Rappahannock Central

For my birthday this year (in August), I was craving good food and fresh air--not unlike every other day of the year, it seems.

We took a day trip to Sperryville, Va. to check out Rappahannock Central, a restored apple packing house that now serves as a food co-op, an arts collective, and a cafe.

It was a quiet Saturday morning and we arrived before they officially opened so we made ourselves at home in an area designed just for the little ones.

When Cafe Indigo opened we were seated overlooking the Copper Fox Distillery. We shared a really satisfying lunch from locally procured goods--I had ginger carrot soup and a farm cheddar, apple, and arugula sandwich. Neapolitan ice cream was on the menu for dessert and we each had a scoop. Soo good.

Afterward we moseyed through the small industrial-barn styled studios and art gallery.

At last, we spent some time in the farm store where I happily picked out two chickens, lamb sausage, honey, white wine vinegar, eggs, and a phenomenal tapenade, from Everona Dairy, made with olives and nutty goat cheese. There was plenty more that I could have (and wanted to) toss into my bag, but I tried to save some of my enthusiasm for Sunday's farmer's market the following morning.

Do you seek out local food in your area? If you're curious to see what you have nearby, you can search www.localharvest.org for CSAs, farmer's markets, restaurants, and more.