Who Is Ditchman Joe?

Ditchman Joe ain’t the town hero, but when winter hits and trucks can’t make the pass, he’s the guy folks quietly thank. He prowls the backroads in his “Meat Wagon,” scooping up roadkilled deer, hogs, and whatever else fate throws under eighteen wheels. To Joe, nothing’s wasted  “if the Lord let it fall, it’s meant to feed somebody.”

Most days, people wrinkle their noses at his work. But come the first big freeze, lines form outside his smokehouse. Joe’s jerky, questionable stew, and “mystery chili” have saved more rednecks from starving than FEMA ever did. He keeps no menu, just a chalkboard that reads “Ask What’s Fresh (or What’s Dead).”

His circle’s small but memorable: Granny Tuggwell swaps him moonshine for raccoon pelts, Roy McGraw tips him off about fresh “catches,” and Hank Wilmer stocks his jerky under the counter for folks desperate enough to ask. Reverend Diesel once tried to baptize him into the Church of the Carburetor; Joe said, “You bless engines. I bless leftovers.”

Rumor has it Cousin Ray once gifted him “spicy dynamite seasoning.” That batch of jerky cleared three counties — and half the sinuses in the county fair.

Legacy

Joe may not win any popularity contests, but he wins every snowstorm. He’s living proof that survival ain’t always pretty – and sometimes, the best meals come from the roadside.