Yes Suburbia, There IS a Rural Loudoun
The weather has finally turned cooler, which means its time to enjoy some of the fall events the Loudoun agricultural community has to offer.
First off is the Loudoun Farm Color Tour which is set for October 20th and 21st. It includes stops at farm museums, wineries, equine operations, and of course FARMS! The tour is self guided so you can stop at as many or as few of the sites as you want. I promise you'll find out grocery shopping doesn't have to include just Wegmans and Bloom, it can also include supporting your neighbors in western Loudoun. To get more information and find out which sites are open for the weekend, check out www.loudounfarms.org or call 703-777-0426.
The folks over at the Ag Development office have another good idea for you with the holidays approaching. Don't hit the malls on "Black Friday" (the day after Thanksgiving), hit the farms and locally owned stores and make it Green Friday. Local farms and artisans will have gifts produced locally that are guaranteed to be more exciting than an Old Navy Fleece Pull-over. Items like wines, pottery, sweaters, mittens, blankets, soaps, artwork, and of course FOOD will all be available to purchase. To see where to purchase "Green Friday" products again, check out the www.loudounfarms.org website and watch for ads in the local papers in the coming months.
If you think Farmers Markets end with the warm weather, think again! The winter farm market begins November 3rd at the Virginia Village shopping center on Catoctin Circle and continues each Saturday through the winter. Seasonal veggies, along with meats, dairy products, and baked goods will be available. So again, no excuses to make the chain grocery store your only stop for food!
Finally, after Thanksgiving comes Christmas, and Loudoun is chock full of Christmas tree (and other holiday product) farms. Why support someone you've never met from hundreds of miles away, when there are loads of awesome trees to be had right here in your own "back 40"? Again, check out www.loudounfarms.org to get the list of farms and retailers with local products for sale or give the Loudoun Economic Development office a ring at 703-777-0426 and they can set you up with a brochure with all the local Christmas tree farms and more.
So get out there Loudouners, there is a REAL vibrant farming community waiting to serve YOU this fall and winter. Don't disappoint them! Have fun!