FOOD & DINING
Edible Virginia:
Celebrating the FooDS of the COMMONWEALTH
HOLLIN FARMS APPLES | PHOTO BY ALEXANDRIA LIVING MAGAZINE
BY GLENDA C. BOOTH
Virginia has a rich history — and a list of rich food traditions and celebrations of Virginia-grown and Virginia-made foods. PEANUTS To this day, peanuts fuel parts of the economy in southeastern Virginia. Near what is now Waverly, which is south of Richmond and west of Norfolk, the first known commercial peanut crop was planted in 1842. For several decades in the late 1800s, Virginia was the top producer of peanuts in the United States. By the early 1900s, the state was home to 14 of the United States’ 20 commercial peanut processing factories. This October, Suffolk County (home of Planter’s Peanuts) will host its 44th celebration of this favorite legume. In some years, festival-goers can smell peanuts a quartermile away, emanating from an eight-foot Mr. P-nutty statue. Creative types will compete in the peanut butter sculpting contest, carving from a five-pound block of the gooey spread. Visit suffolkpeanutfest.com. To satisfy your craving before the Suffolk festival, visit the Virginia Diner in Wakefield. The diner serves peanut pie — a caramelized, peanutty filling in a flaky crust. Or, visit the Hotel Roanoke for its peanut soup, served topped with fresh, chopped peanuts with spoonbread. (For the recipe, visit hotelroanoke.com/downtown_restaurants/ hotel_roanoke_recipes.)
PHOTO BY CARRIE MILLER FOR THE OLD TOWN SHOP
Peanut lovers may also take delight in a road trip to the Isle of Wright Museum in Smithfield to learn about the history of peanut farming, and a visit to the first peanut
May/June 2022 • alexandrialivingmagazine.com
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