Day Trip to Jacksonville 🍅 (FULL EPISODE) S9 E8

all right guys so today we are heading back to East Texas and there's a lot of things I love about this part of our state I mean the trees for one and who doesn't love the trees but more than that it's the little towns that are sprinkled around the trees all right because below their beautiful canopy you can find incredible food history culture outdoors and tomatoes so let's head to Jacksonville [Music] [Music] this episode was made for y'all with the help of our awesome Partners check the caption for more info Jacksonville sits in East Texas behind the pond curtain Dallas to Jacksonville is less than two hours and from Tyler well it's just a texas-sized hop and it won't be long before those big beautiful trees begin to shade the roadway to our destination and as we're making our way into town well there's one place we need to stop to take it all in and I just know you're gonna love it because it's called Love's Lookout wow all right now this is why all Trippers need to stop and loves look out check it out it's a 30 mile view of the Piney Woods you know most Vistas like this in East Texas are obscured by trees but not this one and ain't she a Butte from up here you can see to the far reaches of Cherokee County with the trees unfolding like a big green blanket before my eyes a great place to stop and reflect on what has truly been a wonderful day trip wait what am I reflecting on I mean we haven't even started this day yet better get back to the road after all we've got a world famous destination to visit here we are Jacksonville Texas the Tomato capital of the world you know you always thought that uh East Texas Tomatoes tasted pretty good well you didn't know how good they were as in world famous good yes this little town of about 15 000 folks is recognized as one of our country's top producing tomato destinations and as you might expect they're pretty proud of that Jacksonville is kind of tomato obsessed I mean not only is it the Tomato capital of the world but their High School football stadium is called the tomato bowl any game they win there they just won the tomato bowl that's pretty great and just like a summer tomato Jacksonville's downtown is starting to ripen with things to do and walking around you'll see no shortage of you guessed it Tomatoes concrete ones some artsy some plain others have faces and it's a good thing this isn't like that old 70s movie Attack of the Killer Tomatoes I mean these are friendly right [Music] [Applause] I think I've watched a few too many scary movies well let's find some actual real tomatoes and no better place to go looking than the Tomato shed occupying an old tomato packing facility it's like a year-round Farmers Market Run by One Ultimate Farmer David Claiborne who knows all about tomatoes and tomato history from the days when Jacksonville produced the most tomatoes in the world it was a central Hub in Texas and surrounding states to where buyers came in and actually purchased local Tomatoes packaged them put them on box cars and these buyers came from all over the Northeast up around Canada down here in bid on these boxcars of tomatoes and that's what Jacksonville on the map back in the Tomato days really so are you are you the last farmer out here with tomatoes that's about five of us live really gone are the Tomato days of the 1930s but the tomatoes themselves are as good as ever in fact you've probably already eaten one if you've ever bought a tomato from an East Texas grocery store but there's nothing like buying them straight from the farmer we have several varieties that we grow mountain spring is a good one Mountain Fresh is a good one green tomatoes yep these are pulled before they ripen people like to buy these to fry love me some fried green tomatoes this one right here is called Fourth of July okay more tart and has a better flavor and many times you find that the smaller varieties of tomatoes are a little bit better than the the great big old beef steak one that's right kind of try it sure go right ahead where's a good tomato found a brand new variety tomato I like can we try one of these big ones sure there you go that's a true Tomato flower right there beautiful that is a beautiful tomato just bite into it that's good that's the best straight just Ripe Tomato I've ever had thank you keep up the good work this is excellent we enjoy it boy these are great I better buy a bushel for the road or is it a peck you know I don't know but I do know that I need something to carry these in pronto no that's why I need a basket luckily I've arrived at the best place in Texas to buy one there we go this is the Texas Basket company making baskets for the bushel peck half Peck and less since 1919 and now the largest basket maker in the country visitors can not only buy baskets here but also see how they make them oh cool and check it out they're making baskets there's at least 30 people on this floor and they're all doing a different part of the process it's like one of those old Industrial Assembly lines so if you come on a normal day this observation deck is all you're going to see but I know someone who could take us down on the floor so we can all get a little bit of a closer look you ready yep let's go this is Martin Swanson who's owned this company for 40 years running and here in the factory is where every basket starts this is incredible I mean every piece of equipment in here feels 100 years old just like the business itself yeah including me using mostly sweet gum trees and Cottonwood the first stop is the giant lathe that can take round sticks and turn them into this look at this incredible so one law gets in there and that knife can create a 25 foot piece of wood yeah and this wood is like a 17th of an inch thick you know these things see it in person and it's even cooler they're really different yeah from here the wooden sheets are cut down into different widths on what can only be described as the guillotine with the appropriate sign do not put hands under this knife exactly how many arms have y'all lost in 100 years where we lost one hand one hand well in 100 years that's not that bad really remind me to never go anywhere near that knife after the pieces the webbing process can begin that's starting to look like a basket yeah yeah this is the very beginning of that part he takes the pieces he puts them on this jig in a certain order it's color-coded ah and we have we have different trays for different size baskets this particular one is going to be a half whistle basket half bushel and then he drives a staple to hold it together [Music] and after the web is made he goes to the basket machine okay and the web's put into the machine the farm bends it over and every time those heads are going up and down it's driving wire from these stumps making Staples okay I was wondering where the wire was y'all are making your own statements yeah that's awesome I mean now we have an actual basket all in all the Texas Basket company produces over 75 different baskets and have to adapt the process for each one I've got much more respect for the baskets it's gonna be carrying my tomatoes now yeah you never know when you need a basket that's right yeah when you're buying a Texas Basket company basket well it carries much more than just what you put in it it carries the hard work love and tradition of a hundred years as you see the Jacksonville folk are a talented Bunch but it's not just tomatoes and tomato baskets well they're also good at making bowls bowls that are full of tomatoes hey what else did you expect okay so here it is all that's left of the world's largest bowl of salsa so back in 2010 when this thing was full it weighed over 2 000 pounds and set the Guinness Book of World Records such a momentous event for the city they renamed Jacksonville to salsaville oh I see that on that thing yeah but only for like a day oh for like a day just long enough for the people to actually eat this giant bowl of salsa yeah you know it's just too bad we didn't bring with us the world's largest bag of chips [Music] I've eaten a lot of chips and salsa at some restaurants this is about to be epic [Music] served up well that can only mean the main course is coming up next but not Tex-Mex today no I've got a different stop in mind Sylvia May's soul food it's a Jacksonville tradition of its own that feeds both the stomach and the Soul tucked inside this small dining room and kitchen you'll find a woman with one of the biggest hearts and smiles in Texas you know it's like you did at Grandma's house yeah and if I come through that door you welcome me and baby come on sit down and eat I love to feed people I love to see people they're excited to be able to you know enjoy it absolutely now Aretha Franklin may be the official queen of soul but in my opinion she ain't got nothing on Miss Sylvia May what is soul food to you it's in the heart it's in the mouth just a feeling you got to put love in your cooking in when you're cooking your way home and I'm singing some kind of gospel song to make sure it's is smelling right you know what I mean so the food I like wine yeah the food work with you you know you make the food is right there with you you know and when you take these guys say mmm good you're making me hungry I'm about to sing something Sylvia's love and passion comes across in every bite from seafood gumbo to collard greens and oxtail well this food certainly nourishes a weary soul and it's all made the old-fashioned way including the hot water cornbread is your hot water cornbread oh is that what you talking about some bread there you go oh that's awesome you could tell me the whole recipe and ain't no way I could duplicate that right there yeah take breakfast no no I I think it'd be impossible that is so good oh man folks from all over come to Sylvia Mae Soul Food because it feels like family and for lunch I'm ordering up a family classic smothered pork chops complete with greens purple whole peas and fried okra about to feed my face and my soul at the same time I'm gonna Dive Right into this pork chop foreign Rich Savory just the perfect amount of salt and fat the crust is underneath there but it's been sitting in that gravy for so long that it is just this mushy glaze going all the way around the pork chop barely even need a fork just pull it apart I mean let's be honest you don't really even need teeth to eat this soul food rules Louisiana type hot sauce right there that goes in your peas pepper sauce like this right here basically a pepper infused vinegar that goes in Your Greens yes hit you right there you know what I mean right there so there's a reason this is called soul food because it's good for your soul it takes you back to Grandma's cooking you know when you're surrounded by family and friends and eating just insanely delicious food that's also been smothered in butter and bacon grease you know who needs Chicken Soup for the Soul when you when you sew much better we now interrupt this programming to remind you to like And subscribe now back to the room oh man I ate too much food over there I gotta find a way to work some of this off so I'm heading to a yoga studio right here in Jacksonville it's called ritual yep yoga at a trendy French inspired luncheonette it may seem a bit out of place in Jacksonville but then again so do I in a yoga studio so it's sort of a lunch counter but yoga's upstairs so we're gonna head straight there get a class in but oh man dessert [Music] dessert oh oh wait but I'm not here to eat no no no I'm here to exercise no distractions Chet clear the mind to make room for dessert but check out this yoga studio I mean totally unexpected in a downtown building and all the idea of owner Whitney Graham Carter okay but but where I put your dessert while I do this maybe we should do dessert after yoga oh okay all right so Winnie where did you get the crazy idea for this place Eddie we need a place where we could slow down and turn within for a moment and in Downtown Jacksonville why here well this is home I'm a red dirt girl and I love East Texas can't disagree I love it out here too so you get a lot of East Texas country boys in your yoga classes quite a few you yeah okay Whitney and ritual couldn't care less about stereotypes mixing East Texas with Eastern yoga and French cuisine every single thing is made from scratch with love it's very hard to find a place nowadays that does that and all of the desserts are French inspired and the food is Southern and French inspired we use all of the China the things that people say oh they say for a special occasion well every day is a special occasion at ritual I see this like not only is there gold on top of this dessert but it's a gold rimmed plate yes exactly go use only vintage dishes and plates that is awesome you know sometimes even a Tripper needs to feel fancy I think I could get into this I like this pose [Music] all right guys so we did get a little bit of exercise but you know it's not quite adventurous like we like to do here on the Day Tripper so we're gonna go out into the woods deep into the woods where we don't need any roads well at least not paved roads we're looking for those Backwoods Red Dirt kind of roads where all you gotta do is mix in a little water and you can create some red mud magic and no better place to do that than Mud Creek and this is manager of the mud Kerry Carr Mud Creek was designed as an off-road park for ATVs and side by sides only it's 4 100 acres of bottom land creek beds people just love to drive off in the mud and get mud all over well we were told as little kids don't plan that much we want you to come have fun but be responsible and so Mud Creek is open for all the safe mud-filled fun you want the only catch is that you got to bring your own machine and since I'm fresh out on this trip well I'm hitching a ride with local musketeer Mark Cantor who knows these fields like the back of his muddy hand so what can we expect out there uh you can expect some mud and a Creek in the creek all right let's load up and go let's do it all right this should be fun there are roads Trails Woods swamps marshes every opportunity to sling a little mud on the tires and get lost hopefully not losing your ride in the process so what are the main tricks to not getting stuck mainly it's just experience you really can't tell how muddy something is until you're in it yeah it might be this deep and you may just yeah and that's especially true at Mud Creek's Infamous Sand Pit Where what looks like an ankle deep kiddie pool might sink you six feet under I have no idea how deep that is okay the moment of truth let's try this one we should laughs yes well done say what I mean that was great all right well now that seems safe enough Let's Ride [Music] wow this feels like some Indiana Jones stuff uh bummer that's in the line this is it that's it we're fixing to go back through this would you like to drive thought you'd never asked oh yeah all right you got insurance on this oh yeah I hope so need it man I can see how folks get addicted to this I could totally get into this Red Dirt lifestyle oh yeah buddy clean a little mud on the tired man these left turns are exciting get yourself yeah that's right Padre you go yes sir that's right boy that's right [Music] that's what I'm talking about yeah I'd probably get a little too into it better leave mud into special day trips now to find a shower and find some dinner so let's head back into town cause no trip to Jacksonville would be complete without a trip to Sadler's since 1943 folks have been saddling up to Giant plates of Sadler's famous home cooking it's a staple of Jacksonville dining that's moved all around town but is now at home in its best location yet let me show you saddlers because it's kind of crazy alright so this is the main dining room and this is the old jail dining room this place is inside of the old jail and police department building so that table right there that they're having a wonderful family dinner at yeah it used to be the Men's prison table you know in a lot of places that might not work here it's perfect and this is by far the best prison food Texas has ever seen overseen by Third Generation chef and owner Rob Goin so what would you say makes good cooking I'm more of a purist okay salt pepper garlic start with that and if it has more than five ingredients we're probably not gonna cook it really you don't have to make food difficult would you describe this just as you know good Texas Southern I think Texas is a good descriptor I hand cut every steak that comes in this building and all Texas beef too the food Burgers especially is all Texas sized Rob also takes full advantage of the local Texan Farmers I just left watermelon season now three hour green chili season and that's kind of three four times a year just kind of change it up to fit what's in the market yeah and what's good and fresh and ripe y'all are kind of breaking the mold of a small town Comfort Food Cafe yeah whatever it is it's all good with pies just like Mama used to make because well mama still makes them my mother makes all the pies still still cool it's Gotta Have a mother's love now it's time to eat and while I could Devour the entire menu there's only one way to start this kind of meal so what do you do when you're in the Tomato capital of the world at a home cooking restaurant you order the fried green tomatoes oh yes inside is this like punch of Tang from these not quite yet ripe tomatoes look at that one bright green for you and a Jacksonville grown tomato nonetheless definitely one of the tastiest Fried Green Tomatoes I've ever had all right time for the main course like two of my favorite things rolled into one brisket enchiladas Tex-Mex and barbecue combined and then well it's dollar rib night what do you do in a dollar Rim night you buy dollar ribs I like them and then fresh grilled okra I watched the farmer pull up in the parking lot and I watched Rob buy this off the back of his truck that's why that tastes so good all right let's dive into these enchiladas beautiful cheesy briskety cheese enchiladas oh yeah it even has that like gooey easy milk type cheese on it I think all beef enchiladas should be brisket enchiladas so these go down to some of the greatest enchiladas I've ever had I'm saying it what a day while the tall trees May sometimes obscure the view those that push past the pine curtain will cross over to a different world of Eaton exploring and red dirt tripping that Rivals all others call it a tomato heck call it a tomato it truly doesn't matter this world Capital tastes good any way you slice it lemon icebox pie yes thank you now this is the way to cap off a day am I right oh wow that's real good I'm gonna finish this and then probably order some more so I'll see all y'all out on the road by con dios Amigos [Music] you're not getting any of this and that's not how things work here over here hey Jet luck you didn't look oh okay you're right purple whole piece crazy hot purple old piece wow you know you always thought that uh East Texas Tomatoes tasted pretty good well you didn't know how good they were so they until you get a phone call and say hey hey our tomatoes are great hey guys did you know about our tomatoes I would watch this the rest of my life and if I don't sell out I will regret it where I sell out I've learned that the hard way going I should have gone all in this is me going all in it's good kids when your parents tell you not to play in the mud don't listen someday you may be playing in the mud for a job fake mustache drip over your lip slowly crawl down your face like a little worm howdy y'all follow along with my Adventures at chat Tripper on Instagram and at the daytripper TV on Facebook and YouTube or head to the daytripper.com for travel guides past episodes and info on our mobile app and team Day Tripper this episode was made for you all with the help of our awesome Partners check the caption for more info how do you all check the Day Tripper here thanks so much for tripping with us uh remember while you're here like this video subscribe to our channel so that we can stay out there on the road and keep on tripping did we miss anything in this town leave us a comment let us know we love finding out about new stops with all your tips and if you love epic Texas day trips remember to check our Channel we got a lot of them on there also don't forget if you want some sweet day trip for Merch or another cool Texas made product come see us in Georgetown at the daytripper world headquarters you can also shop online if you check the link down there in the caption all right y'all Amigas

Channel: The Daytripper

Views: 24,676

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Id: N5tOMNgpB1U

Length: 25min 57sec (1557 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 13 2023