Local farm stands offer high-quality food to Fluvanna visitors
Fluvanna County farmers Mark and Faye Clements had only been vendors at the West End Farmer’s Market in Richmond for a month when they were approached to become its new owners.
“We were thrilled,” said Faye, of Salt and Pepper Farm. “We ended up taking it over and moving it to a new location.”
Now located at Discovery United Methodist Church on Gayton Road, the market has both indoor and outdoor space, allowing it to operate year round. Approximately 30 vendors set up each week to create a farm-to-family experience.
Every Saturday morning, the couple not only manages the market, they also sell the meat, eggs, and other offerings from Salt and Pepper. Once the market ends at noon, they race to wrap everything up and return home to Kents Store in Central Virginia to open their farm-based market, The Roost Store.
The cozy building is packed with the farm’s wide-ranging bounty. Salt and Pepper uses sustainable practices, resulting in high-quality food, raised humanely. In addition to wood-lot pork, the farm offers pasture-raised chickens, free-range eggs, and raw local honey. The shop also sells fun and stylish farm-chic signs and home décor.
Passersby on Venable Road can’t miss The Roost Store – a giant, colorful rooster statue guards the entryway. The Roost Store is open from 2 pm to 5 pm on Saturdays and 12 pm to 5 pm on Sundays.
“It’s a lot,” Faye said. “But we love growing good, naturally raised food for our friends, neighbors, and the communities we serve.”
With that passion, they aren’t alone in Fluvanna. Visitors can also check out other successful Fluvanna farm stands including:
Chevy Chase Farm
2881 Shores Rd, Palmyra, Virginia
Beef, pork, eggs, vegetables, baked goods and more. Hosts a Saturday morning market
Crossing Brook Farmstand
15570 W. River Road, Fork Union, Virginia
Specializing in greenhouse plants and pick-your-own
Harmony Hill Farm
2070 Rolling Road South, Scottsville, Virginia
Grass-fed and finished Beef, Grass-fed and finished Lamb, Woodland Pork, Pastured Chicken and eggs
Hidden Springs Family Farm
4874 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy, Palmyra, Virginia
Naturally grown produce, pasture-raised poultry, jams, jellies, and sauces
Modesto Farm
952 Rolling Road South, Scottsville, Virginia
Vegetables, herbs, flowers
“There’s a lot of appreciation out there for good food,” Faye said. “We see it every week at the market. People line up, and they really appreciate it.”
Visitors can experience more of Fluvanna’s agricultural history and traditions, and engage with some of these vendors, Saturday, September 28, at the Fluvanna Family Fall Festival, from 12pm – 5pm.
The Festival, held at Pleasant Grove Park, will feature more than 50 vendors including a farmers’ market, a half dozen food trucks, master gardeners, local farmers, artists, a native plants sale, first responders, local foods, handmade crafts and jewelry. Exhibits will include an early 1900s gristmill, a farrier/blacksmith, quilt makers, and a wool spinner in traditional colonial clothing.
For more information, visit the event’s Find Fluvanna website listing.
