Life Along the COUNTY ROAD
Ben Ashby
Angie Wendricks lives in Markleville Indiana, a small town just north of Indianapolis. She grew up in Pendleton, Indiana, in a small, tight-knit rural community. She is a photographer, stylist, and designer with a love for lifestyle, nature, interiors and capturing the simple moments in life.
WHEN I THINK BACK ON MY HISTORY WITH FOOD, I THINK ABOUT GROWING UP WITH MY MOM’S GARDEN. I seem to have one constant memory from my childhood of my mom snipping green beans. She would sit on this little green stool we had—sit by the garden and snip the beans. Mom always said, “The longer you cook green beans, the better they taste.” We often had what my mom would call “garden dinners” which would consist of something on the grill and everything else from the garden—tomatoes and green beans, fresh green onions in a cup of water, cucumbers and onions in a vinegar dressing, plus cottage cheese.
My grandparents and neighbor also had gardens. It seemed like most people did back then. I recall everyone would share their specialties with the neighbors. My grandpa grew the biggest prettiest patch of rhubarb, which my grandma would use to make pies. And our neighbors had a big strawberry patch they would let us pick from. I recall picking the berries with my mom and brother—I think for every berry we picked we ate two. Times were a little slower, and the food was enjoyed and shared.
My mom and grandma are both self-taught home cooks, passing down recipes from their mothers and grandmothers. My approach to cooking is straightforward and seasonal. I like to cook and bake things as they are at their peak in the season. Everything tastes better that way!
Growing up in Indiana influenced my cooking and how I grew up eating. I was surrounded by agriculture, farms, and of course cornfields, which is what people joke that Indiana is known for! My brother and I were always helping tend to Mom’s and Grandpa’s gardens. I’m grateful for those memories. I learned so much about food and to appreciate the work that goes into growing your own. Whether it was planting, tilling, or picking weeds, we spent our summers in the garden.
For a long time, my cooking style was very simple, with mostly family recipes. But then I met my husband Alex, who grew up in France! He ate much differently than I did growing up, and I learned a lot from him and his mom. I recall the first time I had real French butter, I thought, “Where has this stuff been all my life?” Alex’s mom first introduced me to adding herbs and spices to foods, which I have really enjoyed learning about and incorporating into my own dishes. It’s amazing how something can be brought to life by adding a few herbs and spices.
I love mixing the styles of how I grew up eating with how Alex grew up. I like the traditional classics with a little pop of modern. Alex enjoys making sauces, which is something I didn’t grow up making a lot of. It’s always fun to see him throw things together—he’ll say, “This sounds good, let’s try a little of this.”
Alex and I live on our own 7-acre property surrounded by wild raspberry bushes. We look forward every spring to picking the berries for pies, jelly, and to freeze them for later. I especially like to make pies because I have such good memories of them growing up. There is just something beautiful about a pie, especially when you have grown the ingredients right in your own backyard. Baking has become my passion, my favorite thing! So it’s wonderful to have our berry bushes for plenty of baking.
Now I have my own garden, just like my mom. I enjoy cooking with the ingredients my mom and I grow each year. It’s always fun in the spring to plant new things for summer dishes. Last year I planted Swiss chard for the first time. In the summer, the grill and cast iron pots are our best friends. We cook everything on them—we cook, sauté, even bake chocolate chip cookies! We’ll take any excuse to spend time outdoors.
As the summer comes to an end, we always look forward to fall. Autumn in Indiana is so beautiful! Every year we drive to southern Indiana when the leaves are at their peak in color. It’s a very rainy time around here, but I have to admit I love taking a walk and smelling the wet leaves and seeing all the beautiful colors laying on the ground.
I keep my fall decorating fairly minimal: I love to have a big mum sitting by our front door, or a big natural wreath of bittersweet. Fall to me is candles, cozy sweaters, your favorite blanket and candles, big mugs of hot coffee in the mornings. My husband and I love to go to our local orchard and pick apples and pick out a pumpkin or two. I love to make pies in the fall. I think it’s one of those “warm fuzzies” in life. Celebrate autumn by taking a walk in the golden leaves, making an apple pie, lighting some candles, and cozying up in your favorite sweater!
— angiewendricks.com
— @countyroadliving
