When the farmers markets close, I head to Sunrise Farm in Stuarts Draft, and pick out a chicken that’s spent its days uncaged and feasting on untreated feed. it’s hard to find good-sized chickens in the stores: Sunrise allows its birds to get to roasting size, where they have the best flavor and color. At [...]
Archive for the ‘Local people’ Category
Thrifty Chicken
Posted in Local people, Virginia food on November 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Classy cheese balls a statewide hit
Posted in Local people, Virginia food on September 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I was glad to see Linda Weaver of Simply Cheddar at the Waynesboro Farmers Market today. When she started, Linda’s business was very small, 20or so cheese balls a week made in her Waynesboro home. She now supplies hundreds of her pure cheddar cheese balls to gourmet retailers, wine shops and farmers markets across Virginia. Her [...]
Cold cucumber soup
Posted in Dining, Local people, Virginia food on August 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
At Wades Mill in Raphine, I watched George Huger, chef and owner of The Southern Inn, turn some oversize cucumbers into a smooth, refreshing summer soup. George, a wonderful teacher, peeled a dozen or so cucumbers, seeded them, and whirled them with a plunge mixer, along with a huge pile of cleaned and torn [...]
Fresh summer cooler
Posted in Dining, Local people, Virginia food on July 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
When I’m in Culpeper, I always stop and see Jessica at the Raven’s Nest Coffee House on Davis Street. She’s a wonderful cook, and makes baked goods, soups and breakfast and lunch specials from scratch, using fresh produce in season from the Culpeper Farmers Market. I worked there all day using the fast internet connection [...]
A glass of gold
Posted in Local people, Virginia wine on June 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Chris Graham reports in The Augusta Free Press that one of the state’s newest wineries won one of Virginia’s most coveted awards, and the winners are right here among us. Barren Ridge Vineyards won a gold medal in the Virginia State Fair Competition for Barren Ridge 2007 Viognier. The viognier grapes, harvested last fall at [...]
A Sweet Dip for a Humble Hot Dog
Posted in Dining, Local people, Virginia food on June 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Photo by Mark Heim
Robin Vance of Highland County has cooked hot dogs like this ever since he was a kid, helping his grandfather, Lohr Vance, at the fire. First, the hot dogs are cooked in a kettle of Highland County maple syrup diluted with Highland County well water. Once saturated with the maple flavor the hot dogs [...]
Market adds festive touch to weekly shopping
Posted in Local people, Virginia food on April 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
New at the Waynesboro Farmers Market this week: music provided by Roger Merchant, activities for children and a new vendor, Roller’s Bakery, selling whole-grain breads, cookies, giant sticky buns and chocolate cake.
Vendors from last week said sales were increasing, and a steady crowd moved between tables in the Waynesboro Pavilion, picking up honey, vegetable plants, [...]
It’s a miracle
Posted in Local people, Virginia food on April 25, 2008 | 1 Comment »
In abandoned orchards and in secret spots often guarded jealously by families, people are gathering morels, the distinctive mushrooms that pop up literally overnight after a spring rain. They’re often called “merkels” because these meaty and indescribable delicacies are stars among the thousands of miracles of spring in the mountains. Veteran hunters swear that finding a [...]
Everything you need is right here
Posted in Local people, Virginia food, Virginia wine on April 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
That’s what Amy Childs said about the Waynesboro Farmers Market, reappearing at the downtown pavilion after several years’ absence. She was right. It was easy to envision a meal made entirely from the homegrown products on display at the market’s rebirth: farm-raised chickens and pork, homemade breads, homegrown grains, asparagus and watercress from Heartland Harvest [...]
Hungry for a cure
Posted in Local people, Virginia food on January 17, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Justin Harris lost his battle with childhood cancer last May, after fighting with uncommon courage and grace. Before he got sick, Justin liked nothing better than hanging out with the fast-talking, slow-smoking competition team — Pigs on the Run — from the BBQ Connection central Virginia’s own state and national barbecue champs. The BBQ Connection raised money for [...]
