Fresh is the word and this – Virginia’s Farmers’ Market Week - is the time to celebrate the best eats of summer.
As the demand for locally grown foods has increased, so has the number of farmers’ markets, increasing from 88 available statewide in 2005 to more than 210 in 2012. What does this mean for you? More opportunities to find Virginia Grown products as you travel about!
A Sample of What You Can Find & Where:
The Ashland Farmers’ Market is only open 9 until noon on Saturdays through November, but it’s the prime location to purchase those coveted Hanover tomatoes.
Historic Roanoke City Market offers more wares than you can imagine an open-air “farmers’ market” could. Fruits, vegetables and meats are a given, but add in flowers and handcrafted delights and you have a vibrant, ”buy local” destination available to you every day of the week.
Known to be a place to find fresh, local goods since 1753, the Alexandria Farmers’ Market in Old Town is a Saturday morning adventure that yields the harvest of local growers. Even George Washington vended Mount Vernon’s goods at this market.
Vendors set up daily for the Fredericksburg Farmers’ Market at Hurkamp Park, bringing whichever products are in season – veggies, fruit, cheeses, firewood, canned and baked goods, flowers and more. Another reason to visit this particular market this week is the Virginia is for Lovers LOVE artwork on display! Take a photo and share it through Twitter with the hashtag #LOVEVA or on our Facebook page.
Don’t skip out on your good eating habits while vacationing at Virginia Beach. Old Beach Farmers’ Market is a Saturday morning gathering of local growers, watermen and wineries. Expect to find free-range chicken from Suffolk, Chesapeake Bay clams dug by a local family and even bison from a ranch in the Northern Neck.
Even in metropolitan Richmond the fresh and local can be found. Visit South of the James Farmers’ Market on Saturdays to pick up Hanover-grown berries, honey products from Henrico County, shiitake, oyster and maitake mushrooms from Nelson County’s Rockfish Valley, free range forest-fed pork from Buckingham County, gluten-free baked goods and quite a bit more.
Seafood must be on your list if you’re on the Eastern Shore and you’ll have plenty to choose from each Saturday morning at the Onancock Market. Jams, jellies, crafts, and other seasonal offerings await you, too.
In southwest Virginia be sure to seek out the Abingdon Farmers’ Market Tuesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. or Saturday mornings. You’ll find cheeses, grass-fed meats, eggs, and a wealth of artisnal crafts, foods and baked goods.
>> Find a Farmers’ Market Near You
>> And it’s National Peach Month!
LOVE is at the heart of every Virginia vacation. Virginia is for Lovers.
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