Photo via Steppin' Out Foods
Phil and Jeanne Esche of Steppin’ Out Foods, makers of Five Inch Spikes and Red Hot Pumps pickled asparagus, never did much pickling and canning. But during a visit to the grocery store, they couldn’t resist a sale on asparagus for 99 cents a pound. With six bunches in hand, they headed home, had asparagus with their dinner, but then wondered what to do with the rest.
Phil, a marketing professional and self-described bloody Mary guy, suggested to pickle the leftover asparagus to use in drinks. Jeanne, who at the time was a teacher at Kettle Moraine Middle School, in Dousman, Wis., had a heavy workload and no interest tackling a pickling project. “But then after one martini, it sounded like a good idea,” Phil recalls.
After Jeanne retired, the couple attended a state-approved certified canning seminar, where they gained insight into food processing. From there, they took steps to establish Steppin’ Out Foods as a business and started selling at the Waukesha Farmers Market. They launched with their two signature products, Five Inch Spikes pickled asparagus, and its spicier version, Red Hot Pumps.
Jeanne frequently wore high heels to work, so they thought it would be fun to tie in a shoe theme. They’ve since introduced other items, each represented by a playful character that adds personality to the product. “Ms. Hotsy Totsy (which graces the hot dilly beans) has a storied past,” Jeanne notes.
The Art of Pickling
Phil and Jeanne use the same brine for their beans and the asparagus, but they add different herbs and spices like fresh dill. The asparagus has 12 different herbs including lavender, tarragon, rosemary, basil and marjoram. Phil says the vegetables are free from gluten, sugar and MSG. No additional preserves are used except for the vinegar in which they pickle the vegetables.
To retain a crisp texture, Jeanne says it’s all about time and temperature control, and using revised canning techniques. “Older canning recipes instruct you to blanch beans or asparagus before pouring boiling brine over them. After that, the water bath processing cooks them more, and they continuing to cook while cooling. We do it differently.”
In addition to the asparagus and dilly beans, Steppin’ Out Foods offers jam: Ms. Blueberry Jam, Ms. Raspberry Jam, Ms. Blackberry Jam, all with chunks of real fruit. The Mr. Hot Stuff Pepper Spread is crafted to be sweet with a slight heat. “It’s not meant to knock your socks off and make you sweat like a habanero spread, but rather to enhance the flavors of meat, seafood or whatever you use it with,” Phil says.
Mr. Hot Stuff placed 18th out of 3,200 entries in the 2016 Summer Fancy Food Show, a competition for new food products sponsored by the Specialty Food Association.
The Esches make Steppin Out Foods out of Chef Pam’s Kitchen, a commercial kitchen space on Main Street in Waukesha. Chef Pam’s Kitchen is on a street of the Waukesha Christmas parade route. On Nov. 21, 2021, the driver of an SUV broke through barricades and drove into the parade crowd, killing six people and wounding dozens of others. The Esches regularly wear their Waukesha Strong buttons and T-shirts and have been involved with fundraising efforts to help victims of the tragedy.
Steppin’ Out Foods will release a new product, Mango Mamma Jam, in 2022. They get requests to make pickled mushrooms or Brussel sprouts, but the couple prefers to stick to a few products and do them well.
“We love what we’re doing. It’s a heck of a lot of work, but the positive feedback we get is worth it,” Jeanne concludes.
Steppin Out Foods will be at the Milwaukee Winter Farmers Market and Milaeger’s Winter Farmers Market in Racine. For more information, visit steppinoutfoods.com.
