Yoder’s Country Market
In a recent video up on our YouTube channel, we took a peek inside one of our local delights! We took a quick shopping trip inside of Yoder’s Country Market in Bulls Gap, Tennessee.
The Other Day
I needed canning supplies, and a new knife. My favorite kitchen knife somehow got appropriated for use as a screwdriver, so the tip snagged everything I cut through. That little bend in the tip honestly was driving me batty–like a snagged fingernail that catches on everything.
Our video was a very brief walk-through my favorite parts of the store, but you can definitely get the idea.
Yoder’s Country Market is located just a mile or so off of Interstate 81, at Exit 23, the Greeneville/Bulls Gap Exit. If you follow the road towards Bulls Gap, away from Greeneville, you’ll soon come upon Yoder’s Country Market on the left side of the road.
Even though it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere–aka on the outskirts of a rural small town, people actually drive out of their way to find Yoder’s Country Market. Every time I visit, the store is packed, and it’s not just the locals!
(For a humorous account of what happened one time when I visited a sister store to this one, please read The Lost Key | Trapped in a Van
AdLucky Us–We Live Close!
Happily, our homestead is a mere ten minutes from Yoder’s Country Market. If I need an ingredient for baking, it’s just as convenient for me to run to Yoder’s as to Wal-mart, and way more interesting! That was one perk that I didn’t even know would be a perk when we bought our property 6-7 years ago.
(Read about some of our story Why Do We Live Off Grid? First Five Years Looking Back)
The Lunch Crowd
On any given day, if you pull up to Yoder’s Country Market during lunchtime, you’ll find a full store and parking lot. It’s always hopping for lunch! Don’t even get me started on what the store looks like just before Thanksgiving and Christmas!
(Plan to stay awhile and bump elbows if you come near a holiday)
I’ve noticed that Yoder’s is a hangout for the regional sheriff’s department and highway patrol to meet for sandwiches. But maybe it’s those dutch donuts! 🍩 This last visit was no exception, and I saw two patrol cars come and go in the twenty minutes I was at the store.
Jam Packed
Just about every time we go to Yoder’s, the picnic tables out front are full, families and friends sit chatting over a meal, and one or two old guys are resting in a rocking chair out on the porch. It’s one of those kinds of places.
Think Cracker Barrel vibes with a small town charm, and that’ll give you a little of the feel of Yoder’s Country Market.
I just like Yoder’s.
I love to browse, even if I don’t buy. I love the old-timey children’s toys, the no-frills kitchen supplies, and all of the bulk baking ingredients.
We’ve bought many greeting cards at Yoder’s Country Market. They stock religious and simply encouraging stationery, which I like. I don’t have to weed through piles of fluff to find a good message.
Wholesome Still Matters
I appreciate the simple farm-themed coloring books and children’s books Yoder’s Country Market sells. In a world where children’s materials scream and shout for their attention, I appreciate gentle animals, sweet sunflowers, and traditional family and farm life depicted in the pages. It’s wholesome and settles the mind, compared to loud cartoons and the latest app on the iPad.
Is the book section my favorite?
Maybe. It’s one of them.
The Deli and Bakery
Yoder’s Country market is famous for its deli and bakery goods. I have bought their bread, and it’s delicious. Because I do much of my own baking, I’ve not sampled their pies, but they look yummy.
Surprisingly, I have never eaten at Yoder’s Deli. Maybe that sounds impossible, with all of the visits we’ve paid to Yoder’s, but since I eat plant-based, I have no need for a pastrami on rye!
I will say that if the crowds are any indication, along with the long lines and what look like happy people with sandwiches, I’d say the deli is the most popular part of Yoder’s. They slice their own meat cuts and cheese, and that section of the store is always crowded!
Snacks of All Kinds
What we have tried are the bulk snacks, dried fruits, and candy! I really have had three kids in a candy store, surrounded by hundreds of choices, and I can say that they loved looking! I’m more apt to grab a box of sesame sticks than candy, and I’ve stopped in just for that purpose many times when I’ve gotten the munchies. I recommend the oat bran sesame sticks.
My Personal Favorite
I guess my most favorite area of Yoder’s Country Market is the section for kitchen gadgets. I am not even really a gadget gal, but since their kitchen tools are actually useful, not just a one-purpose item, I love to find new things that will make my off grid homestead life (and canning season) easier.
You can read about some of the canning supplies I use and recommend in these two posts:
They don’t sell flashy gadgets or anything electronic, from what I’ve observed. The kitchen tools are sturdy, serviceable, and the same tools that many Mennonite men and women use on their own farms. Considering that most Mennonite families still cook homemade, the tools they sell are of proven quality.
Gotta Try the Rada Knives
I did get my Rada Stubby Butcher knife replaced. It works like a dream. So far, I’ve bought many Rada knives, and love every one, but this is my go-to knife. I’m linking it with an affiliate link in case you can’t get by Yoder’s to get one.
Seasoned with Love
If you cook or bake, it’s worth a trip to Yoder’s Country Market for the spices alone. Their selection is huge! They package the spices in little square boxes with lids that are impossible to open without making a mess! *That is my only complaint about this store* I liked it better when they packages the herbs and spices in little baggies with twist ties, but since nobody asked me, they went ahead with the boxes. They do stack nicer that way.
Main Departments (My List)
- Baked goods–pies, cakes, bread and rolls
- Cards and books–religious, children’s, cookbooks, coloring books
- Children’s toys. Handmade and old fashioned, wooden, puzzles
- Snacks–packaged nuts, pretzels, chips, dried fruits, candies
- Baking ingredients–flours, bulk grains, flavorings, molasses, etc
- Health products–essential oils, CBD products, natural supplements (small selection)
- Spices and seasonings–just about any herb or spice you can think of they have.
- Deli
- Refrigerator section of milks, yogurts, etc
- Primitive home decor
- Natural lotions and salves
- Handcrafted bird houses and novelties
- Kitchen supplies–tools, bowls for baking, aprons, potholders, and pans. Rada cutlery, spoons, and cooking utensils.
- Too much to categorize–you’ll have to stop in for yourself!
Outside of Yoder’s Country Market
Step outside, rest your weary frame on a rocking chair, and indulge in a Dutch Donut (see link to learn about what those are) from the food truck. They’re famous around these parts!
Enjoy lunch in the gazebo or at a picnic table out front. It’s a great place to catch up with a friend or meet a new one!
Products mentioned in the video.
Here are the products and links for the items I bought from Yoder’s Country Market and mentioned in my YouTube video.
- Nutritional Yeast Flakes. Price compare always. This week, the price at Yoder’s was $.75 an ounce. If I buy bulk on Amazon.com, I can beat that price but only if buying like ten pounds. Otherwise, Yoder’s is a good price. Price for bulk at Amazon.com (10 lbs)
- Norpro Stainless Steel Strainer. Worth every penny. Price locally at Yoder’s is about the same as Amazon.com (affiliate link) goes over sink, expands to size, very useful for cooking and canning.
- Rada Stubby Butcher knife. My favorite knife in the kitchen! I use it for everything!
- Rada Tomato Slicing Knife. Wonderful tool with a serrated edge that perfectly slices tomatoes–think or thin. I love mine!
- Rada Quick Edge Knife Sharpener. Very simple design but it works! We use ours a lot!
- Rada Gravy Whisk. My mother in law got me one years ago, long before I’d ever heard of Rada. It’s a good tool that scrapes the bottom of your pan when making gravy and sauces and seems to even smooth out lumps!
- Flat Bottomed Cooking Spoon. I didn’t even know this was also made by Rada. I got the solid spoon but they also make a Slotted cook’s spoon that’s also really strong. In the video I didn’t know what it was made from. It’s stainless.
I have no affiliation with Rada. I just love their products! I have linked most of the items with my Amazon affiliate link for convenience.
- Big Stainless bowl. For making bread, granola, and garden harvests! Works for soaking feet too!
- Norpro Watermelon Slicing tool. We bought this at Yoder’s a couple of years ago and it’s a cool tool for making easy watermelon slices.
- Long handled spoons for canning. I can’t find the exact spoons Yoder’s sells. Mine don’t have markings. This one is similar, and they do sell this type at Yoder’s Country Market too. At Yoder’s, you can choose your spoon length–very handy for large canning pots!
I did buy each of the above kitchen tools at Yoder’s Country Store over the past couple of years. Most are made in the USA, they are sturdy, and that matters to me!
In conclusion
If you’re in the vicinity of I-81 around Exit 23, stop for gas and drive a piece down the road to Yoder’s Country Market. Grab a snack or a sandwich and sit a spell out front. Expect a friendly smile, a full parking lot, and a touch of nostalgia.
If you happen to see a starry-eyed red-haired lady wandering around the kitchen section, look into her basket. If you see sesame sticks (or if she looks like me), tap her on the shoulder and say hi!
Until next time,
Laurie
Laurie, how neat. I love country stores. I like being able to find foods, items and handmade things that I wouldn’t be able to at a grocery chain. This was really refreshing for me to have read today.
Cool!
I’m sure you will stumble across a store like this near to where you live.