A few years ago, my daughter (who lives in Oklahoma City) sent me a text. It was simply a picture of a grocery store freezer compartment stacked with a bunch of yellow Mayfield’s ice cream cartons. It took me a moment before I realized this was a picture taken in OKC. What? Mayfield’s Ice Cream was in Oklahoma City? Needless to say, she told me she had bought several different flavors, and she and her husband and four kids had enjoyed the Tennessee goodness. Sadly, it was a temporary thing. Guess thirteen hours on the road in a big yellow truck was too long to sustain.

Until we moved to Cleveland, we lived only five minutes from the plant that made all that goodness in Athens, Tennessee. Sometimes when I came home from work, I’d stop by and grab a dollar cone of Caramel Coyote. Alas, both the price and the flavor have since gone away. Still there are plenty of flavors to tickle your taste buds and the price is still reasonable for the occasional fix.

Mayfield’s Dairy was begun by T.B. Mayfield in Athens and is currently run by Scottie Mayfield. Back in 1990, it was sold to Dean Foods, a Texas company, but with the stipulation that it would keep the yellow logo, name, process, and location. Later, it was told that Scottie tried to buy the operation back, but Dean’s wouldn’t give. They knew a profitable enterprise when they saw it. Still, the plant is producing all that goodness from milk grown by Tennessee cows.

More goodness comes if you drive to Knoxville from Athens up Highway 11. When you get to the little town of Philadelphia, you’ll see a bright greeting announcing Sweetwater Valley Farm. Up that road is some of the most delicious cheese I have ever tasted. (And I have lived in Cache Valley, Utah, where cheese is an art form!)

In the late 90s, John and Celia Harrison bought interest in the farm (which had been around since just after the Revolutionary War) and built a cheese producing plant. Their Reserve cheddar cheese won awards not long after they began production. The Reserve will seriously bite you back, it is so extra-sharp. Now they sell everything from cheese curds to dozens of flavored cheddars at various times of the year, along with deer summer sausage, and, yes, Mayfield Ice Cream.

At one time, I understand, they had an agreement with Mayfield’s. Part of the year they used their milk to make cheeses and the rest of the year they sold their milk to Mayfield. Not sure if that is still the deal or not.

Some would say that there is home grown goodness off Interstate 24 between Chattanooga and Nashville, but I don’t drink alcoholic beverages, so I can’t say. Same with the numerous wineries in the eastern part of the state (although I have picked the fruit at a few of those places and made the most delicious jelly!).

I could extol the virtues of Chattanooga’s moon pies. I do like an occasional Moon Pie. I let my hips do the talking about Little Debbies. There are some really good treats coming out of that plant near Ooltewah. I have seen Debbies way out west, so guess my hips aren’t the only ones talking.

Tennessee is filled with wonderful home grown goodness. The state really can’t help it. The land itself is a treasure so what else would you expect, but it to produce treasures to satisfy the palate?

Susan Kite is member of AGT with five books under her belt and stories in two anthologies. Check them out at https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B00J91G0ZU/ She also has numerous stories on Archive of our Own under the pen-name of Bookscape.