Ludo Van De Wiel, Best Pickles in Charleston “If you can’t take the heat you don’t take the beat,” said Van De Wiel in regard to his wife’s homemade spices and pickles that she has sold at the farmers market for the past 25 years. “We are literally homemade.” His wife makes all the pickles and spices from their home, growing the peppers used for the spices in their backyard. “I’ve seen people cry and their noses are running and they’re sweating but you don’t want that, I don’t want that.” Van De Wiel loves spicy food and says the trick with spice is that “it’s all about the taste, enjoying the flavors of the food.” In the 90’s, he and his wife owned a Jamaican restaurant in West Ashley. Van De Wiel’s wife is Jamaican and got him hooked on spice years ago. “This stuff, let me tell you, is addictive. I cannot live without this stuff.” Van De Wiel has many repeat customers who keep coming back for the pickles, spices and good conversation with the “pickle man” himself.
David Howe, Owl’s Nest Plantation Howe started selling his produce at the farmers market in 1992. “I used to be a business and management consultant before I changed careers,” he said. Howe moved to South Carolina over two decades ago and started farming Certified Naturally Grown produce at Owl’s Nest Plantation, which he says is “the same thing as organic.” Howe’s current favorite thing to grow: a purple peruvian fingerling potato.
Jeanne DeCamilla Olinda Olives and Olive Oil After retiring from teaching third grade, DeCamilla created her “Charleston Blend” olive oil from olives grown on her family orchard in California. She adds local spices to the olives, which she has been selling at the Charleston Farmers Market for the past five years. This summer DeCamilla added a “dirty martini grind” to the table priced at a reasonable $5 for college students. DeCamilla emphasized that farmers markets are not out of students price ranges. “We have our regular size bottles for $14 and a smaller size for $10 and for college students, we offer a refill for $8, so once you get started you can just bring your empty bottle back.” She added, “We’re open until two and most college students are up by two so the hours are good, too.”
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