanks. Perhaps every creak, bang and distant rustle has a perfectly ordinary explanation. But standing there in the shadows, you can’t help but feel that you are being watched. By whom — or what — is another question. ❰
32 Foothills
Arts & Culture JACKSONVILLE
Piano man Andy Nevala has built up the JSU jazz program, while still touring and recording
Story and Photographs by Joe Skaggs
Foothills 33
F
or the last 15 years, Andy Nevala has occupied the director’s chair for the Jazz Studies department at Jacksonville State University. He has been building this juggernaut of a program to forge arrangers and educators. But more importantly, he is turning everyday musicians into master communicators, fluent in musical creativity. This did not happen overnight, nor did it happen by means of a straight path. People talk about going back to their roots. Nevala’s roots come from adapting and assimilating to the situation around him. A true military brat, he would move from place to place with his family when his father would have a new duty station. Some people cave under "I came to Jacksonville that type of presState University to build sure. Nevala learned a jazz program, which to thrive. With moves across the I knew was possible U.S. and Germany, from the success of the he learned to adapt. Marching Southerners" “There wasn’t social media back — Andy Nevala then, so once you left a place, you left that place and the relationships you had. You had you,” he said. “That shaped my musical development, by being able to adapt to new situations and styles and to fit in quickly with whatever band I was in. It also made it easy to be on the road touring, something I still love to do.” Nevala’s formal education was shaped in much the same way as his family’s military journey. When he was in ninth grade, he was taking lessons from jazz pianist Chuck Smith at Boise State in Idaho. His teachers at Boise State gave him a wide spectrum of opportunities, including a trip to the UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival in Colorado, one of the country’s largest.
34 Foothills
“What I heard there blew my mind,” Nevala said. “I knew I wanted to play with those guys, so after a year I packed my van and drove to Colorado to start graduate school.” With the opportunity and hard work came new experiences. By his second year, he was a teaching assistant in the jazz program. When one of his professors became director at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU), Nevala jumped at the opportunity to work with him as a graduate assistant. He became the first doctoral student in the jazz studies program. He studied jazz piano with Chip Stephens, who played with greats including Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, and Glenn Miller. This brought a daring opportunity. Nevala was hired to play with the Glenn Miller Orchestra on a phone call in Stephens’ office. “They let me leave CU for two years to tour with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, which was a great experience. Fifty weeks a year on the road,” Nevala said. After performing nearly 300 shows with Glenn Miller, he returned to CU to finish his coursework. His teaching career began as coordinator of jazz studies at California State University, Stanislaus. He stayed there for three years and was playing in San Francisco when he was approached about JSU. “I came to Jacksonville State University to build a jazz program, which I knew was possible from the success of the Marching Southerners,” Nevala said. Within one year, JSU had hired three adjunct jazz professors. Within three years, the department had four big bands. In year four, JSU won its first DownBeat Student Music Award, considered the most prestigious award in jazz education. “The biggest challenge was knowing what needed to be done,” Nevala said. For him, that meant playing difficult music, applied lessons from jazz educators on each instrument, classes in arranging, improvisation jazz piano, jazz theory, and jazz pedagogy.
JSU now offers a jazz performance degree, and its jazz majors are playing all over the Southeast and attending graduate school as graduate teaching assistants. Nevala’s love for teaching ultimately springs from doing. He has never lost his passion for composing and performing. Latin music, particularly salsa, came into his life in college — and continues today. Last year, Nevala released an album called “El Rumbon (The Party).” It reimagines standards with Afro-Cuban rhythms. It includes an amazing arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” and has John Coltrane’s “Countdown” in 5/4. “Playing in odd meters came from Venezuelan folk music,” Nevala said. The album won two medals at the Global Music Awards. Andy recently took a jazz quartet to the Birmingham Museum of Art to perform selections from the album. The quartet was absolutely fierce. With Emrah Kotan on drums, Frankie Quinones on percussion, and Andy Eulau on bass, they brought a hypnotizing pulse into the performance hall. This summer saw the release of a new trio album called “House Sessions.” Nevala continues to tour, perform, and educate. He continues to bring greatness to the program at JSU. He keeps the pulse going. The party never stops. To listen to Nevala’s music, visit AndyNevalaMusic.com. ❰ Joe Skaggs is an Oxford-based freelance photographer and writer. He was the bassist in Jazz I at JSU in 2006. Find him on Instagram @joeskaggsphoto.
Federally Insured by NCUA
Big Dreams Start with the Right Loan.
Land Loans
Claim your slice of paradise
Construction Loans Build with confidence
Home Equity Line of Credit www.familysavingscu.com 888-311-3728 Baptisia
Unlock the power of your equity
Foothills 35
Modern Homestead FARM LIFE
Quick Bread Story and photographs by Rachel Webb
36 Foothills
Focaccia only needs five ingredients and four hours
B
aking is science. I tell my kid this all the time. As a little scientist, he is fascinated with seeing science in action. He also loves bread and baked goods, so he’s doubly interested in my baking pursuits. As a homeschool mom, I’m forever looking for ways to keep him engaged while we’re working. Right now, baking is our favorite chemistry experiment. It combines, among other things, the mixing of proper ratios, the use of precise measurements, an understanding of molecular structure (especially proteins), the forming of molecular bonds, and the effects of temperature, time, and mechanical action on those bonds. Then, in the end, we get something delicious to eat. Not everyone is a scientist, though, and not everyone has the time, patience, or desire to bake bread at home. I used to bake sourdough and, while delicious, it was a lot of work. Now I have kids, a full-time job, a couple of side hustles, a homeschool kid, 10 acres of property, 18 chickens, and a huge food garden. I simply do not have the mental bandwidth to keep a sourdough starter alive and happy, or spend upwards of two days working on a loaf of bread. But I still love baking (and eating) bread. Last winter, I began looking for a type of bread I could bake in a few hours, at home, with staple ingredients. No overnight proofing, no fridge pets, no hassle. Bonus points if it was straightforward enough for my kid to follow the process, too. Thankfully, I found focaccia bread. Talk about easy! It’s five ingredients, and one of those is water. It takes about four hours from start to finish, and it’s endlessly customizable. There’s no painstaking texture-testing to make sure you kneaded enough. No specialized tools. No ingredients that have to be ordered online. Just some basic science and a few quality ingredients. As with all traditional bread, the key is treating wheat proteins correctly. They need
Foothills 37
time and assistance in order to reconfigure themselves correctly during the fermentation process. If they are denied the time and help they need, the resulting bread will be “weak,” meaning it’s unable to hold gas bubbles, and therefore dense and flat. You see, when wheat proteins come into contact with water, they’re suddenly able to move around more easily. They start making friends with any and every other protein molecule in the vicinity. But some of those relationships just aren’t strong enough to last. When the yeast in the bread is off-gassing (a term my scientist son is endlessly amused by) and making bubbles in the dough, the resiliency of those newly formed protein relationships is being tested. Every time you stretch, fold, punch, and knead the dough, you’re helping those proteins realign themselves into much stronger configurations. Those stronger configurations eventually become gluten strands and sheets. When treated properly, gluten is flexible enough to expand and trap gas, but still strong enough to hold that gas, making the finished bread light and airy. Focaccia bread does not require the intense kneading that other breads do. It’s supposed to be quite holey, with sizable bubbles in the crumb (or interior). The “stretch and fold” method is plenty to give the bread its traditional and sought-after airy texture. The crust is both crispy, thanks to the crunchy tops of the large trapped gas bubbles, and slightly chewy, due to the higher water ratio than other breads (and all the olive oil it’s made and baked with). My son and I make this bread at least twice a week. It’s a perfect sandwich bread when sliced horizontally (equally separating the top and bottom crusts), and it also makes excellent garlic bread and homemade croutons. ❰ Rachel Webb is a mom, wife, daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and friend. She and her husband have been married for 10 years and have two sons. They live on her family’s multi-generational farm in Talladega County. Her favorite pastimes are gardening, cooking, reading, and drinking margaritas.
38 Foothills
FOCACCIA BREAD • Tip: Use flour with at least 11 percent protein. King Arthur brand is my favorite. • I also suggest investing in a scale to weigh ingredients. It’s much more precise. For example: 12 grams of flaky sea salt is equivalent to 12 grams of fine table salt by weight, but they are NOT the same if you put them in a measuring spoon. The flaky salt has more space between each flake, making it take up more space. You’ll end up with too little salt, and in the bread world, that’s a criminal offense. 8 grams active dry yeast 2 cups lukewarm water 512 grams all-purpose flour 12 grams flaky sea salt Around ½ cup olive oil
Optional: Chopped rosemary, sliced onion, sliced garlic, sliced peppers, or other herbs and vegetables to top the bread
Stir yeast into water and let it sit for about 15 minutes. The mixture will get a bit foamy as the yeast blooms (or activates), and you will be able to smell it. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Pour the yeast and water mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until they form a sticky dough ball. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and leave it on the counter to rise. Every 30 minutes or so, “stretch and fold” the dough. It will have increased in size significantly while sitting on the counter. Pour a little olive oil down the insides of the bowl to help release it from the dough, then run your fingers around under the edges of the dough ball to further un-stick it. Lift the edge of the dough straight up, stretching it out, and fold it over on top of itself in the middle of the bowl. You’ll be able to feel (and smell) the bubbles in the dough bursting, releasing the gases formed by the fermenting yeast. Continue this for 2-4 hours. Tip: Wet your fingers with a little water to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. The dough will be very sticky to start with, but as the proteins realign themselves into gluten strands, it’ll get more stretchy and much less sticky. I never can keep up with how many times I’ve stretched and folded, or how long it’s been since the
last stretch. Thankfully, this dough is very forgiving. The more times you push gases out of the dough and make the yeast produce more gas, the more flavor the bread ends up with. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle it with a good bit of olive oil. The dough is going to stick to any paper that isn’t oiled, so get everything very oily. Place the dough ball on the baking sheet and let it rise for another 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Drizzle the top of the dough with more olive oil and gently stretch it to fill more of the pan. It doesn’t need to go all the way into the corners. Use your fingers to dimple the top of the dough. Sprinkle a bit of flaky sea salt over the top. Optional: Scatter chopped rosemary, sliced onion, sliced garlic, peppers, or other herbs and vegetables on top of the dough. Tip: Fresh garlic has a tendency to burn before the bread is ready to come out of the oven. Remedy this by pushing the garlic pieces down into the dimples on the bread, with each garlic sliver in its own little pool of olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Let the loaf cool before cutting it. Cutting while it’s too warm can make it gummy.
Foothills 39
Local Growers ANNISTON
40 Foothills
‘Stewards of
livestock’
At Indigo Ridge Farms, the focus is on caring for land and animals
I
t started with a conversation at a Colorado farmers market, and ended with Cale and Kelly Cosby moving back to Alabama and founding Indigo Ridge Farms. The family farm, located in White Plains, has grown into a small-scale agricultural operation serving customers across the region. They call themselves “temporary stewards of land and livestock.” Story by Lauren Ballard | Photographs by Tucker Webb
Foothills 41
Indigo Ridge spans about 200 acres, with roughly 110 acres available for grazing. The farm produces grass-finished beef (from cattle that have eaten nothing but grass and forage for their entire lives), as well as pasture-grown chicken and pork, eggs from free-range hens, raw honey from hives on the farm, and raw cow’s milk for pets (following Alabama regulations that prohibit the sale of raw milk for human consumption). The roots of the farm go back to the years the Cosbys spent in Colorado. Kelly, who is from Alabama, grew up with a connection to the family property. While in Colorado, Cale was working with a building department while Kelly worked as a nurse practitioner. The couple befriended farmers at a local market. “They were doing grass-finished beef, and it was just a product, like, we were missing, you know? And we just felt like, wow, wouldn’t it be cool if we could do something like that?” Cale said. The farmers they met also gave the
42 Foothills
Cosbys a glimpse of a lifestyle and a family they felt drawn to. “Their family seemed really cohesive and tight,” Cale said. “They just had a joy that maybe we were too busy to have.” After about four years in Colorado, the family returned to Alabama in 2020 with the help of Kelly’s mother, Kathy McCrimmon, who invited them back to the family farm to give it a go. At the time, the Cosbys had three children. They now have five sons, ranging in age from 16 to 16 months. “This farm has been an answered prayer with parenting our five sons,” Kelly said. “It’s taught discipline, patience, responsibility, and humility. They see life through a different lens, and, as parents, we are thankful for every lesson learned.” The farm has expanded gradually. Cale said he once joked that he would not raise chickens or pigs, only to eventually add both. “It seems like every time I say we’re not going to do something, I wind up doing it,” he said. “So I’m learning to keep my mouth shut.” The Cosbys emphasize regenerative farming practices, including rotating livestock through fields and avoiding herbicides and pesticides. Indigo Ridge Farms has also been certified by the American Grassfed Association for the past two years. According to Kelly, the organization focuses on four main standards for certification: 100-percent grass-based diet, with approved supplementation for non-ruminants like pigs and chickens; raised on pasture without confinement; no antibiotics or hormones; and an American Family Farm Origin. Kelly said they pursued the certification to provide transparency to their customers who have not been to the farm to see where and how the food is raised. For Cale, the approach has both economic and agricultural considerations. With an economics degree, he looks at limiting inputs while improving production and profit. Kelly, who has a nursing background, views the
INDIGO RIDGE FARMS ROASTED CHICKEN WITH SEASONAL VEGETABLES One of Kelly Cosby’s favorite recipes, especially for the autumn season, is roasted chicken with seasonal vegetables. “A whole chicken is one of the most versatile and economical pasture-raised products we offer. With five boys, we rarely have leftovers, but if you do, you can make other dishes like chicken salad, or simply add chicken to your favorite pasta dish. We also save the carcass and turn it into nutrient-dense broth — which is too easy not to do!” 1 whole pasture-raised chicken, thawed and patted dry 2-3 lemons Rosemary sprigs, or other favorite herbs ¾ cup softened butter Garlic, minced Good quality sea salt Black pepper Onions, quartered Carrots, peeled and sliced Yellow potatoes, peeled and cubed Sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed Optional: other veggies such as celery, garlic cloves, or beets Olive oil Preheat oven to 400 degrees F convection, 425 degrees F. Zest lemons and finely chop herbs. In a bowl, combine softened butter, chopped herbs, lemon zest, minced garlic, generous sea salt and pepper. In another bowl, combine onions, carrots, yellow and sweet potatoes and any other veggies. Coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour veggies in a large cast iron skillet, or line a roasting pan with foil and place the veggie mix on the bottom. The chicken may be dressed with the neck inside the cavity; if so, remove the neck. Rub the softened butter mixture over the whole bird, under the skin and inside the cavity. Squeeze the lemons over the chicken as well. You can then quarter the lemons and place inside the cavity, or a quartered onion will work as well. Place the whole bird, breast side up, in the middle of the pan with veggie mix surrounding. Roast in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until done. Aim for an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Be sure to check at the thickest point. The skin should be a deep golden brown and juices sizzling. Allow chicken to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving and serving. Baste veggie mix with juices. Enjoy! After-dinner bonus: Collect the chicken carcass and veggie scraps, such as garlic cloves and skins, onion ends and skins, celery ends and carrot ends, and place in a slow cooker. Cover with water. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper and any herbs you’d like. Set on low temperature. For chicken broth, cook for 6-8 hours, then strain. For collagen-rich bone broth, cook for up to 24 hours. Use in soups, stews, as a replacement for water when cooking rice or pasta, or simply warm and sip.
Foothills 43
process through the lens of health. “If the ground is healthier, plants are healthier, the animals eating the plants are healthier, everything is a full cycle,” Cale said. The family handles much of the work themselves. Cale works alongside his two older sons, while Kelly manages marketing, the website and customer communication. Customers are able to order online for pickup at the farm. You can also find the family at the Farmer’s Market at Brock’s Gap in Hoover and at Pepper Place in downtown Birmingham. The farm’s name comes from the ridges surrounding the property, which Cale said can take on an indigo hue in the afternoon light. “I was like, ‘Look at those indigo ridges,’” he said. “And then a few days later, she was like, ‘I think that’s what
44 Foothills
INDIGO RIDGE FARMS:
581 Merrill Harper Road, Anniston, 256-499-5797, indigoridgefarms.com. Orders must be placed online for pick up at the farm. Farm tours are available by appointment only.
I need to go with.’” Not only did the name stick, but so did the farm. “We feel fortunate to do this on a smaller scale so that we can maintain our stewardship and keep a focus on quality over quantity,” Kelly said. “Soil that is active and alive grows nutrient-rich plants, which feed resilient livestock, that provide us with nutrient-dense food — a cycle worth fighting for.” ❰
Grizzard Living aidS Improving Lives Through Better Mobility We only sell the best quality equipment because we want it to always work properly. Terry Grizzard - Owner Brenton Young - Service Mgr. Amanda Goldman - Administration Chris Rutherford - Service Technician
The areas only licensed and certified stairlifts and vehicle lifts installers
1227 Noble St. • Anniston, AL 256-237-2006 grizzardlifts@gmail.com Foothills 45 www.glalifts.com
“If the ground is healthier, plants are healthier, the animals eating the plants are healthier, everything is a full cycle.” — Cale Cosby
46 Foothills
Services we offer:
• Personal Care
• Meal Preparation
• Light Housekeeping
• Medication Management
• Grocery Shopping and Errands
• Transportation
• Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care • Respite Care
Contact us for a free consultation: (256) 237-6684 80 Spring Branch Rd STE B Alexandria, AL 36250 comfortkeepers.com
Foothills 47
Out & About PARTY PIX
❱ Anniston High School Grand Reunion
The Grand Reunion for Anniston High School alumni celebrated all graduating classes through 1970.
— Photo by Ellen Bass
❱ Blues Deluxe at Sinclair Social
The band Blues Deluxe — fronted by retired Anniston police chief Nick Bowles, played on a Friday night at Sinclair Social in downtown Anniston. 48 Foothills
— Photo by Ellen Bass
❱ Business After Hours
The Calhoun County Area Chamber and Visitors Center sponsored a “Business After Hours” meetup at the Anniston Country Club, hosted by ERA King Realty.
— Photo by Ellen Bass
❱ Friends of the Library book sale
Patrons were able to load up on books by the bagful at the Friends of the Library summer book sale at the Public Library of AnnistonCalhoun County.
— Photo by Hervey Folsom
FIRST ON THE FIELD. ❱ Calhoun County Sports Hall of Fame
The Calhoun County Sports Hall of Fame inducted six new members at its annual banquet: Mac Campbell, Kevin Blue, Gena Higginbotham Cleveland, Eddie Isbell, Carolyn Matthews, and Eric Stringer.
— Photos by Ellen Bass
First isn’t just in our name. We have and always will be FIRST on the field to support our neighbors and customers. FBAL.bank |
|
Foothills 49
Last Look
50 Foothills
Photo by Bill Wilson
S S I M R E V NE ! E U S S I N A Your favorite local stories are always within reach.
Read Foothills anytime, anywhere with our online digital flipbook.
SCAN TO READ FOOTHILLS Foothills 51
Subscribe to The Anniston Star! Subscribe to East Alabama’s biggest newspaper covering the foothills from Mt. Cheaha to Piedmont to Gadsden, Anniston, and Oxford. Get online or print & online together!
SCAN TO SEE DEALS!
annistonstar.com 52 Foothills