All Natural Birdseed Wreaths from J & W Farms available at The Virginia Farmhouse

The Countdown Has Begun-

Author: Mike   |   0 Comments   |   Categories: christmas • gift store • gourmet • gourmet foods • holiday • locally made • new additions • shenandoah county • wine • wine store • woodstock virginia   |   Tags: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

You have less than two weeks before the big day- but don’t worry we have plenty of options for last minute gifts!Bottles of "Farmhouse" Red and White Wines from Cline Cellars available at The Virginia Farmhouse

First for the wine lovers in your life we now carry “Farmhouse” Red and White Wines from Cline Cellars of Sonoma. The red blend is rich and full-bodied with cherry and plum notes and a hint of black pepper. The white blend is light, crisp and citrusy with hints of peach and lemon curd. And for cider lovers we just got in “Farmhand” from Old Hill Cider-"Farmhand" Hard Cider from Old Hill Cider at The Virginia Farmhouse

The candy table is well stocked and we have a couple new additions from Nancy’s Candy like “Old Fashioned Lemon Drops” and “Chocolate -Covered Brownie Bits”.Chocolate covered Brownie Bits and Lemon Drops from Nancy's Candy available at The Virginia Farmhouse

For the foodies we have Flavor Pourfection’s new infused white balsamic vinegar, “Lemongrass Mint”. We also have a variety of their gourmet oils and vinegars in cute little sample bottles- which make great stocking stuffers.Sampler bottles of infused olive oils and gourmet vinegars from Flavor available at The Virginia Farmhouse

And we have plenty of other locally made goodies for those on your list (or yourself)Spice Blends from The Shenandoah Spice Company and Firefly Hot Sauces filling the shelves at The Virginia Farmhouse

Birdseed Wreathes from J & W  Farm are back- Makes a great treat for your feathered friends or a gift for birders.All Natural Birdseed Wreaths from J & W Farms available at The Virginia FarmhouseAnd for your shopping convenience we will be OPEN on December 24th until at least noon- possibly a little later (you may want to call for hours on Christmas Eve). Happy Holidays!

New Additions- December 2019

Author: Mike   |   0 Comments   |   Categories: christmas • crafts • decorative art • Drinks • food • gourmet retail • hand made • holiday • woodstock virginia   |   Tags: • • • • • • • • • • • •

We have something for pretty much everyone on your list-Hazelnut flavored mead from Misty Mountain mEadworks available at The Virginia Farmhouse

First- Mead from Misty Mountain Meadworks is back in stock- and we have their new brew, “Hazelnut ‘n’ Honey”. This mead is made from clover honey and aged with crushed hazelnuts- which impart a pleasant amaretto-like note. It goes great with -well- everything at the holiday table.

gourmet cheese knife set from Twine available at The Virginia Farmhouse

And just in from True- “Twine” Gourmet cheese knife sets, “Cahoots” Owl-shaped waiters corkscrews and “Spot-On” dog shaped wine glass markers. All great gift ideas for the gourmands and wine aficionados in your life- especially if they like dogs.

Spot-On dog shaped wine glass markers available at The Virginia Farmhouse

Cahoots owl shaped waiters corkscrews available at The Virginia Farmhouse

We also have a new addition to the jewelry table: beaded jewelry hand made by Sue Southee of Gemini Dreams. We now have a selection of her earrings, bracelets and a couple necklaces.

beaded jewelry from Gemini Dreams now available at the Virginia Farmhouse

And for those of you looking for some upcycled home decor I transformed this charming old window into a mirror. Some of the panes of glass in it must be truly ancient- the one in the top left looks like ripples on the surface of a pond.

An antique mirror transformed into a mirror by mj seal

portion of an antique mirror transformed into a mirror by mj seal

Happy Holidays from Us to You!

New Additions- April 2019

Author: Mike   |   0 Comments   |   Categories: ceramics • gift store • gourmet • gourmet foods • gourmet retail • gourmet shop • pottery • shenandoah county • Stoneware • virginia made • virginia wine • wine • wine store • woodland • woodstock • woodstock virginia   |   Tags: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

We’ve really been cramming the shelves full this month with a plethora of new products-

First- the batch of stoneware pottery I started last year (before we moved) has finally been fired! I made an assortment of leaf-shaped dishes (Oak, Tulip Tree, Maple, etc.) with finishes like Autumn Scarlet (glossy), Dark Cocoa Brown (semi-matte), Autumn Gold (matte), Mushroom Soup (satin) and First Snow (matte). The First Snow and Autumn Scarlet finishes look especially nice on the brown of the clay body.

I also made an assortment of serving bowls, relish dishes and little trinket boxes (they were supposed to be salt cellars) with an oceanic look to them.

New Additions to The Pantry:

  • Organic Buckwheat Flour
  • Organic Coconut Flour from Tropical Green Organics of Sterling, VA- my home town! The coconuts that went into the flour weren’t grown in the state though- they sourced those from Sri Lanka.
  • Organic Spelt Flour
  • Organic Chia Seed
  • Organic Farro (a kind of wheat berry)
  • Organic Scottish Oatmeal

Back in stock:

  • Bulgur Wheat
  • Organic Whole Flaxseed
  • Almond Flour
  • Sorghum Flour
  • Millet Flour

Also new:

  • Organic Chia & Quinoa Restaurant-style Tortilla Chips from Late July
  • Organic Ancient Grain (Spelt Flour) Pretzels from Hanover
  • Organic Sprouted Whole Wheat Pretzel Shells from Unique Pretzels
  • Gluten-Free Multigrain Crackers from Crunchmaster
  • Whole Wheat Fig, Raspberry and Strawberry Bars from Nature’s Bakery
  • Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Brownies also from Nature’s Bakery
  • Dill Pickle Spears, Pickled Baby Beets and Pickled (baby) Green Tomatoes from Jake & Amos

Note: The pretzels are quite a deal at $7.49 for a giant, 28 oz container.

New to the Wine Rack:

  • Bluestone Vineyard’s 2016 Chardonnay and Petit Manseng, 2017 Moscato- Their Cab Franc is very spicy with lots of cardamom and black pepper. The Petit Manseng is complex, fruit-forward (tropical fruit- think starfruit) and luscious. The 2017 Moscato is slightly drier than previous vintages.
  • Castello Di Gabbiano Chianti Classico- rich, full-bodied and spicy with notes of tobacco, earth and violets.
  • Rabble Pinto Gris- light-bodied, mellow with notes of pear, golden delicious apples and a refreshingly tart finish
  • Slow Press Lodi Zinfandel- Spicy and rich with juicy black cherry on the nose and cedar on the palate.

New Additions- December 2018

Author: Mike   |   0 Comments   |   Categories: ceramics • christmas • gift store • gourmet • gourmet foods • gourmet retail • gourmet shop • hand made • jewelry • shenandoah county • virginia wine • woodstock virginia   |   Tags: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

We’ve been quite busy over the past month and we have big news for the upcoming New Year!

First and foremost: We will be moving during the month of January to our new location–just across the street to the former location of The Woodstock Gallery and Frame Shop. We will begin moving mid-January and will be completely set up in our new location by February 1st. During January we will be open by appointment, so give us a call first.

And from now until December 24th we will be Open every day of the week for your shopping convenience. We will be closed on Christmas Day and the day after (Mike’s Birthday!).

We have a few new additions as well:

  • Wired By ALP Essential Oil Bracelets- These hand beaded bracelets have lava stones that act as a reservoir for essential oils. Simply dab your favorite oil or blend onto the lava stone and it will slowly diffuse into the air around you all day.
  • Sainte Victoire, Cotes de Provence, Rose- A light, crisp rose with lots of melon, a hint of almonds and a balanced acidity
  • Chateau Bonnet, Bourdeaux Blanc- A mellow blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle with notes of apple, pear, tropical fruits and a very clean finish.
  • Sassafras bark- Cut and sifted- great for making root beer or a spicy tea. Product of the USA. It smells Heavenly.
  • Summer Savory- Dried, whole leaf
  • Gumbo File Powder- A blend of sassafras leaf and thyme that is an essential component of Creole Cooking
  • Culinary Sage- Dried, whole leaf and Locally Grown!
  • Makrut (Kaffir) Lime Leaves- Dried, whole–an essential herb for authentic Thai cuisine–makes an interesting ingredient in gin–goes great with green tea too.
  • Tejpatta- Indian Bay Leaf- Dried, whole leaf- essential in Indian cuisine.
  • Thai Chilies- Whole, dried–great for making red curry paste, in stirfries and giving some kick to really anything you are cooking
  • Szechuan (Sichuan) Peppercorns- An essential ingredient in Authentic Chinese Cuisine especially from Szechuan Province. These are nothing like black peppercorns. Szechuan pepper are the fruit of a tree related to oranges and lemons–they are tart and cause an interesting numbing/buzzing sensation in the mouth.
  • Stevia Herb- Powdered stevia acts as a completely natural sweetener.
  • Vegetarian Gel Capsules- size 0 empty gel capsules are great for making your own supplements.

And we also have a fresh batch of functional ceramics from local potter Barbarah Robertson, including our custom- made Woodstock, VA mugs. These large, heavy-duty (and surprisingly lightweight) coffee mugs have a bright, sky-blue glaze along the upper 2/3 portions and “WOODSTOCK, VA” embossed along the bottom. We have some of Barbarah’s fluted mugs with a honey/caramel glaze, Virginia-shaped ornaments  and several platters in different finishes.

Back in stock:

  • “Betwixt” and “Cider Maker’s Barrel” hard ciders from Old Hill Cidery
  • Bluestone Vineyard’s 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc
  • Big Hawk Premium Sake–A light, crisp Ginjo sake

New Additions- November 2018

Author: Mike   |   0 Comments   |   Categories: christmas • christmas ornament • comfort food • Drinks • food • gift store • gourmet • gourmet foods • gourmet retail • gourmet shop • hand made • new additions • shenandoah county • woodstock virginia   |   Tags: • • • • • • • • •

We’ve been very busy this past month and there are lots (!) of new products gracing our shelves-

For the Pantry we now have instant Vegetarian Vegetable Soup Broth Powder, No-Beef Broth Powder, No-Chicken Broth Powder and Nutritional Yeast Powder. The “chicken” and “beef” broth powders taste and smell just like the real thing but are low in sodium, have essentially no fat and are great for making soba and other instant noodle soups on the fly. The nutritional yeast powder is actually very nutritious- high in protein and vitamins – and is made from all-natural, deactivated yeast. It smells like chicken and wild rice soup with extra mushrooms and tastes similar to miso. The yeast powder imparts a rich, meaty quality to dishes and is great for making savory broth from scratch.

And to go along with the broth powders we have Veggie Deluxe Soup Blend- a rich and flavorful blend of dehydrated vegetables and herbs that are great for making a quick stew. We also have dried Organic shiitake mushrooms and Bell peppers.

Also we now carry Organic Mushroom Gravy Mix, French Onion Dip Mix and Red Enchilada Simmer Sauce (tastes just like home made) from Simply Organic.

New: Artisan Salts from JQ Dickinson Salt Works. JQ Dickinson Salt Works makes salt from ancient brine deposits deep underneath West Virginia’s Kanawha Valley. The brine was left behind when the Iapetus Sea which covered our region 400 million years ago evaporated- so technically this is sea salt. We carry their Heirloom (plain) salt in refillable grinder jars and in bulk bags. We also have their ramp salt (lightly flavored with local ramps -a relative of onions) and Apple-Wood Smoked Salt (earthy and slightly smoky).

Back in Stock: Traditional Yellow Corn, Blue Corn and Guacamole Flavored tortilla chips from Nana’s Cocina.

On the Spice Rack we now have Organic white peppercorns, Organic dried jalapeno and Simply Organics Mulling Spice Blend- perfect for making spiced cider or mulled wine at home. Also Organic dried lemongrass (great for making tea), hibiscus and black peppercorns are back in stock. I also stashed our harvest of fresh, locally-grown lemongrass in the freezer. The frozen lemongrass works great in place of fresh in recipes like Tom Yum Goong and in curry pastes.

On the Wine Wall we now have Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Hook or Crook. Blueberry Muffin, Blackberry Cobbler, Ras Ma Tas Apple Raspberry Wines from Peaks of Otter are back in stock as is Hugl’s Zweigelt.

And on the Beer Cart we now have “Cheeky Monkey” Belgian-Style Blonde Ale and “Cocoborealis” Triple Chocolate Stout from Chaos Mountain and Hoptimization IPA from Brothers Craft Brewing. Legend’s Brown ale is back in stock and we got a sweet close out deal on Hacker Pschorr’s Oktoberfest.

Remember the Holidays are just a few weeks away -yeah I know it’s hard to believe it’s that time of the year again. We have a ton of hand made fabric ornaments and gift tags made by Dawn Steed and lots more goodies on the way. Hopefully my latest batch of pottery will be ready to go here shortly as well. And for your four-legged friends or friends with four-legged friends we are well stocked on gourmet dog treats like Doggie Donuts and Goat Cheese Twists  from South Paws K9 Bakery-

New Additions- September 2018

Author: Mike   |   0 Comments   |   Categories: food • gift store • gourmet • gourmet foods • gourmet retail • gourmet shop • new additions   |   Tags: • • • • • • • • • • • •

So we’ve added quite a bit to our selection during the month of August-

For the wine wall we stocked up on some sweet closeout deals including the following:

  • Belmondo Pinot Noir from Italy
  • Louis Bernard, Cotes du Provence Rose from France
  • Cosentino’s “The Rose” from California
  • La Puerta Torrontes from Argentina
  • Vandenberg Chardonnay from California

All $7.99 a bottle! We also have Hunt & Harvest Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc for $8.99; Georges Duboeuf Jolie Saison Gamay for $8.99 a pop and Pouilly-Fuisse at $13.49 a bottle.

Also we now have Nero D’Avola and Pinot Noir from Stemmari of Italy and Copper Ridge White Zinfandel from California.

And for the beer cart we have Royal Jamaican Ginger Beer. This Is an actual beer with alcohol- it is not a soda.

In the spice library we now have:

  • Organic whole juniper berries- great for making bathtub gin- recipes coming soon
  • Organic rosemary leaves
  • Jamaican allspice berries
  • Organic dried minced onion
  • Organic garlic powder
  • Organic whole celery seed
  • Organic whole dill seed
  • Organic Spearmint leaves
  • Organic vanilla extract
  • Linden flowers
  • Ajwain (Bishop’s weed seed)
  • Amchur powder (dry mango powder)
  • Anardana (pomegranate seed powder)
  • Asafetida powder
  • Black mustard seed
  • Sumac -ground
  • Saffron

*We also have Fair Trade/Organic full leaf Darjeeling Tea and Organic Matcha Tea Powder.

Also new:

  • Preservative-free papaya spears from NOW Foods
  • Raw almond flour also from NOW Foods
  • Better Stevia Organic stevia extract powder
  • Appalachian Salt & Cracked Pepper Chips from Rt 11 Potato Chips

New additions

Author: Mike   |   0 Comments   |   Categories: gift store • gourmet foods • gourmet retail • gourmet shop • woodstock virginia   |   Tags: • • • • • • • • • • •

We’ve been very busy putting together our new selection of organic dry goods and exotic spices, herbs and teas!

Our Pantry area boasts a variety of hard-to-find flours and grains as well as gluten-free baking mixes, organic dried beans, rolled oats and whole wheat flour. Our shelves are packed with items such as:

  • Organic corn meal, garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour, flax seed, millet flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, whole wheat flour, rolled oats, bulgur wheat, red quinoa and amaranth
  • Unsweetened and unsulfered organic shredded coconut and non-alkalized organic cocoa powder
  • Organic dried black beans, Fava (broad) beans, dark red kidney beans, mung beans, navy beans and pinto beans
  • Non-GMO chickpeas and yellow split peas (chana dal)
  • Sun-dried tomatoes, dried porcini and dried portabella mushrooms
  • Arrowroot starch and gluten-free baking mixes
  • Pot pie squares and Israeli-style (pearl) couscous

The fridge is packed with dried fruit and nuts including preservative-free dates, sun-dried Turkish apricots and California walnuts. We store them in the fridge to keep them very fresh.

And we now have a spice and herb library!

We’ve amassed quite a collection of exotic spices and herbs you can’t find nearby, with everything from aniseed to turmeric, whole green cardamom, black cardamom, ceylon cinnamon, fenugreek seed, kasoori methi, Nigella, tej patta and dadag phool (black stoneflower). And our selection will be expanding in the near future.

Most of these are organic and very high quality, very fresh and very fragrant.

We also have a variety of dried herbs and flowers like German chamomile, lemongrass, hibiscus and pink rosebuds which are excellent in tea and powerful enough to be used in potpourri. The rosebuds are great in spice blends like garam masala and ras el hanout to.

And in the freezer we have whole turmeric root, galanga (galangal) root, whole Thai chilies, lemongrass stalks and makrut (kaffir) lime leaves.

We’ve also expanded our selection of gourmet oils and vinegars to include organic canola and sesame oil and Chinese black vinegar. We also have a few international items like coconut milk from Thailand, tahini (sesame) paste, tamarind paste and Chinese cooking wine.

Visit us soon and check out all of our new inventory! We’ll be holding an Open House on August 18–details to follow.