This weekend we visited the Cold Harbor Antiques Mall in Mechanicsville. This huge antique mall could have kept me busy for the entire day, but we had the kids with us and they sped through, loving the “old” stuff they found. They thought the rotary dial telephones were awesome, and they loved seeing the old… Read More Antique Store Cookbook Find
Summer in Virginia is a time for festivals, and the best festivals celebrate the foods the Commonwealth is known for. Here are some of the best: *Gordonsville’s Famous Fried Chicken Festival – Saturday, May 20, 11 AM-5 PM, Gordonsville Fire Company Fairgrounds – Celebrate the “chicken-leg center of the universe” and Gordonsville’s long history of… Read More Summer Food Events in Virginia
It’s fall! My favorite season of the year means it’s time for hearty soups and big flavors. Chowders are the type of thick, rich stews that have long been important in American cooking. Most settlers, whether they were in the northern Massachusetts or southern Virginia colony, had easy access to the main ingredients for a… Read More Corn Chowder and Old Bay Potato Chips
Fall is prime time for foodie events, and there are plenty to choose from in the mid-Atlantic region. These are some of the best: Fire, Flour and Fork (Richmond, VA) – Nov. 17-20. Since its inaugural year in 2014, this Richmond food extravaganza has evolved into a premier food showcase. This unique event offers an… Read More Mid-Atlantic Fall Foodie Events
Virginia has been home to many traditional foods since the colonial era. From tomatoes to seafood, wine and beer to barbecue, Virginia has historically been home to a blend of foods and preparation techniques handed down from generations of native peoples, enslaved Africans and European settlers. If you’re traveling around Virginia this summer, make sure… Read More Summer in Virginia – Foods and Events
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to take a tour of the A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Master Distiller Brian Prewitt led our special tour as he explained the distillation and aging process of A. Smith Bowman’s bourbons. From the giant stills to the high-quality barrels to the final bottling, the… Read More Smoking Barbecue with Bourbon Barrel Char
Ever since I was little, my parents have taken me and my brother and sister to the Pennsylvania Dutch Country of Lancaster, Pennsylvania regularly. As a kid, our summer vacation was often spent staying at a campground or a cabin for a week and visiting all the antique shops, farmer’s markets and Amish and Mennonite… Read More Pennsylvania Dutch Food Culture in Lancaster, PA
So of course by now, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and with it my Family Food History project. Since my aunt always makes a full, traditional Thanksgiving meal with turkey and mashed potatoes and stuffing and gravy, I didn’t want to make a ton more food since I knew everybody would already be stuffed. I… Read More Project “Family Food History” Thanksgiving
In spite of threatening weather reports all week, yesterday’s Edible Food Fest in Orange couldn’t have had a more gorgeous day for the food-packed festival. The Edible Food Fest, sponsored by regional food magazine Edible Blue Ridge, the local Blue Mountain Brewery and the Orange Downtown Alliance, showcased the central Virginia region’s finest foods, from farmers and… Read More Edible Food Fest in Orange
I had heard many months ago that Richmond was getting a Southern Season store, and I was so excited to head over to check it out this past Friday. The store opened July 31 on Staples Mill Rd. near Willow Lawn, and there are festivities galore going on for the first few weeks. Of course, there… Read More Southern Season Richmond Grand Opening
Dogwood Dispatches 