by Adrienne Wichard-Edds, photos by Katelyn James, Cat Thrasher, and Kate Headley When 38-year-old finance director Betty Danti met her now-husband, Anthony, an attorney in D.C., she was living on frozen food and canned vegetables. Anthony—who grew up with a mother who cooked every meal from scratch, often using ingredients plucked from the family’s garden—changed all that. “Since [...]
Set your calendars for July 26 to August 5. That’s the second annual Farm-to-Fork Loudoun culinary celebration which brings together Loudoun farmers and chefs, sometimes for the first time. The nearly two dozen participating businesses commit to using at least 70 percent locally sourced produce and meat on special “farm to fork” menus for the [...]
by Jodi Macfarlan, photos by Andrea Hubbell Roman author Pliny the Elder once wrote, “in vino veritas,” meaning, “in wine there is truth.” Ol’ Pliny may have simply been commenting on the effects a couple glasses of vino can have, but at Veritas Vineyard and Winery, the credo bears much weight—carrying the Hodson family through [...]
by Marian Burros, photos by Molly McDonald Peterson Most small farmers learn quickly that they need a job off the farm in order to afford life on it. Marc Grossman has turned that idea on its head: he has a full-time job as a high school history and government teacher but supplements his income by [...]
by Joel Salatin The “Just Label It” movement has now reportedly gathered more than 800,000 signatures to pressure the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) be labeled. When one of the top promoters for this campaign solicited me recently to convince conservatives and libertarians to sign on (as [...]
by Walter Nicholls, photos by Molly McDonald Peterson With more than 50 years of experience as a cattle farmer in Rappahannock County, Va., Dick McNear thought he knew just about all there was to know about raising a steer for market. But 18 months ago, for the first time, McNear changed how he grazes his [...]
by Zora Margolis, photos by Molly McDonald Peterson There’s nothing quite like walking the dog on an ordinary winter morning in D.C., turning the corner, and seeing dinner growing out of the trunk of a street tree in front of your own house. <instant adrenaline rush> Right at eye level—there—a fresh, meaty clump of [...]
by Anne Tate Bedarf, photos by Derek Bedarf With a reputation for luxury hotel accommodations and fine dining, Keswick Hall at Monticello’s restaurant Fossett’s might not seem like an obvious choice to those looking for a locavore experience. But with a focus on local food and a homegrown chef, Fossett’s offers a journey into local [...]
by Bill Plante, photos by Molly McDonald Peterson And now for something completely different! For the past two years, the Flavor tasting panel has focused mainly on the better-known varietals of Virginia: Cabernet, Merlot, and Petit Verdot reds, and Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier whites. This year, our panel of local expert sommeliers explored two [...]
by Suemedha Sood, Photography Courtesy of VisitStaunton.com This winter, Michael Reeps got the chance to bring an idea to life: creating an online farmers market to connect Staunton farmers with town residents. The Staunton Creative Community Fund gave Reeps a grant to kickstart his website, Staunton Fresh. It’s not surprising: this is a town [...]
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