BUY LOCAL
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services encourages you to Buy Local all year long. When you buy from local farmers, you get maximum freshness, taste and nutrition because your food travels far less from farm to table. Explore VirginiaGrown.com to locate farm fresh foods and beverages plus plants, gifts, wool and other non-edible items.
Additional Resources:
Eat Well Guide - Enter your zip code to find CSAs, farmer's markets, restaurants, and other sources of local food.
Retail Grocers in Virginia
Virginia Organic Directory
Virginia's Finest Directory
Christmas Tree Month Proclamation
Top trends in food are local, artisan ice creams, and more local. In drinks it’s onsite barrel-aged drinks, locally produced beer, craft beer. - National Restaurant Association
News Releases:
June 18, 2013
Ice Cream Saves The Family Farm . . . . And Other Little Known Facts to Celebrate Virginia Ice Cream Month
May 30, 2013
Delight Dad on Father’s Day with Some Great Grilling Favorites
April 30, 2013
Buy Mom Something Extra Special for Mother’s Day, Something from Right Here in Virginia
March 26, 2013
It’s Easier than Ever to Buy Local for Spring Dinners and Celebrations
March 4, 2013
St. Patrick’s Day, One of America’s Great Food Days
Ten Dollar Buy Local' challenge to strengthen VA economy
Virginia has dairy farms that add value to their milk by producing ice cream. Other farms purchase milk or cream to make ice cream from their own fruits or berries to sell on the farm. It’s one of the coolest ways to Buy Local in Virginia.
Homestead Creamery
Moo Thru
Finchville Dairy, LLC
Chiles Orchard – Chiles adds their own strawberries and peaches to ice cream to sell at the farm along with peach or apple cider slushies
College Run Farm – The farm churns ice cream at its on-farm store with their own fresh-picked strawberries or blueberries
If you run a Virginia dairy farm and make and sell ice cream, or if you add your own fresh ingredients to make ice cream, please let us know at webmaster@vdacs.virginia.gov.
This year there are more than 220 markets across the Commonwealth, up from 88 markets in 2005. During the month of May you’ll find fresh juicy Virginia Grown strawberries in season, along with asparagus, beets, greens, spinach, herbs and onions. You’ll also find meats, eggs, cheeses, fresh cut flowers, honey and baked goods. Find the closest market near you by visiting www.VirginiaGrown.com.
Market Managers, if you would like to list your Virginia Farmers’ Market, please notify us by e-mailing Leanne.Dubois@vdacs.virginia.gov and we will add your market to the list.
According to Home Economist Karla Seidita of Cheesecake Farms, Fauquier County, Virginia, you can save money this Thanksgiving by buying local products. “Root vegetables and winter squash are in season at Thanksgiving,” she says. “Check out the produce section for locally grown carrots, onions, butter nut squash, yams, acorn squash and more. Use them for salads as well as side dishes. Seasonal vegetables are an environmentally responsible alternative to the high cost of out-of-season, out-of-region, hot house grown tomatoes, cucumbers and green, red or yellow peppers.”Beef – Virginia Beef Industry Council
Apples – Virginia Apple Growers Association
Seafood – Virginia Marine Products Board