Of Village Winery and Woolen Finery

This weekend, feeling a touch of cabin fever, I decided to explore the local countryside. I had read a small ad for a local winery I had not heard of before. What really caught my attention was the winery, Village Winery and Vineyards, was offering its own Elderberry Wine and estate-grown Elderberry Syrup. That was the push I needed to get my butt in gear on an overcast Loudoun winter day and head out to one of my favorite spots - the historic village of Waterford.

Now, I have tried to grow elderberries in the past and simply managed to kill off the nice bushes I got from Dave at Abernathy and Spencer nurseries in Lincoln. The raspberry and blackberry bushes I got from him last spring did really well and bore a decent first-year crop. Dave is a very committed and knowledgeable grower, his nursery offers a staggering variety of plants, herbs, shrubs, and trees grown in his on site greenhouses, and it's fun to see the free-roaming chickens and exotic birds on the premises.

But I got my elderberry late in the season and it just never thrived. One of the reasons I am so keen on elderberry is that I found a wonderful elderberry wine while touring Scotland, and was on the lookout for more. Also, for the last two winters, I have been taking elderberry extract to ward off colds and flu, and it really seems to work (when I remember to take it). It's an all-natural product called Sambucol and you can get it at Healthways Food in Purcellville. So I was already an elderberry convert when I headed out on Saturday to Village Wineries.

To reach the winery, I passed through the old Quaker village of Waterford. I got a lovely view of some of the vineyards as I proceeded up the drive to the tasting room. I was also happy to see, that on a dreary winter day, there was a good crowd in the parking lot, with license plates from all over the region.


The tasting room is a cozy, rustic nook attached to an old barn that the owners are lovingly restoring. I got to taste a variety of Village Winery offerings, including the elderberry wine, the elderberry syrup, some merlot, and their apple wine. The apple wine had been mulled and was warm and welcoming. I bought some elderberry wine and syrup and tasted some of the wines. It was a great way to spend a dready weekend afternoon.

An added nice surprise was that the winery turned out to be right next to a local fiber goat farm that I was familiar with but had never had a chance to visit. The pasture was right next to the winery's parking lot, with cars on one side of the fence and goats on the other. I always travel with goat treats in my car (you never know when they will come in handy). So I approached the fence with some and made friends with the fiber goats. They are quite grand-looking creatures. They were a bit aloof but after tasting the first few animal crackers, they came around.

Of Cloned Cows and Winter Browse

It's getting tough to get hay. The drought is catching up with local farmers and livestock producers. Their own hay stocks are getting thin, and I myself am paying twice as much for hay as I did last year.

I am sure you are noticing prices rising at your local supermarket. It's not just a regional weather glitch that is affecting how we need to think about our eating habits.

Of course, the corporate leaders of agribusiness, in conjunction with their yesmen at the FDA, have a great solution to the problem, as explained by the ever-interesting Verlyn Klinkenborg: Closing the Barn Door After the Cows Have Gotten Out.

Of Slitting Throats and Baby Goats

Chefs’ New Goal: Looking Dinner in the Eye

Sometimes "dinner" looks back:

Of Winter Buys and Possum Pies

I plan to do the rounds of the local winter farmers' markets this weekend. I'll report back, I hope with a new stash of goodies.


And no, this possum did not end up in a pie, even though I would have liked to punish it. It tried to hijack my car when I left the door open while I was unloading groceries. It is safe and sound now; Animal Control came and made sure it got back into the woods where it belongs.

Of Heritage Pigs and Nearby Gigs

In this part of my winter products report, I'm waxing poetic over local pork, lamb jerky, and socks...yes, socks. All of these goodies were purchased at the modest little gem of a farmers' market in Berryville, just a few miles west of the Loudoun County line. You can shop some of the vendors at the Clarke County Winter Market, which is held once a month on the corners of Main Streets and Church Streets right next to the Dollar General Store in the Town's Parking Lot. The market will be held on the following dates: 1/19, 2/16, 3/15, 4/12. The regular season begins again in May 2008.

As a special holiday breakfast treat, I broke out my frozen slab of heritage breed uncured bacon. It was made from Tamworth pork by Briars Farmstead. It was not too fatty, and a dark, pleasing color. The taste was definitely intense, a little gamy, not too salty, and a wonderful accompaniment to farm-fresh eggs. Briars Farmstead offers a variety of produce, depending on the time of year. You can reach Matt or Ruth at 540-837-2554 or email them for current product availability. Or better yet, stop by their stand at the market, say hi, and buy something yummy! For more information on natural pastured products around Virginia, check out the Eat Wild website.



I bought several items as Christmas gifts before the holidays from the Berryville Farmers Market. The best-received one was a thick, cozy pair of woolen socks from Virginia Lamb of Clarke County. Virginia Lamb is a family-run farm encompassing several generations of sheep farmers. The Childs family is very involved with agriculture in Loudoun and Clarke counties, including the Ag Extension and 4H.

I bought a few different flavors of their lamb jerky sticks, hoping to use them as stocking stuffers. Sorry to say they never made it into those stockings. The jerky was so good, I kept to all for myself. I'll have to see if they have more this Saturday, Jan. 19, when Virginia Lamb is scheduled to be at the Winter Market again. The socks were made of wool from their own flocks of blackface Suffolk and Southdown sheep. They were a welcome gift to my friend in blustery New England. You can check product availability by calling them at 540-955-4242 or email them. For information about lamb and sheep products in Loudoun County, see the Loudoun Valley Sheep Producers website.

Of Sheepish Fields and Freezer Yields

The ground here in western Loudoun is frozen hard. I am feeding my goats a lot more hay since grass is sparse and slow to grow, even in this relatively mild winter. Thanks to the drought that hit northern Virginia, hay costs twice what it did last year, and the quality is poorer. Many of the small local producers have felt the repercussions of the water shortage in the county, and both producers and consumers will be feeling the economic consequences for months to come. I wonder if, in the midst of this mid-winter funk, my goats dream of Spring-the green pasture, the tender mulberry leaves, the soft, sweet grass. I know I do right about now.

So, to shake off those winter blahs, I decided it was time to explore some of the treasures of my freezer. I rummaged through it to find some locally-raised holiday fare. Fields of Athenry is one of my favorite vendors from the Purcellville Farmers Market. So I have stocked up my freezer with their produce.

Athenry's whole chicken made a rich soup, perfect for those cold winter days we had around the New Year. Their birds are usually prepared the day before sale and fresh frozen. The boneless skinless breasts (which I wrapped and froze individually) were lean and an excellent value. I grilled them up to star in a calorie-conscious meal to help me stick to one of my recurring New Year's resolutions.


My favorite freezer item has to be their lamb sausages. They are so versatile! I have used them in stews, pasta toppings, and just grilled with onions, mushrooms, and peppers! To die for, especially served on a crusty baguette! It just goes to show that simple, high-quality ingredients can be prepared and served simply and still steal the mealtime show.

I have their ground lamb and homemade goetta still in the freezer to look forward to. You can find out all about Fields of Athenry Farm and its very personable and knowledgeable owner, Elaine Boland, at their website. You can sample some of their products at a number of local eateries, including on the Baa Baa Black Sheep special pizza at Fire Works Pizza in Leesburg, and at Magnolia's at the Mill in Purcellville. You may also be able to order some of their produce directly by calling Elaine at 540-687-3936 for current availability.

Of Frozen Caches and Hoarded Stashes

The dead of winter in northern Virginia is a trying time for a farmers' market junkie and would-be locavore. Sporadic, forlorn holiday markets yield very little in the way of unspoiled spoils. The ground outside is frozen solid, the squirrels struggling to unearth their autumn stashes.

In the morning all the water buckets are topped with crusts of ice so solid, the goats holler at the kitchen door and refuse to get on with their day till I wake up. They know if they bleat loud and long enough I will bring them fresh buckets filled with steaming water so they can have their morning drink. They need a hot beverage to start off their day just like I do, especially when all of nature seems to be one gigantic freezer.


Freezer...hmm, wait a moment....Freezer! Now is the perfect time to toddle over to my freezer and haul out some of the local products I squirrelled away for these lean months. That would definitely cheer up me and my table.

There are two farmers markets I visit regularly in season, mainly because they are within a 12-mile radius of my farmette-the Purcellville Farmers Market and the Clarke County (Berryville) one. Often I will buy extra, especially of livestock products, to freeze for later use. So, when I when I dug through my freezer, I found several wonderful products from local producers that I can now use in hearty winter meals from breakfast, to lunch, to dinner!

In upcoming posts, I’ll explore some of the products I have stored away from the vendors in Purcellville, talk about some of the goodies from Berryville in Clarke County, and discuss some of the winter outlets for many local foods.

Of Local Yolks and Yokel Jokes

Happy 2008 everyone! The United Nations has declared 2008 both the Year of Languages and the Year of Sanitation. Guess that means we should all clean up our mouths, basically. I promise not to indulge in any foul talk in this blog, although there will be a fair amount of fowl talk. For instance, let’s talk about eggs.

The local farm markets are few and far between this winter. If you remember, you can go to a Year Round Farmers' Market every Saturday morning in Leesburg, or the monthly Winter Market in Berryville. I tend to forget about these, so I generally sleep in on the weekends and miss them. I hope to visit them soon so I can report back on them.


Even though I miss the regular weekly markets of the spring season, I refuse to forgo my farmstead eggs. The deep, orange yolks, the satisfyingly crunchy, thick brown shells, the divine taste, are all good indicators of happy birds. For a short while, local friends were supplying me eggs from their backyards, but in the fall and winter, a lot of the flocks out here in western Loudoun were hit hard by predators such as foxes and even unleashed dogs. So I needed to find a reliable winter source for my eggs, and lucky me, I did, just one town over, at the Bluemont General Store in Bluemont, VA.

Located at 33715 Snickersville Turnpike in the center of town, the Bluemont General Store sells their mostly brown eggs for well under $4 a dozen. They come primarily from Rhode Island Red crosses, who get to roam around and live on a wholesome natural diet. In mid-February, they will have live chicks available. The store has also begun carrying locally-raised meats. For more information on Bluemont General Store and their offerings, you can call 540-554-2054.

One helpful hint when buying eggs sustainably-if you can return your empty egg carton when you make your next purchase, that will help everyone out. Oh and here is another tip: Bluemont has a wonderful country fair every fall. You can find out more at the Bluemont Fair website.

I am very happy to bid adieu to 2007 and to welcome the new Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. The BoS provided me with one of the drollest jokes of the past year. It was the memorable comment of Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling), that "....When told there were more than 30,000 cows in the county, Delgaudio said he could not believe that number because he had not seen them." (from "County Enacts Water Restrictions" Leesburg Today Print Edition). Well, I have yet to lay my eyes on Delgaudio, I wonder what that means?