There’s a certain place that you don’t want to miss if you are ever traveling in South Alabama on Interstate 65. It’s located in a place you may never have heard of…. Fort Deposit, Alabama – just north of Greenville, Alabama, and not too far south of Montgomery, Alabama. It’s called Priester’s Pecans.
Priester’s claim to fame is all the amazing things they can do with pecans. And before we go any further, let’s just make sure you are pronouncing it correctly. The proper pronunciation is puh·kaan. Now it’s your turn to say it…. “out loud?,” you ask. Yes, out loud…. You can do it! Say it with me slowly: “puhhhh-kaaaaaaan”…. a little faster “puhhh-kaaaan”…. Now you’re getting it. Say it again a little faster… “puh-kaan”. If you ever find yourself mispronouncing it again, please return to this blog post and practice it again! I have faith in you! You’ll get it!
Ok, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way… where were we??? Oh, yes… Fort Deposit, Alabama at Priester’s Pecans! The place had its humble beginning at a Texaco gas station in the 1930’s. As automobiles were becoming popular, there was more and more travel between Mobile, Alabama and Montgomery, Alabama. Mr. L.C. Priester who ran the gas station wanted to offer the travelers some refreshments that reflected the area. They began bagging pecans to sell to hungry customers! A lot has changed since that time, but at least one thing holds true… and that’s their commitment to offering refreshments and treats to anyone who comes their way!
Make sure you factor in at least 30 minutes to explore and taste all the deliciousness that Preister’s has to offer. If you are a person that has a hard time making decisions, that’s okay. They have a sampling area so that you can sample all kinds of pecan treats to decide which ones you want to purchase. A few things they have available to try are Roasted and Salted Pecans, Honey Glazed Pecans, Key Lime Pecans, Pecan Divinity, Pecan Pies, Frosted Pecans, Praline Pecans, a Pecan Log and the Original Milk Chocolate Pecan Fiddlesticks. With each taste, you will fall a little more in love with the richness of these Southern treats. It will still be hard to decide on just one, so just buy them all and make your taste buds happy!
As wonderful as their pecan treats are, they don’t just stop there. They have wonderful peanut brittle, cakes, cheese straws, and cookies. They have clothing and gift items and even offer a lunch area with authentic Southern cooking!
On a recent stop, I browsed through the store, sampled some of the pecans and peanut treats and went upstairs to watch through the glass to see the workers hard at work making oversized batches of treats in their industrial-size mixers! Oh, what I could do with one of those mixers… but on second thought… it’s probably best I leave that to the professionals!
I must confess… we went over the allotted 30 minutes on this stop…. But it was definitely worth it! The rest of the trip we enjoyed the peanut brittle, praline pecans, and of course… good old Coca-Cola that always makes everything taste great!
Sampling the South… one snack at a time!