As we soon found out, the Americans really like to mix
things up a bit and break the ice! Our cosy little huddle of English people in
the corner of the bus was immediately broken up and we were dispersed among our
American counterparts. This “musical chairs” process was to be repeated at
almost every bus stop over the next three days. We were to discover some of the
warmest and fascinating people we have ever met, from a whole host of farming,
catering, retailing and (perhaps most of all) the entertainment business. As
you would expect there was lots of “shop talk” and with some many diverse
businesses on board it was fascinating. As one of our travel buddies pointed
out, we could have driven in that bus for three days without ever getting off and
we still would have learnt a wealth of information.
First stop is the Main Street Market, a fascinating cluster
of food retailers under the same roof; a real one stop (and must stop) shop for
anyone in that area who loves food. Each little unit specialises in their own
field and we were to discover an organic butcher, a spice shop, a fish monger
and sushi bar, a cook shop, a bakery, a deli and a chocolate maker. James was
gutted he managed to miss the latter but Sarah was in her element with all the
fine ingredients on display! This stop was packed with ideas and inspiration
which was just as well because as it turned out these were the only retailers
that we came across on our tour that were actually open and trading!
Stop number two set the tone for many of our future stops on
our three day tour. Chiles Peach Orchard in Crozet is a very impressive family farming business
that are now in the hands of its 4th generation. There is a big
tradition of family farms in this area which makes them extremely proud of what
they do and this farm was definitely no exception. The whole family was ready
to greet us and provide the most wonderful hospitality.
The Chiles’ business has been built upon a bedrock of fruit
production and they now grow apples and peaches which are distributed
throughout America! The orchard’s setting is breath taking, nestling between
the mountains and the rows and rows of perfectly manicured trees seem to
stretch for miles. The focus for our visit was the “Farmer’s Market”, which is
the American term for a farm shop rather than the English style farmers market.
More on “Farmers Markets” a bit later!
The next stop brought us to an extremely unique and
fascinating operation at Saunders Farm Market. Saunders celebrate their
centenary in 3 years time and its true to say their shop has largely remained
unchanged the whole time! Saunders Farm Market is a living tribute to
yesteryear and a perfect example of how creaky floorboards and a draughty roof
can actually be such a huge asset. This is the only farm shop we’ve ever
visited with live music, not your piped department store music, but two “old
timers”, a guitar and a piano; all of which are a regular feature for the
shoppers every Saturday! The old world
charm is continued with its very own museum of agricultural equipment and
machinery. We were shocked to find that hiding behind the hedge was the
family’s “other business”, one of the largest plant nurseries in this part of
the USA!!!
Albemarle Cider Works was our next visit; an eagerly
anticipated one by James! This was when we in for another cultural surprise as
we discovered the word “Cider” in America is in fact given to all non diluted
apple juices, regardless of any alcoholic content or not. Fortunately for us
Albemarle produces a range of the alcoholic variety which we were all invited
to taste after a fascinating tour of the impressive cidery and visitors centre.
It was interesting the hear that whilst “hard cider” (thats what they call the
alcoholic variety) is currently a very small industry in Virginia there are 3
more cider businesses about the start making the hard stuff this year. Will
cider start to catch on here like it has in the UK?
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