August is National Picnic Month

A picnic is a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance, and usually in summer. Picnics are often family-oriented but can also be an intimate occasion between two people or a large get-together such as company picnics and church picnics. It is also sometimes combined with a cookout. A picnic basket and picnic blanket are usually brought along.

A fun place to picnic in Charlottesville is Carter Mountain Orchard. Carter Mountain has always been synonymous with pick your own peaches and apples and is absolutely the place to go if you want the best views in Charlottesville. Now, add yet another reason for making it up the breathtaking 1,150 feet to the peak - the Carter Mountain Wine Shop. Carter Mountain Orchard has partnered with Madison County’s Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery, which has held a dominant presence in Virginia for over 26 years. Prince Michel has been using Carter Mountain grapes to create their award-winning wines for years. The venture to open a tasting room at the very site of the vineyard is now a successful reality! In 2010, they started the “Sunsets on Carter Mountain” summer series! From mid-June through mid-September, visit Carter Mountain until 8PM on Thursdays for live music, wine and food, and spectacular vistas.

Some picnic foods include include Virginia Peanuts, Specialty Nuts, Peanut Butter Straws, Seafood Dips, Pork Barbecue and Gourmet Cakes from Rowena.

Smithfield, Virginia - Hams, History, Hospitality & HeART

Soon after the town of Smithfield, Virginia was established in 1752, the succulent amber colored dry-salt hams made from peanut-fed hogs started a tradition that would make Smithfield, Virginia famous the world over. Smithfield is located on the Pagan River which feeds directly into the James River. A short trip along the scenic Colonial Parkway to the Jamestown/Scotland Ferry, a relaxing 20-minute free ferry ride across the beautiful James River, and a lovely country drive through Surry County brings you to the heart of downtown Smithfield, Virginia. The Historic District is the hub, where bustling art galleries and specialty shops, town offices and historic buildings coexist peacefully among the quaint Gothic, stately Colonial and sprawling Victorian homes. The river takes center stage at the entrance to the historic district where area icon, Smithfield Station, holds the spotlight with its replica Victorian Coast Guard Station hotel, restaurant, marina and lighthouse. Just across the street, is one of three convenient entrances to Smithfield's newest attraction - Windsor Castle Park. This gorgeous, 209-acre park includes over 4 miles of scenic woodland trails., a state-of-the-art kayak/canoe launch, a dog park, picnic areas and a mountain bike path. Other historic attractions include St. Lukes (c 1632), Boykin's Tavern, the Old Courthouse of 1750, Fort Boykin, Historic Fort Huger, and the Schoolhouse Museum, an African-American History Museum of Public Education.

And of course, Smithfield is the Ham Capital of the World so great dining abounds with something to please every taste bud, from the Historic Smithfield Inn, riverside dining at Smithfield Station, to a gourmet bakery, international tea shop and an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. Be sure to stop by the Isle of Wight Museum with its overview of local history and most notable artifact - the oldest cured ham.

Plan a trip around one of the many weekly events the area offers -from free outdoor concerts to a monthly arts stroll. The ferry crossing, which connects Jamestown to Scotland is a great introduction to the area. When you stand at the bow, it's easy to imagine the excitement felt by our early colonists as they sailed the James River. We're hoping to take this trip later this summer. You can always order some Smithfield Ham from our website, TheVirginiaMarketplace.com.

An Elegant Way to Celebrate National Ice Cream Month

While flipping through Food & Wine magazine the other day I came across a recipe for Apple-Butter Ice Cream served with Gingersnap cookies. Mmmm, I thought, that sounds interesting. It reminds me of the wonderfully delicious satisfying combination of Apple Pie and Ice Cream. If you crave the combination but don’t want to turn on your oven to make an apple pie in this hot weather, you might find this a great summer substitute. Also, by the way, July is National Ice Cream Month, so here’s a treat to celebrate it. Ronald Reagan designated National Ice Cream Month in 1984. He recognized the popularity of ice cream in the United States and also appointed the third Sunday in July as National Ice Cream Day.

Try this recipe using our incredibly smooth and perfectly spiced Graves Mountain Apple Butter: Apple-Butter Ice Cream with Ginger-Chocolate Ganache
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1/3 cup apple butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
Gingersnaps, for serving

Soften the vanilla ice cream in the microwave at high power for 10 seconds. Transfer the softened ice cream to a medium bowl and flatten it with a rubber spatula. Spread the apple butter on top and fold the ice cream over the apple butter 2 or 3 times. Freeze the ice cream until it is firm, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chopped chocolate at high power in 10-second bursts. Whisk the heavy cream into the chocolate. Put the grated ginger in a fine strainer set over the chocolate ganache and press to extract as much of the ginger juiced as possible. Whisk the ginger juice into the chocolate ganache. For a caramel-like sauce, substitute dulce de leche for the melted chocolate.

Scoop the apple-butter ice cream into bowls, drizzle with the ginger-chocolate ganache or caramel sauce and serve with gingersnaps.

Fourth of July

Variously known as the Fourth of July and Independence Day, July 4th has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution (1775-83). In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies then fighting in the revolutionary struggle weighed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 until the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence. This most American of holidays is marked by parades, fireworks, concerts and family gatherings and backyard barbecues across the country. If you’re gearing up for the 4th of July weekend, you might want to think about stocking up on some picnic and barbecue staples.
The Virginia Marketplace has lots ideas in our Fourth of July section. Start with extra large Virginia Peanuts, salted, unsalted, seasoned, sweet, in-shell in bags or bushel baskets and peanut baskets. Continue on with Southern Pork Barbecue, Chicken Barbecue, James River Barbecue Sauce, Virginia Gentleman Barbecue Sauce, Pork Baby Back Ribs, Seafood Dips from Blue Crab Bay. Finish your feast with an Almond Star Pound Cake or Rowena's Island Kissed Lime Pound Cake.

Graves Mountain Festival of Music

Graves’ Mountain Festival of Music opened last Thursday and ran through June 4 on the grounds of Graves’ Mountain Lodge near Syria. Fiddles, banjos, mandolins, dulcimers and guitars got new strings in anticipation of one of the biggest weekends of the year for bluegrass music. Thousands of fans turned out in droves to listen to some of the biggest names in the genre. There were perennial favorites like Seldom Scene, the Grascals, Lonesome Highway, the Lonesome River Band, Dailey and Vincent and Rhonda Vincent and the Rage. The festival also has earned a reputation for staying fresh and current by including acts that are creating a buzz in the bluegrass industry, or have never played this particular venue before. Much of the credit can go to bluegrass musician and producer Mark Newton, who books the acts every year. He helped found the festival in 1993, along with Jimmy and Rachel Graves and Sonny Ludlam. This year there was a Rural Rhythm Records CD for sale, "The All-Star Jam - Live at Graves' Mountain" which was recorded last year in celebration of Rural Rhythm Records’ 55th anniversary. It was named one of the top 10 bluegrass CDs of 2010. One of the tracks on the recording, “Graves’ Mountain Memories,” written by Carl Jackson, made it to the top 20 on the national Bluegrass Unlimited chart. Bluegrass Music Profiles magazine did a feature on the record for its recent issue. For 19 years, something special has occurred around this time of year at Graves' Mountain Lodge.

Graves Mountain uses their home-cooking genes to produce the Graves Mountain Brand, specializing in Apple Butter and also Preserves. The Virginia Marketplace offers many Graves Mountain Preserves and Delicious Apple Butter and Green Pepper Jelly in 9 oz. Jars . We also feature them in gift sets, gift boxes and Virginia Marketplace Gift Baskets.

Strawberry Season in Virginia

One of the sweetest seasons is underway in Virginia, with strawberries ripening and ready for picking. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says growers in Tidewater and Southside saw strawberry picking first for Mother's Day, followed by central and the rest of Virginia. In Charlottesville, strawberry picking is going on right now! Strawberry season usually lasts through June in cooler parts of Virginia. While Virginia only has 250 acres of strawberry fields, each acre produces a significant amount of fruit. On average, an acre yields about 18,000 pounds of strawberries.

Growers say a relatively cool spring has been good for their berries. The recent hot spell has been the finishing touch on what they're calling a sweet berry season.

Most strawberry seasons last four to five weeks, depending on the heat. If the days get too hot, the plants quit producing berries. Hot weather makes the plant want to shut down, and we don’t want that because we want the season to last as long as possible.

Strawberries are a good source of vitamins A and C and are packed with other nutrients, including calcium, potassium and folate. At only 50 calories per cup, they’re a good-for-you spring food.

Strawberries are well represented at the Virginia Marketplace by Graves Mountain Strawberry Preserves. Graves Mountain Lodge is nestled deep in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Syria, Virginia. Graves Mountain Lodge established its cannery in 1980. They use family recipes to make their old-fashioned preserves unmatched for their quality and goodness. They cook their preserves in open kettles. 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."

You can get Graves Mountain Strawberry Preserves
in a set of three and in preserve samplers










in gift boxes











and in gift baskets.

Virginia Foods for Memorial Day

It's almost Memorial Day, May 30, 2011, the unofficial start of the summer vacation season. Observed every year on the last Monday of May, it is a U.S. federal holiday that began after the Civil War as Decoration Day. It was first enacted to honor the Union and Confederate soldiers who died while in military service. After World War I it was extended to honor Americans who have died in all wars. Memorial Day has since also become a long weekend increasingly devoted to barbecues, family get-togehers, fireworks, trips to the beach, and national media events such as the Indianapolis 500 (since 1911) and the Coca-Cola 600 (since 1960) auto races. Here are some Virginia food ideas from The Virginia Marketplace for your Memorial Day get-togethers:


Carolina Syle Pork Barbecue







Blue Crab Bay Seafood Dips








James River Barbecue Sauce






A Peanut Shop Sampler of Virginia Peanuts






In-Shell Virginia Peanuts