A taste of South Carolina

Signs marked in heavy ink sprout along U.S. 321 a half mile before pointing you west on County Road 39. In the dirt lot behind the old Scotia, S.C., post office you’ll find fresh cucumbers, squash and boiled peanuts. And most days you’ll find Jack Cooke.

The 49 year-old sells veggies to anyone stopping by. During summer, the signs tempt out-of-state beachgoers to try a taste of South Carolina. The locals honk before they stop to pick up a tomato or a bag of homegrown peanuts.

“They come all the way from New York to Florida,” Cooke says. He estimates 15-20 vehicles stop each day at his small stand. He makes change from a faded Crown Royal bag and extends credit to regulars.

Five years ago, Cooke worked in the produce section of a grocery store in Hampton, 18 miles away. On the night of Sept. 8, 2002 Cooke was biking home from work when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver. Suffering a compound fracture to his left ankle, his left leg was eventually amputated below the knee.

Now using a prosthesis, he mans his roadside produce stand with a cane and a smile for all who pass. He brags about the large squash and tomatoes he grows in a garden next door — they’re two for a dollar. A cold can of soda is fifty cents, and in the time it takes to drink it, he’ll tell you how he parches peanuts in the microwave.

— Erik Campos