October is National Apple Month and National Seafood Month

Apple Butter and Preserves Gift Box

October is National Apple Month
Good taste comes naturally to Virginia Apples. Our warm days, cool nights, rich deep soil and consistent rainfall are ideal for apple growing. The state of Virginia ranks sixth in the nation in apple production. This year, according to local orchard owners and state agriculture officials, a hotter and drier than average summer, followed by a late round of rain, will result in a good crop of apples in Central Virginia.

Graves Mountain Lodge, nestled deep in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Syria, Virginia, use family recipes and their own apples to make their old-fashioned Apple Butter perfectly spiced and incredibly smooth and creamy. The batches are kept small and each product is made as needed. They use the finest quality fruit, pure cane sugar and all natural seasonings in creating a product they feel is as good as "Grandma used to make."

Graves Mountain Lodge celebrates their apple harvest with an Apple Harvest Festival held: Saturday, October 06, 2012 - Sunday, October 07, 2012 Saturday, October 13, 2012 - Sunday, October 14, 2012 Saturday, October 20, 2012 - Sunday, October 21, 2012 Enjoy fun filled days complete with good food and entertainment including bluegrass music, cloggers, over 70 arts and crafts vendors, hayrides, hay mountain, hay maze and horseback rides. Experience the days of yesteryear watching apple butter being cooked in kettles over and open fire. We are proud sell Graves Mountain Apple Butter and Preserves in sets of three 9 oz. jars, assortments of 9 oz. jars, in gift boxes and in gift baskets.

Crab Balls

National Seafood Month

The Virginia seafood industry is one of the oldest industries in the United States and one of the Commonwealth’s largest. Virginia is the nation's third largest seafood producer and the largest on America's Atlantic Coast. Our prime fishing areas include the Atlantic Ocean, the Chesapeake Bay and its many tributaries, some of the most productive harvesting grounds in the United States We sell Chesapeake Bay Crab Balls and Crab Cakes. A fluffy blend of jumbo lump and backfin crabmeats are combined to import the sweet flavor of the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab.

From Blue Crab Bay we sell five seafood soups, including Crab Norfolk, a chowder flavored with bits of Virginia Ham and potatoes and named after the dish that is made with crabmeat and ham. A more popular soup in the Southeast, Barefoot says the company's Southern Style She-Crab Soup is made with crab roe for added flavor and local blue crabs from the tidewater area. The Chesapeake Bay Style Cream of Crab Soup includes the company's Chesapeake Bay seasoning for a slightly spicier flavor. Finally, the company also offers New England Clam Chowder with pieces of Virginia ham. We also sell Blue Crab Bay seafood dip kits which are perfect for entertaining or gift giving. The Crab Dip Kit was a SILVER TROPHY WINNER at an International Fancy Food Show. The Clam Dip and the Shrimp Dip are equally delicious. All capture the flavor of the Chesapeake Bay! They are featured in many of our Virginia Marketplace gift baskets

We also offer 11 seafood soups from Chincoteague Seafood Company. Their product line can best be described as a "gourmet" quality line that is competitively priced and is “Naturally Sea-Licious”. They use no MSG, preservatives, artificial colorings or artificial flavorings in our soups. Chincoteague Seafood Company has been awarded the American Taste Award of Excellence certificates for their New England Clam Chowder, Corn Chowder, Manhattan Clam Chowder, Lobster Bisque, Shrimp Bisque, Clam Bisque, Cream of Crab Soup, and Vegetable Red Crab Soup.