Hardin’s Seasoning Hits High On Flavor

By Marlee Moore

Aunique, 30-plus spice blend invented in Montgomery is causing classically trained chefs, home cooks, pitmasters and others nationwide to clear out their spice cabinets.

Their favored flavor is Hardin’s Seasoning, owned by Montgomery County father-son duo Tim and J.P. Molpus.

“It’s everything you need to make your food taste good,” said 26-year-old J.P., who takes the lead in producing the decades-old recipe, while his father works with distribution centers to market the blend to over 250 grocery stores.

Granulated garlic, lemon pepper, paprika and dill are a few of Hardin’s high-quality ingredients, which are mixed in small batches with the seasoning’s smoky base.

Tim said Hardin’s distinct profile hits the tongue in three stages. Taste buds first soak up garlicky, peppery, smoky flavors before a combination of celery salt and violet cleanses the palate. A bite of lemon finishes the flavor profile. At the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Montgomery, executive chef Jabari Nix and his team sprinkle Hardin’s on everything from prime rib and pork to roasted potatoes, gumbo and collard greens.

“It’s a staple of what we do,” Nix said. “It has a high salt content. You don’t have to use anything else when you use Hardin’s.”

Sous chef Micah Marlar said he cooked with the all-purpose seasoning at home before the Molpus family connected with the hotel restaurant scene. While he prefers Hardin’s to tenderize and accent beef, he’s created banquet menus featuring the seasoning,

Hardin’s Seasoning is available in 250 grocery stores in the Southeast and at HardinsSeasoning.com.

like Hardin’s-crusted salmon with blackberry salsa or pork belly sliders with coleslaw.

Created by immigrant German butchers in the 1960s, the seasoning gained popularity at Hardin’s Meat Market in the 1990s. Martha Best Bice bought the recipe from the original family and added ingredients, which made the seasoning a fundamental flavor in River Region households.

“I would love to say I created this seasoning, but I give credit where it’s due. And it’s due to Mrs. Bice,” said Tim, 61. “She was folklore in the area. I’ve been buying Hardin’s for years. When I had the opportunity to buy in, it was a no-brainer.”

Tim bought the recipe a couple years ago after retiring from his commercial paint company. They’ve since added a blue-label poultry and seafood blend to contrast the original, red-label seasoning. The poultry seasoning has extra lemon pepper, dill, habanero and paprika. J.P. is concocting a hotter spice blend at the urging of heat-loving customers in Louisiana and

Hardin’s is a hit across the U.S., from Martha’s Vineyard, where foodies dunk lobster in a mixture of Hardin’s and butter, to California steakhouses that rub the seasoning on high-priced beef. Italian and Cajun restaurants use Hardin’s, too, as do award-winning barbecue pitmasters. In his experience, Tim said retailers and business owners take Hardin’s home, too.

Home cooks buy 5.5-ounce bottles of Hardin’s in grocery stores like Super Foods, Piggly Wiggly and Food Giant plus locally owned stores and markets. They also buy seasoning at HardinsSeasoning.com. Tim said some customers have driven as far as 40 miles to get their hands on Hardin’s. Maxwell Air Force Base helped spread the seasoning, too, as servicemen leave Montgomery with an affinity for Hardin’s. Tim recently created a Facebook group called Hardin’s Head to encourage fans to share recipes and photos of good eats seasoned with Hardin’s. Some shake the seasoning on eggs, buttered popcorn and vegetables — and even mix it in flour dredges for fried chicken.

“We have two kinds of customers,” Tim said. “One wants to tell everyone they know about Hardin’s. The other doesn’t want to tell anyone. It’s their secret ingredient.”

Visit HardinsSeasoning.com to learn more. Chef Micah Marlar uses Hardin’s Seasoning for a variety of dishes, including salmon, at the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery. Public Notice By Alabama Pork Producers And National Pork Board The election of pork producer delegate candidates for the 2021 National Pork Producers (Pork Act) Delegate Body will take place Feb. 4, 2020, at 1 p.m., in conjunction with a Board of Directors meeting of the Alabama Pork Producers Association in the State Boardroom of the Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center at 300 Tallapoosa Street in Montgomery, Alabama during the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Commodity Organization Meeting. All Alabama pork producers are invited to attend.

Any producer who is a resident of the state, at least 18 years old, is a producer of porcine animals or its representative, and has paid all assessments due, may be considered as a delegate candidate and/or participant in the election. All eligible producers are encouraged to bring with them a sales receipt proving that hogs were sold in their name and the checkoff deducted. For more information contact: Alabama Pork Producers, P.O. Box 11000, Montgomery, AL 36191-0001; telephone (334) 612- 5181; email rdurrance@alfafarmers.org.

The Alabama Farmers Federation promoted 14-year organization veteran Mitt Walker to assistant director of the Governmental and Agricultural Programs Department in December. Walker will continue to lead the Federation’s national affairs efforts and the Catfish Division, in addition to managing the department’s agricultural programs. He will also help coordinate the policy development process and take the lead on international trade and the farm bill.

“I am so appreciative of the opportunity to continue working on behalf of our members in this new role and am thankful for the confidence the Federation’s leadership has placed in me,” said Walker, 44. “I look forward to assisting Brian Hardin in the day-today management of the department, reinvigorating our policy development and implementation programs, and continuing to work with the Catfish Division, all while advocating for farmers at the federal level.”

Walker began his career with the Federation in June 2005 directing the catfish and Meat Goat & Sheep divisions. In November 2011, he became national legislative programs director and resumed Catfish Division responsibilities in 2017. Federation Governmental and Agricultural Programs Department Director Brian Hardin said Walker’s experience with commodities and policy implementation will benefit members.

“Mitt’s skillset positions him to Walker

effectively address farmers’ needs and concerns in the public policy arena,” Hardin said. “He understands how actions in Washington can impact research, promotion and regulation. As assistant department director, Mitt will be in a position to help the Federation strengthen communication, engagement and cooperation across commodities.”

Walker is a native of Clarke County and was an environmental scientist for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management before joining the Federation. He is a graduate of Troy University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental analysis and management and currently serves on the university’s National Alumni Association board of directors.

Mitt and his wife, Brandi, have three children, Olivia, Addi Leigh and Ford. They live in Montgomery.

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By Marlee Moore

Ask Kathy Gordon about the Alabama Farmers Federation, and it’s guaranteed her answer, always given with a smile, will center on agricultural literacy.

That’s what Gordon, 66, is focusing on as the 2020 Federation State Women’s Leadership Committee (WLC) chair. As chair, she serves a one-year, ex-officio term on the Federation board of directors.

“For decades, I’ve worked with the Women’s Leadership Committee as an ambassador for agriculture,” said Gordon, who helped found the Montgomery County WLC in the 1980s. “Through the years, the Federation has become geared more toward women, and it’s been wonderful to see ladies support the state’s No. 1 industry. Our resources can revitalize communities and classrooms, giving educators confidence to teach agriculture.”

Gordon’s appreciation for the outdoors stems from her childhood on a small farm in Grady. As a teenager, her farm-focused lifestyle was cemented after meeting Monty, her husband of 48 years.

“I wanted to marry a farmer, and my sister told me not to marry a man with a dairy. Then I met Monty, and his family had two dairies,” Gordon said with a smile. “Before we married, his family made sure I learned how to rake hay and milk cows.”

Helping educate teachers during Alabama Ag in the Classroom Summer Institute is one of Kathy Gordon’s favorite annual events. As State Women’s Leadership Committee chair, Gordon said she hopes to continue promoting agricultural literacy with educators and students, sharing the good news about agriculture’s impact on Alabama.

The Gordons’ farm evolved through the years, concentrating on crops such as wheat, soybeans and grain sorghum before converting to a quail preserve. In 1979, the couple’s hard work and enthusiasm earned them, and sons Paul and Justin, the title of Alabama’s Outstanding Young Farm Family.

“Kathy was the most important part of the hunting business; she was the bookkeeper,” said Monty, 70, a former State Young Farmers Committee chair. Raking hay, making reservations for sportsmen and overseeing quail incubators were her other roles. She also cultivated a 36-year career working in the Finance Department for the Montgomery County School District. Gordon, who plans to retire this year, is past president of the Alabama Association of School Office Personnel. Working in schools provided her an outlet to grow others’ appreciation for agriculture by promoting Alabama Farm-City contests and distributing agriculture coloring books and soy crayons, Gordon said.

Through the local WLC and Montgomery’s Daffodil Garden Club, she helped teachers who attended Ag in the Classroom Summer Institute establish campus vegetable gardens. Once students harvested their crop — which included tomatoes, peppers and herbs — they sampled the garden’s bounty through a simple salsa recipe.

“It’s amazing to see agriculture come

full circle for those students,” she said. Federation Women’s Division Director Kim Earwood praised Gordon for her giving spirit and enthusiasm.

“I don’t think you could find anyone who is more passionate than Kathy about promoting agriculture, especially with today’s educators and in Alabama’s school systems. She is always willing to give of her time and talents to help others,” Earwood said. “We’re excited to see her leadership in action as she encourages county WLCs to help their communities, grow interest in the Federation, engage in the legislative process and educate future generations about agriculture.”

Gordon said some of her earliest WLC memories include modeling homemade cotton clothes during sewing contests at the Women’s Leadership Conference in Birmingham. As State WLC chair, she and other WLC members play a pivotal role in organizing the annual April conference. Though the Gordons moved to Lake Martin when Monty retired, agriculture remains an active aspect of their lives. They routinely check fences and help manage wildlife on son Paul’s Coosa County property. Monty serves on the Federation’s State Wildlife Committee and Montgomery County Farmers Federation board.

“Being involved in the Federation helps develop leadership skills,” Monty said. “Farming is such a great lifestyle to raise a family. I wish everyone could do it.”

With years of agricultural experience, the Gordons said they’re optimistic about the future of agriculture but caution producers to exercise wisdom. “In today’s society, it’s hard to start farming from scratch,” Gordon said. “I recommend people start small and build a farm.”

The Gordons enjoy spending time with their grandchildren — Jacob, Emma, Paxton, Powell and Mary Jack. They are members of Hope Hull United Methodist Church.

State Women’s Leadership Committee Chair Kathy Gordon routinely helps check fences and manage wildlife on her son’s property in Coosa County. Throughout the years, she and her husband, Monty, had dairy cows and grew row crops before transitioning their Montgomery County family farm to a quail preserve.

By Maggie Lawrence

Some people may think Alabama agriculture is only poultry, row crops and cattle. However, a Cherokee County farmer proves the nursery and greenhouse industry deserves a seat at the table.

The industry’s prominence in Alabama agriculture is reflected in the state’s 2019 Farmer of the Year, Hank Richardson, who operates Dixie Green in Centre. The facility has 12 acres of heated greenhouse space and approximately 8 acres of outdoor pad growing space.

Dixie Green grows everything from ferns and fall mums to calla lilies. The company is also a major supplier to Walt Disney World, which buys more than 80,000 poinsettias and caladiums for the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

Paul Brown, Alabama Cooperative Extension System associate director, said many Alabamians don’t recognize just how significant the nursery and greenhouse industry is for the state.

“Alabama’s nursery and greenhouse industry generated almost $230 million in total sales according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture,” Brown said. “When you add sod production, that figure jumps to $294 million, and it accounted for almost 5% of the total market value of all farm products sold.” To put that in perspective, Brown said census data showed 431,000 acres of cotton had total sales of $260 million and represented just under 4.5% of total farm product market value.

Jeremy Pickens, an Alabama Extension specialist, said greenhouse vegetable production is also an expanding business.

“The water and nutrient-use efficiency with greenhouse-grown products is much greater than open-field production,” Pickens said. “You can produce significantly more product per acre than you can conventionally. A grower could produce as much as five times more lettuce in a greenhouse than in a field.”

Kevin Burkett, an Alabama Extension farm business regional agent, noted the economic impact extends far beyond product sales.

“In addition to sales revenues, the greenhouse and nursery industry generates significant economic activity,” Burkett said. “More business and economic activity benefits everyone.” Burkett used a 2,880-square-foot greenhouse as an example.

“Building a greenhouse requires purchases of lumber, steel, concrete and equipment, and those purchases fuel economic activity,” he said.

Burkett said people can learn more about the construction budget for a greenhouse at aces.edu.

A new 2,880-square-foot greenhouse in Alabama could generate more than $71,557 in estimated output from its construction. He said one new, successful greenhouse enterprise could generate more than $130,869 in estimated output in the state’s economy

in its first full year of operation.

Pickens said greenhouse and high-tunnel vegetable production continues to expand across Alabama.

“Protected agriculture is a big deal in many parts of the developed world. The U.S. doesn’t make the top 10 in terms of protected production,” he said. “We are so efficient conventionally that we haven’t needed to invest in that type of production. Now we can see the writing on the wall, and protected agriculture is the future for many specialty crops.”

Hank Richardson, Alabama’s 2019 Farm of Distinction winner, exemplifies the prominence of the state’s greenhouse and nursery industry. He operates Dixie Green in Centre, a 20-acre growing facility. Alabama’s nursery and greenhouse industry generated almost $230 million in total sales according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture.

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