catching up -- entry 2 of N
Next up, family fun -- I have a feeling there was more than this, but this is the only thing I can remember, two months out ...
About halfway between our place and the Big City lies Rural Ridge Farm, which grows a couple hundred varieties of heritage apples, as well as stone fruits (plums, peaches, cherries, apricots, nectarines) and other pome fruits (pears, quinces). Most of their varieties are American, but a few (Lady, White Winter Pearmain, and Court Pendu Plat) are likely medieval or even Roman varieties. They're proudest of the Albemarle Pippin, now rare but once a dominant crop in this area (a great cider apple!) and a favorite of Queen Victoria, who had the import tariff cancelled. They’re mostly a nursery - you can order rootstocks and young trees at vintagevirginiaapples.com- but they also sell apples & fresh cider (Wed to Sat 2 - 6 in the barn) and have just built a cidery (first product should be available … any … minute … now). Apples don’t pay for themselves, nursery stock is a low-volume business, so they’re hoping that the value-add of fermentation will make them some actual money. Watch this space for reviews when the cider comes available!
Anyway, the first Saturday in November (I know, it’s been a while) is their annual Vintage Virginia fair. It’s a small but rich country fair, obviously with an emphasis on apples. B & I met up there with my mother, two sisters, one brother, one each brother- and sister-in-law, and two nephews. There were apples to be tasted, both heritage and “usual”, plus cider by other manufacturers (interesting, especially the distilled one), Virginia wine (meh, and I don’t remember the winery’s name), and fresh cider because it’s seasonal (lovely). There was, of course, an apple pie-baking contest, and what the judges didn’t eat was sold off by the slice - long before we got there.
And there was lots of local food - cheeses, sausages, honey, apple butter/sauce/cider, baked goods, pickles/salsa/relishes, vinegar, wine, end-of-season produce. And pork from pigs raised in their natural environment - the woods! For the pork also we were too late, but I do believe I’ve tracked down where those folks sell locally. Also crafts - cutting boards, baskets, various cloth & knitty stuff. I picked up some sausages (andouille and generic “pork” - yum) and Merlot vinegar (way more personality than even high-grade grocery stuff).
And there was music (a little loud, given the relatively small area, but generally good), and food stands, including Brunswick stew by the Ruritans and - ohhh - apples stewed with cognac and topped with mascarpone.
We went back to our place afterward for Greek-ish food. First time out, it looked as though the new furniture would work as we hoped; dining room chairs can be pulled ad-lib into the hall and placed wherever.
About halfway between our place and the Big City lies Rural Ridge Farm, which grows a couple hundred varieties of heritage apples, as well as stone fruits (plums, peaches, cherries, apricots, nectarines) and other pome fruits (pears, quinces). Most of their varieties are American, but a few (Lady, White Winter Pearmain, and Court Pendu Plat) are likely medieval or even Roman varieties. They're proudest of the Albemarle Pippin, now rare but once a dominant crop in this area (a great cider apple!) and a favorite of Queen Victoria, who had the import tariff cancelled. They’re mostly a nursery - you can order rootstocks and young trees at vintagevirginiaapples.com- but they also sell apples & fresh cider (Wed to Sat 2 - 6 in the barn) and have just built a cidery (first product should be available … any … minute … now). Apples don’t pay for themselves, nursery stock is a low-volume business, so they’re hoping that the value-add of fermentation will make them some actual money. Watch this space for reviews when the cider comes available!
Anyway, the first Saturday in November (I know, it’s been a while) is their annual Vintage Virginia fair. It’s a small but rich country fair, obviously with an emphasis on apples. B & I met up there with my mother, two sisters, one brother, one each brother- and sister-in-law, and two nephews. There were apples to be tasted, both heritage and “usual”, plus cider by other manufacturers (interesting, especially the distilled one), Virginia wine (meh, and I don’t remember the winery’s name), and fresh cider because it’s seasonal (lovely). There was, of course, an apple pie-baking contest, and what the judges didn’t eat was sold off by the slice - long before we got there.
And there was lots of local food - cheeses, sausages, honey, apple butter/sauce/cider, baked goods, pickles/salsa/relishes, vinegar, wine, end-of-season produce. And pork from pigs raised in their natural environment - the woods! For the pork also we were too late, but I do believe I’ve tracked down where those folks sell locally. Also crafts - cutting boards, baskets, various cloth & knitty stuff. I picked up some sausages (andouille and generic “pork” - yum) and Merlot vinegar (way more personality than even high-grade grocery stuff).
And there was music (a little loud, given the relatively small area, but generally good), and food stands, including Brunswick stew by the Ruritans and - ohhh - apples stewed with cognac and topped with mascarpone.
We went back to our place afterward for Greek-ish food. First time out, it looked as though the new furniture would work as we hoped; dining room chairs can be pulled ad-lib into the hall and placed wherever.