By Paige Campbell
Sometime in the middle of the
19th century, Minnie Sentelle’s great-great-grandfather left his native Missouri to build a new life homesteading in present-day Greene County , Tenn.
His name was William Roscoe, but
everyone called him “Tanner Bill,” and his hard work carving out a life on that
farm began a legacy, unbroken so far, that has kept the land in his
descendants’ hands and continuously farmed for well over 100 years.
“Up in the house, there’s an old
picture of him on a mule with his two six-shooters,” said Minnie Sentelle’s
husband, Jimmy.
That image reminds the Sentelles
of the rich history behind them as they take their turn and take on the
challenge of farming full time, raising hogs for their new business, Sentelle’s
Homemade Sausage Co. “We’ve always raised a few hogs,” Minnie said. “Then
Jimmy retired from GE a few years ago, and that’s when we turned it into a real
business.”
The company was officially
established in November of 2010.
The Sentelles are constantly
busy. At times they have had as many as
44 hogs on the farm—currently they have 22.
“There’s been a time or two I’ve
thought, ‘Maybe I ought to go back to GE,’” Jimmy said with a laugh. “But
to spend the time on raising something that I know everything that goes into it
— that’s worth doing.”
Minnie, too, dedicates long
hours to the farm in addition to her full-time job as cafeteria manager at Hal Henard School in Greene
County
The Sentelles run the business
with help from their son John, a full-time manager at Lowe’s, and his wife,
Cassie. Their daughter Ann also pitches in as much as possible despite a
brain injury nine years ago that affected her eyesight and compromised the
function of one hand.
Minnie and Jimmy hope that the
skills they are cultivating with their children will help the family farm continue
to thrive in future generations, just as they depend on skills learned from
Minnie’s parents. “Not a lot of people know how to really cure hams,” Jimmy
said. “[Minnie’s] dad’s recipe is so good. Any country ham is going
to have a bite of salt to it, but his recipe isn’t nearly as salty, and it’s
much better.”
The Sentelles use a traditional
method of curing meat, which can only be done over the winter months when cold
temperatures allow the curing salts to take effect faster than the meat would
otherwise spoil. That means, they explained, that when the quantity they
produce in a given winter is gone, they can only wait until the next winter to
make more.
The farm’s overall production is
also on a smaller scale than many others because the Sentelles stock Berkshire hogs, a heritage breed that grows slower than
most. “That’s why commercial growers don’t like it,” Jimmy said. But
the quality, he said, is superior. “Last year our pork was served at
Jonesborough’s Farm to Table dinner, and the chef was thrilled to be able to
find Berkshire pork locally.”
“We’re really picky about our
product,” said Minnie, “we don’t use nitrates or preservatives, and out of
every batch, we fry up a piece to taste test before we sell it. We want to
make sure our products are the best they can be.”
The family’s dedication to their
farm comes not just from the legacy they are continuing, but also the personal
satisfaction of working their own land and seeing the tangible results. “We
always hoped to do this,” Minnie said. “This is our adventure.”
You can find the Sentelles on
Saturdays from 8 a.m.-noon at the Jonesborough Farmers Market. You can also buy
direct from them at the farm in Bulls Gap. Contact the Sentelles at sentelleshomemadesaugage@yahoo.com or 423-329-1306.
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Recipe: Perfect Pork Tenderloin
Chef Alex Bomba of Bomba’s Fresh Italian served Sentelle’s
pork loin for 160 guests at last year’s Farm to Table Dinner. Here he describes how he would prepare a 12
ounce pork tenderloin (serves 2).
Soak your cut of pork overnight (but at least 6 hours) in
the refrigerator in this brine mixture:
½ gallon water
¼ cup salt
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup apple cider
Remove from brine, and in a hot pan, sear the outside of the
pork until brown.
Finish in 350 degree oven until done (145 degrees on a meat
thermometer plus 3 minutes rest time).
While pork is cooking, prepare Apple Chutney:
2 apples, diced
½ cup raisins
3 Tablespoons apple cider
½ cup sugar
Cook together on low for 30 minutes, stirring constantly.
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