National Turkey Day, Stuffing Day, Leftovers Day and Cashew Day

Smoked Turkey and Smoked Ham

National Turkey Day or Thanksgiving is the 4th Thursday in November. The 4th Thursday in November is also National Stuffing Day. It seems natural that the 4th Friday in November is National Leftovers Day.

We have succulent whole smoked turkeys and smoked breasts of turkey as well as ham and turkey combos from Smithfield. Smithfield’s array of side dishes such as biscuits, sweet potato casserole, mac and cheese, green bean casserole and southern cornbread stuffing are available to make Thanksgiving extra easy.

Cornbread Stuffing

Indian Cashews

Thanksgiving’s great, but let’s not forget about crisp, firm, meaty, Indian Cashews. November 23 is National Cashew Day. We’ve got Indian cashews, chocolate covered cashews, honey toasted cashews, and cashews in gifts (tins, chests, and gift baskets).

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.

The History of Peanut Soup

Peanut Soup Mix

Considered a southern delicacy in some parts of the country, peanut soup in America dates back to the early 1700’s. For decades, peanut connoisseurs have speculated about how this soup arrived and gained popularity in the United States.  

 History shows that peanuts have been around since the Incan Empire. Peanuts are a well-traveled legume. European explorers made their acquaintance in the Caribbean. Spaniards exported them, carrying them on ships to the Philippines and Indonesia. The Portuguese - who discovered peanuts in Brazil, not far from the legume's Peruvian birthplace - took peanuts to Africa, where the nutritious, hardy legume fed the nation's sailors stationed along the coast. Peanuts are thought to have been brought to America by the Portuguese slave traders who served peanuts while they were in transit.

“Peanuts were certainly eaten by slaves before they were eaten by whites”, says Frank Clark, who oversees the historic foodways program at Colonial Williamsburg, which for decades has served peanut soup to guests of the museum’s King’s Arms tavern – despite the dish being a culinary anachronism. “If you’d come to an 18^th-century tavern, it’s very unlikely you’d have encountered peanut soup there,” Clark says. Although there is no documentary evidence of peanut soups being served in 18thy century America, it is believed that the slave diet would have included peanut soups, mushes and stews, perhaps styled after the tomato-based soups popular in central Africa or a Sudenese soup made with lamb bones, garlic and rice. Still, the soup - which marks many northerners' first introduction to creamy peanuts in a bowl - will stay on the menu, since Colonial Williamsburg is obliged to honor its own history as well as the record of what occurred during the Colonial era. bones, garlic and rice.

It’s unclear exactly how peanuts evolved from a food seen as fit for slaves and pigs to a food approved by Anglo-American tastemakers. The first known recipe comes from an 1847 cookbook by a Sarah Rutledge, a housewife from South Carolina, who published a recipe for Ground Nut Soup. Her recipe includes a pint of oysters and peanuts ground with flour. After her book was published, several other variations of the soup appeared in newspapers and cookbooks.

It is still a mystery to how peanut soup became a popular dish at fine dining restaurants across the country. The popularity of peanut soup surged domestically after the Civil War, during which Confederate soldiers introduced their Union counterparts to the legume. The increased availability of peanut butter also helped. In Germany, a doctor praised cheap, albumen-rich peanut soup as the perfect “article of food for the corpulent, for diabetics and for subjects of kidney disease.”  Peanut soup became popular in American homes in the early twentieth century, as peanuts and peanut butter became available at grocery stores across the country. Peanut soup is now served at several fine dining restaurants, America Eats Tavern in Washington, D.C. and Wit and Wisdom in Baltimore both feature the soup on their menus.

I
n 1941, the National Peanut Council published a collection of peanut soup recipes from George Washington Carver.  He is believed to have had the largest collection of peanut soup recipes during that time, including recipes for peanut bisque, peanut soups, a consommé, and purees.

The PeanutShop of Williamsburg All-Natural Peanut Soup evokes memories of Colonial tavern fare. Just add chicken stock for a rich, creamy and fortifying soup that will warm the hearts of the hungry.

September 13 is National Peanut Day

September is the start of autumn and the harvesting of peanuts. Peanuts are planted after the last frost in April or early May and the heaviest harvesting months are September and October.

The peanuttiest of days is September 13^th, National Peanut Day.  Actually, peanuts are not nuts. They are "legumes", like peas, beans, and lentils. Peanuts are one of America's favorite snack foods, and it’s more than a snack food. Peanuts are the main ingredient in peanut butter. Peanuts star in a variety of recipes, and are a topping for countless foods and desserts. Many Chinese recipes use peanuts in main menu items.

Peanuts once took the rap as a not so healthy food. More recent research suggests that peanuts can reduce cardiovascular disease and lower triglycerides in the body. Peanuts are high in protein and fiber, and are now believed to help curb hunger and therefore help in diet control.

Celebrate National Peanut Day by eating Virginia Peanuts wherever and whenever during the day that you can. Eating Peanut Butter counts, too. Want to try something different (and peanutty, of course), try some Peanut Soup or Peanut Straws.

The Virginia Peanut Festival in Emporia, Virginia will be Sept. 20-23. The Virginia Peanut Festival will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. The majority of exhibits and entertainment are free to the public. There will be storefront displays, a parade, arts and crafts, antique farm equipment, a quilt show, a peanut cook-off, music and great food. A carnival will be back with even better rides than last year, ones that will appeal to the young and young at heart. Virginia is for lovers.....Emporia-Greensville is for nuts.

Homemade Blue Crab Bay Seafood Appetizers

Triple Dip

According to the Feb/Mar issue of Fancy Food and Culinary Products, cheese balls and dip mixes have created their own role in the food industry. Blue Crab Bay markets its cheese balls and dip mixes as being particularly all inclusive. All customers need to add is a dairy base for an outstanding dip or cheese ball with bold flavor. Ease of use is something that is important to customers and these mixes give that restaurant quality taste with items you have on hand. The company’s dip kits make wonderful gifts.

We sell Blue Crab Bay Crab Cheese Ball Kit and Crab, Clam and Shrimp Seafood Dip Kits. The Clam Dip Kit contains chopped clams and salt free Clam Dip Blend.  Blue Crab Bay Clam Dip Kit was a favorite item as seen on Rachael Ray. The Shrimp Dip Kit contains a tin of Tiny Wild Cocktail Shrimp and a packet of our Shrimp Dip Blend. Only mayonnaise and cream cheese are required. The Crab Dip Kit contains premium crabmeat with Blue Crab Bay's own Crab Dip Blend and a recipe for "Company Crab Dip". Only cream cheese and sour cream are required.

Virginia Gourmet Treasures

We sell the seafood dip kits on their own, in a trio called The Triple Dip and in our Virginia Gift Baskets and Virginia Seafood Gift Baskets and Virginia Gift Boxes.

Virginia Brunch Selections Gift Box

Blue Crab Bay Crab Dip Kit is featured in our Virginia Brunch Selections gift box. 

We feature four Blue Crab Bay Seafood Soups with the three Blue Crab Bay Seafood Dips in a gift box that is perfect for a seafood lover or a hostess gift.  

We feature Blue Crab Bay’s Crab Cheese Ball Kit in several baskets, Virginia Gourmet Treasures is one of our favorites.  and the Clam Dip Kit in Gourmet Treasures of Virginia. 

August Is....

Aug. 3 is Grab Some Nuts Day! Start with Virginia Peanuts, known for their large size and crunchy texture and have been referred to as "the peanut of the gourmet." Of course, if you want variety, there are also Georgia Pecans, Pistachios, Almonds, Indian Cashews, Marcona Almonds.....

Aug 4 is National Chocolate Chip Day

Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies, but how about kicking it up notch...

Paula's Coconut Chocolate Chip Gooey Cake ,Yum! Thirty-two ounces of pure heaven. Coconut, Chocolate Chips and all the rich flavor of Paula's traditional gooey butter cake!

or

Peanut Butter Brownie Cake  you'll just die for. This rich chocolate brownie flat-cake, is overflowing with a thick creamy peanut butter filling, sprinkled with chocolate chips, and drizzled with icing. Available Sept. - May

July is National Picnic Month

July is National Picnic Month
Here's just a few ideas for a great picnic:
Virginia Peanuts

Roasted In-Shell Peanuts In Bushel Basket - 10 lbs. Unsalted or Salted

Blue Crab Bay Seafood Dips
Genuine Smithfield Ham Biscuits

July 4 National Barbecue Day

See our May blog for National Barbecue Month

July 12 National Pecan Pie Day

Our Pecan Pie uses only fresh ingredients and fancy Georgia Pecan halves.

July 30 National Cheesecake Day

Cheesecakes are available May to September
Praline Cheesecake is made from scratch - using crushed pecan pralines for the crust and a creamy pecan caramel topping.
Key Lime Inspiration Cheesecake with Pound Cake - Cheesecake baked over Rowena’s famous Island Kissed Key Lime Pound Cake, tart and sweet, touched by a Caribbean influence.

Chocolate Caramel Peanut Cheesecake - Handmade chocolate cookie crust, layered with New York cheesecake and topped with creamy caramel, our signature Virginia Peanuts and Praline Peanuts. Then drizzled in a decadent chocolate ganache. All natural ingredients! Yummy!