inFauquier Spring 2023

SPRING 2023

The Coolness Factor Hit the open road with Beth Liles

Inside:

• Cool sips • Cool bites • Cool kids • Cooling trees • Cool trends

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Spring 2023

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LIFE & STYLE

FACES & PLACES

FARE & FLAIR

Historic ice houses reveal the story of refrigeration Putting a vinyl spin on a music blast from the past Hemp sales skyrocket at local Franny’s outlet Gear up (and gear down) with motorcycle rider Beth Liles

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Discover the cooling power of a living, breathing tree (really, they literally breathe) Cold frames are hot this shoulder season. Learn how to pamper your plants.

Think scuba isn’t possible in land-locked Fauquier? Think again.

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5 County Tidbits • 30 The Last Word

Welcome

Too cool for school I distinctly remember my first measure of “coolness,” admiring the name the most popular girl in my third grade class gave her dog.

For a long time, “Peaches” was the high watermark.

Eventually that was supplanted by the cool choices of music of the high school

tangible

boys and, later, the fashion selections of the sorority sisters I looked up to at the time in college.

The theme of this spring issue of inFauquier brought it all back to fore as the writing and photo team considered “the coolness factor” from every angle.

When you try to pin it down, what we think of as cool is abstract, subjective, impalpable.

But, by any measure, Fauquier’s full of it.

Follow as we trace the notion of cool, from the purr of V2 four-stroke on Mary Liles’ 2018 Harley Road Glide as she strikes out on another road-trip adventure from her Bealeton home, to the perfectly silky, amber batch of homemade caramel Josh Merrell stirs up for an order of chocolate turtles for his Skyline Sweets.

Explore these stories and more as we dig into the identifiable traits of this truly intangible construct – the coolness factor.

www.fauquier.com Published bi-annually

by Piedmont Media LLC. Address 53 S. 3rd St., Suite 100 Warrenton, VA 20186 Phone: 540-347-4222

Publisher: Catherine M. Nelson, cnelson@fauquier.com Editor: Betsy Burke Parker, betsyburkeparker@gmail.com

Managing editor: Jill Palermo, jpalermo@fauquier.com Consultants: Anthony Haugan, ahaugan@fauquier.com Nancy Keyser, nkeyser@fauquier.com

Table of Contents

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Q and A with Kinloch Farm in The Plains

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Meet Denim and Pearls chef Woody Isaac

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Cheers to the start of al fresco sipping season

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Skyline Sweets in Marshall spins a story with every handmade candy

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Ice wine is a unique Chateau O’Brien twist on local apples

On the cover Photographer Randy Litzinger was intrigued by the spring inFauquier cover assignment. “We had the idea that a motorcycle-riding lady would absolutely depict the essence of ‘cool’ in the county,” Randy says. “I wanted to get shots of her on an angle from behind while riding on a Fauquier country road.

“When I photographed Beth Liles in Midland, I tried to get as low as I could to emphasize she was riding out in the countryside, not on a highway.

“I noticed her license plate on her bike is ‘EAVL.’ I assumed it had to be a reference to famous motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel, who I once watched trying to motorcycle jump over a huge canyon on TV as a young boy.

“Beth laughed and pointed out that no, EAVL is actually just her four initials.

“But I thought it fit the image.”

Jeanne Cobert, jcobert@fauquier.com Contributors: Betsy Burke Parker Alissa Jones Mary Ann Dancisin John Daum John Toler

Alexandra Greeley Janie Ledyard Sally Semple Randy Litzinger David Charvonia Designers: Vincent Sales Laurene Craig

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inFAUQUIER COUNTY TIDBITS

We may not be No. 1, but we’re in the running Warrenton was ranked highly in a recent survey of “best small towns” in America, according to the Family Destinations Guide that provides kid-friendly vacation ideas.

The publication listed the top 150 towns across the nation “they’d love to spend time in this year.”

Warrenton came in at No. 82.

Elsewhere in the commonwealth, Chincoteague landed at No. 7, and Cape Charles was listed 37th.

“Visiting small towns has become increasingly popular as travelers seek authentic and personalized experiences that provide a break from the fastpaced, commercialized world,” Rose Ackermann of familydestinationsguide.com said in a

First Fridays return to town A unique opportunity to dance to live music in the middle of Main Street, First Fridays offer the opportunity this year beginning in May. Live music, drink and activities for the whole family will be back in town this year when Warrenton’s three-decade-long tradition, First Fridays start on May 5.

First Friday joins forces with the Music on Main summer concert series this summer.

Weekends May through October, there will be live music, food trucks, kids’ activities, beer and wine gardens and other local vendors.

release. “These hidden gems offer a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in the local culture, connect with friendly communities and escape the stress of everyday life.”

Holualoa on Hawaii’s Big Island took the top spot.

Rounding out the top three were Ely, Nevada, and Anna Maria Island in Florida.

The events are hosted by Allegro and Warrenton’s Puffenbarger Insurance.

There is no admission charge.

Allegro is a performing arts school located on Main Street in Old Town.

First Friday also partnered with iHeart Media’s D.C. radio station this year to help promote the event across the region.

Kid-centric activities include face painting, snow cones and multi-player games.

Among the artists performing this summer will be Mike Parker, the 27-year-old country singer from Warrenton who made it through to the final seven on “American Idol” last year.

Allegro and Puffenbarger will host a charity bowling tournament at Galaxy Bowling on April 18.

For details, email lachelle@allegrocsa.org.

Solar energy is hot this season Two businesses in Fauquier received grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for solar energy projects.

Rural Energy for America selected Skyfiber Ranch and Fun-tastic Farming for the innovative program.

REA was designed to help farmers, agricultural producers and rural entrepreneurs’ lower energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Fauquier projects, along with 10 others in Virginia, collectively received more than $810,000 in funding for photovoltaic arrays that will lower energy costs for these businesses. This came out of a total pot of $285 million meant for similar projects nationwide.

Skyfiber Ranch, an alpaca farm in Orlean, is installing a 17.28-kilowatt roof-mounted photovoltaic system. This system will consist of 48 360watt solar modules and 18 inverters. An estimated 24,006-kilowatt hours per year of solar generation will go towards its commercial operations covering more than half their power usage.

Fun-Tastic Farming in Gainesville installed a 18.36-kilowatt roof-mounted photovoltaic system, producing more than 26,000 kilowatt hours a year equaling more than 115% of what the 131-acre farm uses.

Bluebells, beavers, birds and biodiversity – Yeah, they’ve got that The Piedmont Environmental Council hosts its 20th annual bluebell walk Sunday, April 16 at Bonny Brook Farm in Catlett. The family-friendly event, sponsored by PEC’s Julian Scheer Fauquier Land Conservation Fund, is a chance to walk in a private conserved property along a Cedar Run, with drifts of hundreds of native bluebells. Experts will lead the walk and speak on topics including beavers, native meadow and riparian habitats for birds, butterflies, and other critters, invasive species removal and more.

County Tidbits

That cold dog tongue on your face? Science says it’s good for you.

You may have worried about germs when you were a kid, but turns out dog kisses are good for you.

When your dog drags his cold, wet tongue across your face, man’s best friend might be doing more than just showing his loyalty.

He might be doing you a favor.

Researchers at the University of Arizona and the University of California at San Diego released a months-long study confirming that dog slobber provides more human health benefits that the easily identifiable fuzz therapy aspect.

Researchers think “infusion” with dog germs actually triggers antibodies to provide relief from everything from asthma to reduction in allergic inflammation.

“We essentially want to (show that) a dog has a probiotic effect,” said Kim Kelly, one of the study leaders, in a press release. Kelly is program coordinator for the Human-Animal Interaction Research Initiative at UA. Dr. Charles Raison, a professor of psychiatry at UA, said dog spit helps build healthy bacteria colonies in the human owner.

“We’re not really individuals; we’re sort of like communities [with bacteria],” Raison told a television news station. “These bacteria can powerfully impact our [immune health.]”

Raison said allergy and immunology researchers have been searching for why certain immune diseases, including allergies and asthma, have increased through the last century in the Western world. One theory has been that human microbiomes have been depleted by less exposure to certain harmless bacteria.

Dog germs, Raison said, help restore that balance.

More is at cals.arizona.edu.

Spring 2023

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inFAUQUIER COUNTY TIDBITS

PHOTO BY VINCENT SALES

Moo Thru is a summer tradition around Fauquier.

Taking the ice cream cruise – the essence of cool Fauquier’s treat-trail is a long, and winding road (thank goodness) Haagen Dazs is heavenly.

Breyers is beautiful.

But when you really want to enjoy the complete ice cream experience, you need to head to your favorite ice cream stand. The county has several chain ice cream parlors, and most country markets sell ice cream, but Fauquier has some traditional offerings.

This season, plan your route carefully to find these easy to access and flavorful treats.

That’s really cold.

(And we like it that way.)

According to 2022 statistics, Americans consume roughly 1.6 billion gallons of ice cream each year. That’s 23 pounds of ice cream per capita.

Are you doing your part?

Ice cream is one of mankind’s oldest sweet treats: Alexander the Great (356 to 352 B.C.) is the first person widely credited with tasting snow sweetened with honey and nectar.

Centuries later, sweetened scoops of snow became “cream ice,” with the first known commercial ice cream recipe attributed to a Sicilian chef in the 1880s.

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Spring 2023

Moo Thru

Scruffy’s Ice Cream Parlor

Effee’s Frozen Favorites

Carousel Frozen Treats

Moo Thru is southern Fauquier’s version of an old-fashioned ice cream shop, with a locavore twist. Owners Ken and Pam Smith make their own ice cream on the second floor of the store, using milk from their own and other Fauquier dairy farms. They say the most popular flavors remain Holstein, Mounds, strawberry cheesecake and carrot cake.

Everything that can be homemade, is homemade. Waffle cones are made in house; shakes are hand-dipped and hand-spun.

Sourdough bread for sandwiches is homemade. The young people who are scooping ice cream and taking orders are familiar faces from the local high schools. When you order your ice cream, you can also grab a farm-fresh gallon of milk to take home with you.

Moo Thru has inside and outside seating to linger over ice cream or world-famous grilled cheese sandwiches.

Moo Thru 11402 James Madison Highway, Remington 540-439-6455 facebook.com/moothru

5051 Lee Highway, New Baltimore 540-347-2220 effees.com County Tidbits

Scruffy’s in Middleburg, like the town itself, is quaint and altogether old-fashioned.

Beyond the cotton candy ice cream and cappuccino chocolate, there is more to the shop than meets the eye. Along with your cone, you can have a dollop of compassion, courtesy of Middleburg Humane Foundation founder and president, Hilleary Bogley. Featuring prominently in the shop is a sign that says, “In 1988, Scruffy’s opened to raise funds to open an animal shelter.”

For the first six years, all money from Scruffy’s paid for spays and neuters and the care of “Scruffy’s Strays;” the Middleburg Humane Foundation incorporated in 1994.

One of the most popular menu specialities is the unique Banana Mocha Cooler, with a shot of espresso, a banana and coffee ice cream.

Scruffy’s Ice Cream Parlor 6 West Washington St., Middleburg 540-687-3766 facebook.com/pages/scruffys-icecream-parlor

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Life & Style

INSIDE THIS SECTION:

• CBD growing in popularity, and rightly so, say experts • Turning the turntable on vinyl records

COURTESY OF THE WARRENTON ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY

Nothing but the foundation remains of this enclosed icehouse at Weston.

Warrenton Electric Light and Ice Company on Franklin Street provided electric service and blocks of ice for resale.

The evolution of cool

You reach into the fridge for a cold one, but have you ever considered how it happened?

The story of ice is a chilling tale (but just imagine if it hadn’t come to be)!

By John T. Toler

The large Kelvinator refrigeration unit at Hopefield was installed in the pantry when the house was built in the 1920s. An early refrigerator, it was cooled by machinery in the basement below.

Before there was refrigeration, there were icehouses, a method of preserving food going back hundreds of years.

Basically, it involved harvesting blocks of ice cut from frozen ponds and lakes during the winter months and storing them in underground structures.

The ice was packed in hay, straw or sawdust, and cool temperatures maintained with vents and drains. Icehouse de-

signs ranged from a simple hole in the ground with a door to a wooden or stone structure built over a finished underground vault.

In the Fauquier countryside, large homes and estates often had their own icehouses. One example would be Greenmont near The Plains, owned by Henry Rust.

He notes that his icehouse dates back to the 1870s, and is the oldest surviving structure on the property.

Making ice was serious business at Greenmont. Ice ponds were built nearby, and during the winter, blocks of ice were cut and Life & Style

moved by trolley into the pit of the icehouse.

Farm records show that the last time workers were paid to cut ice at the farm was in 1926.

In most cases, icehouses exist only in historical records. Remains of an icehouse can be found at Selby, Charlie Mackall’s home near The Plains.

He also remembers as a child jumping down into the straw and enjoying the coolness in the icehouse at Greenwich.

Howard Smith III of Broad Run points to a mound on his property, Cedar Hill, where an icehouse once stood.

Traces of an icehouse can be found at Mal-

colm Matheson’s The Tannery, at Halfway.

Published in 2003, “A Pride of Place: Rural Residences of Fauquier County, Virginia” mentions icehouses on private property at Rosehill south of Paris, Cloverland at Rectortown and Magbie Hill near Warrenton.

Replacing the icebox It was a giant step forward for making refrigeration more widely available: Early home “iceboxes” held a block of ice in the upper section, with the cold flowing down onto the food stored below. Due to See COOL, page 10 Spring 2023

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COOL, from page 9

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the inefficient insulation available at the time, a block of ice only lasted about a day.

Efforts to replace ice blocks with other forms of refrigeration began in the 19th century, with inventors experimenting with a variety of chemicals, including alcohol, ether and ammonia, and a variety of compressors to provide cooling. But these machines were heavy, large and inefficient.

By 1900, many towns and cities were being served by local commercial electric power generation companies, some of which used surplus electricity to run their own ice making equipment.

Such was the case in Warrenton, where brothers Albert (1841-1917) and Thaddeus N. Fletcher (1843-1920) established the Warrenton Electric Light and Ice Company in a large building on present-day Franklin Street below the Warrenton Branch Railroad Depot.

The power company grew slowly, and by the time the Fletcher brothers sold the business to newcomer Martin J. O’Connell in 1911, it was supplying the electricity for 27 of the town’s streetlights and about 50 homes and businesses.

Heavy equipment included in the sale were two large, coalfired boilers, a 165-horsepower Corless steam engine and a 40-horsepower automatic cutoff steam engine. Electricity was generated by 100 kilowatt, 55 kilowatt and 30 kilowatt generators, controlled by two Barker Mfg. Co. switchboards.

In addition, the sale included barrels of cylinder oil, drive belts, street light globes and other items, as well as the company’s ice wagon. Total price for the plant, property and equipment was $20,000.

A smart and ambitious businessman, O’Connell knew that the demand for electricity would be exploding and quickly began planning for the future. He first expanded electrical service in and around Warrenton and ran lines to Remington, The Plains and Marshall. He later added plants in Culpeper and Orange.

Production of ice at the Warrenton plant would con-

Life & Style

The General Electric ‘Monitor Top’ was America’s first practical home refrigerator. tinue for a few years as a wholesale operation providing blocks of ice to enterprising peddlers working door-todoor. But that would end as home refrigeration units became available.

Home refrigerators The Kelvinator Co. was among the early innovators, selling refrigeration systems with food storage in an insulated cabinet in the kitchen, and the large compressor, condenser, coils and piping located in the basement below.

Still, it wasn’t a practical solution for most homes.

By the mid-1920s, General Electric came out with a new refrigerator called a “Monitor Top.” It had its condenser and coils on the top of the unit and improved insulation in the storage area.

Warrenton veterinarian Dr. Nancy Poehlman had a Monitor Top in her Warrenton exam room of her office on Shirley Avenue for many years.

The next major advance in refrigeration was in 1930, with the development of synthetic refrigerants, including Dupont Freon (R-12). Safer and more efficient than other refrigerant gases, freon was used until 1987, when use of chlorofluorocarbons was curtailed due to the damage it was causing to the ozone layer.

Since then, other refrigerants have been developed – and mandated – including R410A, and most recently, R-454B, which now must be used in all refrigerators manufactured in the U.S.

A new era for classic vinyl You may think record players were done decades ago. Think again.

Add to it the delicious moment Vinyl records are making when the stylus touches down a strong comeback, with LP on the lead-in groove, and the lovers buying some 43 mil- music starts to happen.

Secondly, LPs are durable. lion new records in 2022. It My own collection includes marked the 17th straight year thousands of records made in of growth, and the second year in which LP sales exceeded the 1940s and 1950s that are still in pristine those of CDs. condition and At last count, play perfectthere are around ly.

One small 20 mainstream scratch on a CD manufacturers renders it unof turntables. readable. The Many more “spelongevity of digcialist” compaital downloads nies are catering is still unknown. to audiophiles Newcomers with machines to vinyl are ofcosting up to ten shocked by $100,000 and the sound of a more. great LP played Why this reon a high-qualisurgence of inty system. Missterest in a teching in action are nology that was PHOTOS BY DAVID CHARVONIA the supposed introduced in the 1940s? ticks, pops and First of all, many that love scratches criticized by the recorded music maintain that digital crowd. Vinyl puts you, tunes on vinyl actually sound almost literally, in the physdifferent – better. In short, ical presence of the artist in LPs are cool. amazing detail against a backThere’s something retro ground of velvety silence. and magical about the ritual of appreciating the cover art. See VINYL, page 12

By David Charvonia

Get in the groove

While there are no dedicated record stores in Fauquier, antique and thrift stores are worth visiting periodically.

Record condition is often an issue in these venues, but pleasant surprises are possible. I was recently looking through a stash of records at the Warrenton Salvation Army store when I came across an LP titled “Miss Calypso.” Further investigation revealed that the sultry woman featured on the cover was identified as Maya Angelou, the writer in her early career as a singer-dancer-songwriter.

It turned out to be a truly wonderful record, luckily in good shape.

Her later career in fiction was anticipated in the wildly inventive biography in the liner notes. The cost? One dollar.

The Strasburg Emporium, McKay’s Used Books in Manassas and the Purcellville Bazaar have selections of good-condition material to investigate, as does the CD Cellar in Falls Church. Despite the name, this store also has a vast selection of new and used vinyl in all genres. They recently opened a new room devoted entirely to jazz and classical LPs and have thousands of records priced from one to three dollars.

PHOTO BY VINCENT SALES

Music recorded on vinyl sounds different, and better, say experts in the field, richer, more tonally pleasing and like a live performance.

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Life & Style

Spring 2023

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VINYL, from page 11 Without getting too technical, a record groove contains an exact physical representation—an “analog”—of the sound waves generated by the musicians. A cartridge tracing the groove can accurately transform its tiny vibrations into a continuous electrical signal. Digital audio, on the other hand, chops up the original signal into thousands of tiny bits of information, each one assigned a discrete number, then reassembles them into something the producer hopes will recreate the original sound. Admittedly, newer high-resolution technologies are a vast improvement over early-generation CDs but with all the manipulation and filtering necessary to the process, something vital is inevitably lost.

Let the hunt begin To a true vinyl lover, this resurgence of LPs to the new music market is heartening, but the real excitement is in the hunt for vintage records. Whether you’re into classic rock, blues, country, jazz or classical, there is a lot to discover and re-discover out there.

The long-playing record was introduced in the late 1940s by Columbia and reigned supreme as a music medium into the 1990s. That half-century was truly a Golden Age for music, and while a good chunk of it has been reissued in various

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formats, none can compare with the coolness factor and sound quality of a good original pressing.

Additionally, many original master tapes are either lost, destroyed or have deteriorated, making reissues problematic or impossible.

Set your stage Even if you still have that venerable old warhorse from years past, it is probably not operating up to snuff.

If you’re on a tight budget, consider an affordable unit from a company like Audio-Technica or Stanton. You can thank the worldwide DJ market for keeping

Life & Style

these machines in production. If you don’t have a dedicated stereo system, some of these units use Bluetooth and can play through your computer speakers.

An additional benefit, these machines come with cartridges already mounted and are ready to play with minimal setup required. You may also need a separate preamplifier to boost the tiny signal from the cartridge unless your amplifier has one built in.

If you want to aim a bit higher, look for turntables designed with more attention to sound quality. Some brands to investigate are Rega, Pro-Ject and Music Hall. Their entry-level models are not much more expensive but do require a bit more expertise to set up properly. Cartridges from companies like Ortofon, Audio-Technica and Grado work well with them.

If you’re not comfortable with mounting and aligning cartridges, get a dealer or a savvy friend to help.

One issue with vintage records is that over the years they have a tendency to attract a lot of dust and debris. If you really want to get the best out of your records, a cleaning machine is a must. The more affordable ones use specialized cleaning fluid and vacuum suction to suck the gunk out of your grooves. Check out Nitty-Gritty and VPI online for more information.

New hemp regs may be coming, but Franny’s franchise owner says business is booming

By Betsy Burke Parker Franny’s Farmacy is located in Vint Hill east of Warrenton. Open a little over a year, the business is owned by Fauquier native Robin Mason.

Founded by Franny Tacy in Asheville, North Carolina four years ago, the Franny’s franchise has grown to a dozen locations across the south.

Franny’s is marketed as a “seed to shelf” enterprise, because “we know where all our products come from,” explains Mason. The hemp in the store’s products is grown organically in North Carolina.

CBD is one of many cannabinoids in hemp, and Mason says it’s behind the healing power of the products.

She says her customers use a variety of hemp products to calm inflammation, reduce pain, stress and anxiety and promote healthy sleep.

The store provides premium local and regional CBD and hemp products ranging from tinctures, gummies, chocolates, honeys, teas, bath and beauty, healing salves, CBD for pets and a full-service “Bud Bar”.

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Franny’s also sells Scents of Love candles, all-natural pet treats from Love Bites and organic tallow from Earthside Organics.

Friday afternoons, Franny’s hosts Sip and Shop featuring hand-crafted mocktails, with monthly events and workshops led by local owners of women-owned businesses.

“This plant has so many benefits,” Black says of hemp sales. “From insomnia, to chronic pain, anxiety, veterans with PTSD, depression, ADHD – the list goes on and on.”

Despite proposed changes to Virginia code that may change hemp and CBD legal levels, Black is optimistic for Franny’s future. “We’ll continue to provide premium health and wellness products to our customers and will adjust as necessary if needed.

Being a pioneer in the ever-changing landscape of the hemp and cannabis industry requires being able to be strong and nimble. I encourage anyone that benefits from CBD products to reach out to their state and local representatives.” frannysfarmacy.com

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Spring 2023

PHOTOS BY RANDY LITZINGER

Bealeton rider Beth Liles says the roads of Fauquier County are always at the beginning of every one of her motorcycle adventures.

Live to ride. Ride to live.

Get your motor running, head out on that highway: With Beth Liles it’s more than a song lyric - it’s a way of life.

By Alissa Jones Beth Liles calculates that she rides 10,000 miles a year on her 2018 Harley on the roads of Fauquier County alone.

Double it when you add out of county, out of state – sometimes out of country – miles she explores with motorcycle-riding girlfriends or with her significant other, “Ontime,” as he’s known in motorcycle circles.

“He shares my passion for motorcycles equally,” Lyles says of her boyfriend since 2013.

This is no small measure.

Liles attributes her lifelong ardor for motorcycles – the machines themselves, the adventures they allow and the inter-

esting cast of characters they attract – to many sources, but one stands out: Her uncle, Heath Williams, tops the list for igniting her interest.

Williams served active duty in the military and later lived with his widowed mother in the farm country outside Charlotte, North Carolina.

“My mom took me there for a visit every year,” Liles recalls her early introduction to the biker life. “My most vivid and lasting memories are of my Uncle Heath’s Harleys.

“I know I was a young pain in my uncle’s behind when begging for rides, but he only had himself to blame, because that first ride (started) my obsession.”

Life & Style

Liles was born in Fairfax in 1962, where she lived with her parents and two sisters until she graduated from high school in 1980.

Liles studied at Northern Virginia Community College, then served as court clerk and deputy court clerk of Fairfax County 1980 to 1987, deputy sheriff and master deputy sheriff in Fairfax 1987 to 2015.

Liles received a Bachelor of Science in management after retiring from the sheriff’s office. “I’m only semi-retired, however,” Liles maintains: she’s been a realtor with Century 21 New Millennium since 2013.

See LILES, page 16 Spring 2023

15

LILES, from page 15 She moved to Fauquier in 2000, to her current home in Bealeton in 2014. She shares three sprawling acres with her golden-doodle, Abby, two cats, 10 chickens and Ruby, a Congo African Gray parrot.

Liles calls Ruby the queen of the house.

Her adult son and family, including Liles’ two young granddaughters, are what Liles calls “a day’s road trip” away in Florida.

When she was younger, Liles recalls never believing she could afford her own motorcycle. “My father made it clear he would not pay for my college, so how was I to advance in life with a child to raise?”

She remembers a pivotal choice she made some 35 years ago that led directly to her biker lifestyle today.

After seven years as a county clerk, Deputy Sheriff Bill Rodosovich encouraged her to apply to work for the sheriff’s office. It included, Liles says, an increase in salary, full health benefits and retirement. “It was the best decision I could have made for me and my son.”

She remembers everything about her life changing almost in an instant, including a new, abiding self-confidence that led directly to her first motorcycle.

In 1996, she bought her first, and only, Honda, a 750. Since, she’s been strictly a Harley-Davidson owner and rider. She owned a 1997 Sportster, a 1986 Softail Custom, 1999 Road King, 2001 Ultra Glide, 2003 100th anniversary Ultra Glide, 2010

Head to toe with the easy riders

Biker life is a leisurely ride and minimalistic these days for Liles, or EAVL as she’s known in biker circles. (It’s the initials of her full name, pronounced – ironically – “evil.”

No matchy-matchy head-to-toe leather cloaking for her: Liles says her favorite riding ensemble involves comfort. She typically wears jeans, a t-shirt, hoodie and a leather jacket. She adds leather chaps, more layers and gloves when it is cold.

Due to two fusion surgeries from having degenerative disc disease, she says she wears the smallest, lightest helmet she can to spare undue stress on the hardware holding her neck together, says Liles.

Tucked in her side bags, Liles explains, are raingear, leathers, bungee cords, tool bag, sunscreen and “the shrunken heads of my enemies.”

She laughs. You assume she is kidding.

When Liles hits the road, her “music is eclectic, some days its southern rock or country, classic rock, reggae, old Motown or metal, it all depends on my mood.”

Having a cruiser for her primary ride these days, Liles can actually tow a little trailer with luggage. She once thought about buying a camper trailer, but she thinks hotels make more sense, from a comfort standpoint.

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Spring 2023

Softail Deluxe and 2010 Street Glide.

Her current ride, and her current obsession, is a 2018 Road Glide Special.

When she was new to riding, Liles joined the Women in the Wind club and a local riding group, the Road Wenches.

“I have plenty of women friends that I frequently ride with (these days,) but a club is not my thing anymore,” Liles says, adding that she often rides with her boyfriend and his club, The Tradesmen. “For obvious reasons, I’m not an actual member,” she says with a chuckle.

Where, when, why Liles has biked through all but eight states in the continental U.S., and she’s ridden to most of best-known rallies in the nation: Laconia in New Hampshire, Sturgis in South Dakota, Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, Daytona in Florida and Ocean City in Maryland.

She’s ridden to Springfield, Missouri to attend a biker funeral, taken a day trip to Cave City, Kentucky with a few girlfriends and cruised to Indiana for a poker run to support a wounded warrior who needed his home modified to accommodate a new wheelchair.

She’s ridden to upstate New York just to have lunch, and recently rode to California and back with a female friend.

“I’m still more comfortable on my bike than on my feet,” jokes Liles. “The only time I’ve ever been scared on a motorcycle was during my police motor school class, but that was only in the beginning, and it was more nerves than anything.” While an instructor at the Criminal Justice Academy, Liles took their well-regarded and extensive safety program, something she attributes to her confidence on the road.

On one memorable trip, she got to put her training to use. While visiting Custer Life & Style

National Park, Liles found herself surrounded by buffalo, “There was a bull ahead in the middle of the narrow road, snorting, pawing the ground and staring right at me,” Liles recalls. “I thought he was going to charge to protect the mother and calf off in the grass to my right.”

She, literally, had nowhere for escape.

Liles swiftly assessed how to minimize his perception of her as a threat, not directly from the training manual but part of the process of thinking on your feet she’d learned in class and on the force.

“I shut down my engine and sat perfectly still until mom and calf joined him and moved off the road. Then I fired it up and throttled out,” she says.

Liles says while her memories are plentiful, what’s best are the people she shares the journeys with and those she meets along the way.

On the California trip, she and her friend met an old-timer motorcycle rider who approached them at a gas station.

“This little elderly man started talking to us about our motorcycles and the trip we were on, and then he went to his car, pulled out a box and asked if we would mind looking at some of the photographs from when he used to ride motorcycles,” Liles says his face beamed with joy sharing his pictures from a Sturgis motorcycle rally he’d attended and motorcycles that he’d owned.

She’s often asked how to get involved in the motorcycle lifestyle, Liles says. Her advice is to team up with an experienced rider. The Virginia DMV website lists approved motorcycle training courses, many of which actually supply newbies with a motorcycle to use in addition to training and practice.

“Take the course,” Liles says, and get in on a pastime that becomes a lifestyle, one that can remain relevant your whole life.”

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Spring 2023

Faces & Places

INSIDE THIS SECTION:

• Dive right into adventure with Warrenton-based Blu Water Scuba • Stretch out the growing season with the ancient concept of cold frames

The cooling power of trees It’s not only shade taking down the temps – it’s a type of respiration called transpiration

Can you see the forest for the trees?

By Sally Semple Summer’s coming, and trees will become the coolest customers of the season.

Sure, shade from deciduous leaves helps keep us cool, but in reality, most of a tree’s cooling power isn’t about casting shadows at all.

There’s a lot of science behind what makes it cooler under a tree.

Transpiration Shade provides relief by blocking heat, but transpiration is a bigger part of it since the action of a tree “breathing” actually cools the air much as an air conditioner in a house.

• Water taken in by a tree’s roots moves up through the trunk and evaporates into the air from tiny openings in the leaves. This process is called transpiration.

• Trees lose a lot of water when they transpire. A mature tree may send dozens, even a hundred, of gallons per day of water into the air in the form of water vapor.

This is the reason Virginia has extra thick humidity in late spring and summer – it’s coming from the atmosphere as well as the earth.

• Evaporation cools the leaf and the air around the leaf, because converting water to a vapor consumes heat energy from the air. This is what makes a slight breeze

They may be shady characters, but there’s real science behind relief from heat underneath a tree. It can be 14 degrees cooler due to transpiration. under a tree or in a forest, even if there is no “wind.”

• Transpiration cools the air by as much as 14 degrees.

Rates of transpiration vary by plant species, soil and weather conditions.

Shade • Intercepting short wave radiation from the sun, creating shade, is the primary way trees cool the environment. Dense tree canopies

reduce short-wave radiation by 60% to 90%.

• Tree shade reduces the heating of building surfaces and can reflect heat back into the atmosphere. Shade can reduce asphalt surface temperatures by as much as 35 degrees.

Indirect cooling • Tree shade reduces air conditioning use and the resulting waste heat from

Faces & Places

From a single shade tree planted on a town square to thousands of acres of public parkland, Fauquier has lots of spots to breathe with (and under) the arbor.

• Rady Park – Warrenton • Sky Meadows State Park – Paris • The Appalachian Trail bisects Fauquier – Markham to Paris • Whitney State Forest – Warrenton • Northern Fauquier Community Park – Marshall • Crockett Park – Midland • Riverside Preserve – Orlean • Monroe Park – Goldvein • Walker Park – Warrenton • Upperville Park – Upperville • John Marshall birthplace park – Midland • Warrenton Branch Greenway – Warrenton • Academy Hill Park – Warrenton • Vint Hill Farms Park – Warrenton • Leeds Ruritan Park – Hume • Thompson Wildlife Management Area – Markham • Weston Wildlife Management Area – Casanova • Warrenton dog park – Warrenton • WARF – Warrenton HVAC units.

• Clouds form more frequently over large, forested areas, providing even more cooling.

• Trees absorb carbon dioxide and, in turn, respire oxygen.

Spring 2023

19

Hot topic: Cold frames Want to feed your baby veggie upstarts? Give them what they crave – a warm embrace in cool weather

By Alissa Jones Temperatures may plunge in late spring, but no fear here. The magic, and science, of cold frames transform Virginia’s growing zone 6 into almost tropical splendor.

Adding cold frames was a game-changer.

Not surprising for a vegetable and nursery-stock company, Meadows Farms started small, growing to regional prominence over more than 60 years.

Selling produce door to door out of a truck for William Meadows, also known as the Farmer, and his wife, Betty, sprouted roadside stands around northern Virginia starting in 1960. From the seedling of an idea, Meadows has blossomed into 17 locations across Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.

Three generations are represented in the family business now with William’s son, Jay Meadows, as president and owner and William’s nephew, Bobby Lewis, as vice president for both Meadows Farms and The Great Big Greenhouse and Nursery.

Meadows has become the go-to for plants in the area, the largest supplier for perennials, annuals, outdoor and indoor plants, shrubs and trees, including a wide – and growing – selection of native plants.

Bobby Lewis, left, operates Meadows Farms founded by his uncle, William Meadows.

Part of the success of Meadows comes from putting the science of horticulture to work for them, says Lewis, especially important in Piedmont’s zones 6a and 6b, with relatively short growing seasons and trustworthy first and last frost dates.

Cold frames play a big role.

Lewis says their plant start suppliers use of enormous industrial cold frames, but Meadows is happy to help retail customers choose materials to make their own heat-holding huts.

“Cold frames may not be a money saver,” Lewis acknowledges, but for Piedmont home growers “who want to know what is in their food, growing it (yourself) is the best way to do that.”

See FRAMES, page 29

Cold frames are the secret to strong young plants ready to go early in the growing season. You can buy a kit or make your own from salvage materials.

Hot tips for cold frames

• Location is key: In Fauquier, select a south-facing spot that gets lots of sunlight, is protected from the wind and has good drainage.

• Drainage is critical, too: Avoid soggy spots. To boost drainage, dig out 3 or 4 inches of topsoil on the site, fill with coarse gravel and then put 6 inches of topsoil back for planting into.

• Hot vs. too hot: When daytime temps rise above 40 degrees, especially on a sunny day, don’t “bake” the plants inside your cold frame. Prop open the lid, closing it in the late afternoon to trap heat back inside for nights that can be chilly even in May and June.

• Layers for comfort: Extra insulation at night can help keep summer fruiting crops (tomatoes, squash) super warm at night. Toss a blanket, or a blanket of straw or layers of newspaper or stacks of old magazines on top of the cold frame lid. Snow works, in season, but be careful not to break your lid with too much weight.

Cold frame – what is it?

A cold frame is a structure that looks and operates much like a small greenhouse. It usually has four sides, the frame typically constructed from wood or metal.

The cold frame concept evolved from so-called “hot beds” widely used in ancient times by early Chinese, Roman, Greek and European agriculture producers and homesteaders. They used the heat from decomposing livestock litter heaped around garden rows to protect plants from frost and extend the growing season.

Modern growers can be creative – even thrifty, when making a cold frame: scrap wood (not pressure-treated,) old windows, shower doors, even plywood or solid wood cabinet doors can be used for the frame.

Decomposing cow or horse manure can be 20

Spring 2023

The simple science of a cold frame extends the growing season. mounded against the cold frame to add a level of windbreak and residual warmth.

The sides and top of a cold frame are made of see-through materials, like glass or plastic which allow sunlight to penetrate while preventing heat escape.

Faces & Places

This also allows the gardener or garden worker to monitor growth and maturity progress and manage moisture and temperatures multiple times daily.

A cold frame can extend the growing season so much that you can grow certain fruits, vegetables and herbs year-round.

Cool season crops (kale, lettuce) prefer a temperature 65 to 70 degrees during the day, 55 to 60 degrees at night. Warm seasons crops (beets, cucumbers) like it 65 to 75 degrees daytime, not lower than 60 degrees nighttime.

Vegetables especially suited to cold frames include lettuce, kale, spinach, radishes, arugula, broccoli, beets, chard, cabbage, green onion and mustard.

Another benefit to using raised cold frames is keeping rabbits and other animals, including pets, from devouring your crop.

Deep dive Blu Water Scuba offers a world of adventure

By Alissa Jones A tagline for underwater fun and adventure sounds like a stretch in land-locked Fauquier County, but it’s not only possible but guaranteed through Jim McKee’s thriving business more than 13 years, Blu Water Scuba.

“There’s nothing like diving,” in terms of excitement and exotic interest as learning to “breathe” underwater, says McKee. From Blu Water, he’s able to introduce people to what many would consider an extreme sport available even in inland Virginia. “I want to share the passion.”

The Wisconsin native was introduced to the open water when serving in the U.S. Navy, says veteran McKee. He turns 70 this year.

After his military duty, McKee had a long career in the custom home building industry. When he retired from that, he capitalized on his experience and expertise in the – and under the – water, opening a scuba shop in Manassas in 2010.

In 2016, after deciding location and foot traffic could only be a plus for his business, he moved Blu Water Scuba to 50 Culpeper St. in Warrenton where he lives with his wife, Mailin.

Blu Water offers diving lessons for all ages and experience levels. Blu Water Scuba is also a PADI five-star Instructor Development Center.

Most classes are held at the Warrenton Aquatic and Recreation Facility where students can train and practice in a safe, enclosed environment with qualified instructors teaching everything from the most basic skills for a one-time resort dive in shallow water, for instance, to the technical expertise required to earn advanced certification. Courses begin with

PADI – what is it?

In 1966, John Cronin, a scuba equipment salesman for U.S. Divers, and Ralph Erickson, a swimming instructor, started a scuba training organization, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. PADI was created, Cronin said, to bring a measurable level of professionalism to the diving certification industry.

Today, PADI is the world’s largest ocean exploration and diving organization. They operate in 186 countries and territories with 6,600 dive centers and resorts. Forerunners in the world of diving, PADI certifications are considered the standard measure. padi.com the basic Discover Scuba class, graduating to the Open Water certification, Underwater Navigation, Deep Diver, Master Diver and more.

The seasoned, and certified, professionals at Blu Water Scuba in Warrenton lead underwater adventures around the world.

Who’s who at Blu Ronda Sink is one of the 15 instructors at Blu Water. She says that, in addition to classes at the WARF, Blu Water partners with other centers including Winchester, Fairfax and a freshwater quarry in Fredericksburg.

They offer frequent dive trips to Bonaire in the Caribbean, Cozumel in Mexico and the Caymans.

A week-long trip to Bonaire is planned in June.

“The Florida Keys are a popular open dive destination,” Sink adds, saying domestic trips can be more affordable, more attainable for novice divers. Blu Water offers a unique guided “wreck dive” off the North Carolina coast.

Sand sharks are often seen swimming near divers during the Carolina trips, she says, lending another level of intrigue to the Blu Water adventure. bluwaterscuba.com Faces & Places

Spring 2023

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Fare & Flair

INSIDE THIS SECTION:

• Hit the sweet spot with Skyline master confectioner • Apple wine takes a turn (for the better) when faced with a freeze

Kinloch Farm on the west side of Bull Run Mountain is a third-generation cattle producer using meticulous land management for its grass-fed beef.

Food for Thought

Q and A with Mike Peterson, farm and conservation director for Kinloch Farm in The Plains Hear the story of one of the Piedmont’s most historic cattle producers now looking at a fresh future with innovative practices

By Betsy Burke Parker Kinloch comprises 1,200 acres on the western marches of the Bull Run Mountain range on the east edge of Fauquier County near The Plains.

The ecologically diverse landscape includes native meadows of native warm-season grasses and perennial pastures that support hundreds

The details

of “Certified Naturally Grown” cattle and an active apiary.

The symbiotic relationship of the farm and the land has stretched into a third generation of the Currier family, with innovation taking off as suburban and urban buyers rediscover the importance of clean land and clean food.

See KINLOCH, page 24

Kinloch operates a year-round farm store.

Fare & Flair

Kinloch operates their Farm Store at the Archwood Green Barns Thursdays through Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Archwood Green Barns Farmers Market celebrates a 25th season this year, open May through December on Sundays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. kinlochfarm.com Spring 2023

23

KINLOCH, from page 23 inFauquier talked to Kinloch conservation director Mike Peterson to hear how the property has adopted best management practices for everything from their biggest bulls to their tiniest bees. inFauquier: Kinloch honey is such a huge seller at your Farm Store, but we know bees are tricky to keep these days, what with hive collapse from drift off farms that spray chemical pesticides and herbicides. What is Kinloch doing to protect their pollinators?

Mike Peterson: We have three separate apiary locations in and around Kinloch that offer an abundance of pollen sources. This is our first winter for a new colony following a collapse several years ago. Our apiary program is thriving.

Q: What management highlights are behind protecting your pollinators? Bee health is probably linked to pasture health?

A: We began with “Certified Naturally Grown” in 2013 for

Historic Kinloch

They put the farm in farmers markets

Prescribed burns are one way for Kinloch managers to control invasive weeds and keep the land productive in native grasses and forage. our beef program and in 2015 for our apiary.

No synthetic pesticides, fertilizers or herbicides have been used on our cattle pastures since then.

We rely on grazing management and promoting ecological cycles. In some of our native meadows, we strategically

Kinloch Farm dates back to 1823 under the founding stewardship of the Turner family. The Chrysler and Dancer families also made Kinloch their home prior to 1960 when Stephen and Audrey Currier purchased the property with the intention of building a family legacy for generations to come.

Virginia was familiar to Audrey’s side of the family with Audrey herself attending the Foxcroft School in the late 1940s.

The Curriers’ primary work was national in scope and active in the area of civil rights.

They added four adjacent properties to enlarge the farm, reaching to and beyond the Bull Run Mountains, which represented a “green belt” to the city of Washington, purchased along with a neighbor for citizens to enjoy as a protected natural area and public treasure.

Farming under the Curriers consisted of a traditional Piedmont cow-calf operation, making hay, growing corn and selling animals to the local livestock exchange.

Following the death of Audrey and Stephen Currier in a plane crash in 1967, the second generation took control and continued the pivot toward organic, novel and holistic farm practices. Early vinifera grapes in the Piedmont were grown at Kinloch; in 1984, Kinloch was certified as an organic farm by the Virginia Association of Biological Farmers.

Under the stewardship of Andrea Currier, Kinloch has grown to protect open space, land and wildlife conservation and regenerative farming. The Piedmont Environmental Council, Virginia Outdoors Foundation, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, John Marshall Soil and Water Conservation District and Virginia Working Landscapes have been partners in Kinloch’s evolution and commitment to a set of continuously refined “best practices.”

Today, the third generation of Curriers engage in the family legacy with a retail market for Kinloch grassfed beef, honey and other locally grown foods.

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Spring 2023

utilize fire, mowing and sporadic spot spraying to combat invasive species in fields we do not graze.

We take this approach to set our invasive population back so our native species can thrive. An abundance of native species promotes healthy structure, habitat and food for wildlife and pollinators.

Q: That conservation program helps the farm, and maybe reaches out to your Fauquier neighborhood and the earth in general?

A: Conservation and agriculture are completely intertwined here. We have the same philosophical management in a fescue field or a native meadow where cattle do not graze.

We promote resilience and ecological cycles across our landscape. An abundance of grassland birds, insects and other wildlife indicates a healthy and functional system (for everybody, and every space.)

Q: What’s new this year?

New products? New partners?

A: We’re excited to partner with several local companies to expand our whole animal utilization. We continue to partner with Swallowtail Ridge, who uses our suet and beef tallow to make botanical soaps and balms that we sell in our store, which she also offers on her own online store.

Similarly, we sell Jonathan Elliot’s pasture-raised chick-

Fare & Flair

Archwood Green Barns Farmers’ Market 4559 Old Tavern Rd., The Plains Sundays from May to December, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Buckland Farm Market 4484 Lee Highway, New Baltimore Daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Messick’s Farm Market 6025 Catlett Rd., Bealeton Mondays to Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sundays, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Warrenton Farmers Market Main St. between Third St. and Court St., Warrenton Saturdays from April to November, 8 a.m. to noon

Naturally sweet wildflower honey is a byproduct of Kinloch’s healthy land management. en, in addition to chicken from Rucker.

And we (just launched) a line of ready-to-eat foods produced at Evermade Foods in Warrenton.

Our first offerings were shepherd’s pie, beef stew and chili con carne.

Later this spring, we’ll roll out the first of our leather products produced from our cattle hides. We also have ready-to-eat meat sticks and a selection of fresh sausages made with our beef by our friends at Meat Crafters.

Q: Talking cattle – what are Kinloch’s numbers?

A: Our herd total right now is about 500, including 2022 fall calves, stockers, finishers and bulls, plus our 200 brood cows.

The entire herd is 100% grassfed and finished. We feed no grain and have specifically developed a line that thrives on grass alone. The foundation of our herd is from a historic line of Aberdeen Angus bulls and cows.

Meet chef Woody Isaac: Experience, innovation at Warrenton’s Denim and Pearls Putting heart and soul (and a heaping helping of family fare) into gourmet offerings in Old Town

By Alexandra Greeley Old Town Warrenton has the charm of the small-town south, its historic Main Street selected as a backdrop for everything from a Clint Eastwood movie to presidential visits from Teddy Roosevelt to Bill Clinton.

Another downtown draw is the increasing focus on the foodie, with an intra-county gastronomical tour offering a wide array of choices.

One of the most unique restaurants in the region, Denim and Pearls boasts an array of dining options from traditional indoor seating to street-side parklet tables, a bar, events rooms, wine dinners and more.

Popular additions have been brunch and lunch menus, part of the vision of chef Woody Isaac.

Denim and Pearls chef Woody Isaac, left, says his favorite bite is his spicy shrimp and grits.

Isaac was born in Wichita, Kansas and lived in Berlin, Germany when he was young.

His father was in the U.S. Air Force and stationed there. His mother is German.

The family moved to Fauquier County when Isaac was 4.

“I really am a local,” Isaac

says, though he’s proud to have retained part of his half-German heritage – fluency in the language and some cuisine choices.

“Growing up I didn’t really know what I wanted to do as a career, but when I started working in kitchens, I loved it and caught on very quickly,”

Chill out with a cold one this season Fun, friends, family, froth: Purely Fauquier

By John Daum As if things could get better for beer lovers living in Fauquier County, some new breweries a short drive out of Warrenton recently opened their doors. Now, in addition to local favorites like Old Bust Head Brewery, Altered Hops, Powers Farm Brewery and Broken Rose Brewery, there are several new venues in the region.

Haymarket never seemed destined to become the next big beer hub in the Piedmont, but that’s become the case with the arrival of Trouvaille Brewing Company and Great Mane Brewery, joining The Farm Brewery at Broad Run. Classic favorites include Mosaic Dreams, an easy drinking hazy IPA and delicious and fragrant Tangerine IPA. Unique Mezcal Aged Wee Heavy clocks in at an impressive 9% ABV, and Fat Bird is an equally impressive German Weizenbock.

Trouvaille is housed in an old school

building. The name, French, translates to “lucky find.”

This is certainly the case at the new craft beer oasis. Walking inside, you are greeted by a sleek, clean industrial design accented with white subway tiles and exposed hanging light fixtures. With ample indoor and outdoor space, it is a great place to spend a lazy spring weekend.

Dogs are welcome too, and kids.

Trouvaille was started by a group of home brewing friends who decided to take the leap and open their own commercial brewery and associated brewpub. It’s rare not to find one of the owners behind the bar helping customers. They love to share their passion for beer, and their varied backgrounds are reflected in the highly eclectic beer menu.

Start with Thicc, an imperial stout Fare & Flair

Isaac traces the traditional culinary trajectory. Unlike many that work in restaurants when they’re young, though, Isaac “stuck with it.

“My dad always liked to cook, so it’s definitely in the blood a little bit.”

See ISAAC, page 29

clocking in at a whopping 12.3% ABV. This delicious sipper falls into the pastry stout category first pioneered by The Bruery, one of the great breweries from southern California. Thicc is heavy on notes of banana and chocolate hazelnut due to the inclusion of Nutella in the blend.

The brewmasters add a healthy dose of marshmallow fluff to round out the pastry profile.

Not for the faint at heart, this is an ideal beer to linger over, or a great finish after a round of tacos from Zandra’s Taqueria next door to the brewery.

For something a little lighter on the palette, try Hooked on Phenolics, a Belgian Tripel with a delicate balance of clove and spice rounded out with notes of fruit. Also, be sure to sample the classic American pale ale, Laminated Electrical Donuts, as well as the well-hopped Fomodork, a delightfully hazy IPA brewed with a combination of Cascade, Galaxy and Strata hops.

Tucked behind the Sheetz at Haymarket, Great Mane Brewery is in a cavernous warehouse space which makes it custom-crafted for larger groups and families to spend the day. Leather sofas, high top tables and a space in the back for kids to play make it a very appealing venue.

See BEER, page 29 Spring 2023

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Aiming for the stars with Skyline Sweets Turtles are tops, says chocolate chef Josh Merrell: Sweet, chewy, crunchy and home-made with a special trade secret

By Betsy Burke Parker Master chocalatier at Marshall start-up Skyline Sweets, Joshua Merrell knows he’s got a sweet gig.

Skyline may be the side hustle to his career as a federal contractor, but Merrell loves it. He embraces the precision of culinary science and a heaping helping of the fine arts he uses to concoct the delights he and wife, Anne, sell at farmers markets to a growing group of local chocolate addicts.

Josh, 31, is from Norfolk, peanut capital of the world. He met Anne, 29, when they were both students at Brigham Young University. They both work in D.C. --

Skyline Sweets' Joshua Merrell carefully dips a pecan-caramel cluster into melted dark chocolate for a hand-crafted ‘turtle.’

Anne at the Daughters of the American Revolution headquarters. They moved to Marshall in 2020 because they wanted a backyard for their kids (two now, another due in June) and cherished the old-fashioned

nostalgia of a small town, a tight-knit community to raise their family.

They found all that, and more, in Marshall and in an 1875 farmhouse just south of the traffic light in the village.

Now painted a rich, dark blue, sections of the frame house are pre-civil war. It’s big enough for the growing clan, Josh adds, the big front porch and sidewalk tying them directly to town, a loving embrace from their adopted homeplace.

Skyline Sweets took root years ago when Josh was a kid; he’d help his grandmothers craft handmade candies every year at Christmastime.

It was mostly sticking his messy fingers in the

Cool as a cucumber Late spring is the perfect time to consider what you’ll want to chill out on a hot day this summer

By Sally Semple The Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners are serving up suggestions for some pretty cool stuff, global version, this season.

Romanesco No this isn’t an Italian lettuce. Also known as Romanesco broccoli or Roman cauliflower, this underutilized brassica looks like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower, but it is not. Romanesco is a unique cultivar onto its own dating back to 16th century Rome.

The vivid green heads of Romanesco are composed of numerous cone-shaped flower buds that create a beautiful fractal pattern. It has a mild, slightly nutty flavor and can be prepared in a manner sim26

Spring 2023

Romanesco ilar to broccoli or cauliflower.

Romanesco is a cool season vegetable that performs best in Fauquier as a fall-harvested crop; so, this spring, make sure to mark your calendar for mid-summer: Early July is a good time to sow Romanesco seeds in the ground or in flats.

If you choose a 100-day heirloom variety sow the seeds in June.

Seedlings from flats should be transplanted into the garden by the first week of August.

Armenian Cucumbers These look, grow and taste like cucumbers, but they are not cucumbers at all. They are white-fleshed muskmelons shaped like cucumbers, with a crisp, mildly sweet flavor.

bowls, Josh admits, but he’s adapted their old recipes – some written down, some not, for Skyline. Using a combination of trial and error and YouTube, he’s created unique versions of buttermints, pecan rolls, fondant and handmade caramel, pecan and chocolate (dark or milk) turtles that are by far Skyline’s biggest sellers.

“There’s a sweet spot when making the caramel” for the turtles, Josh explains, “not too runny, not too tacky. It’s not fun to eat if its not perfect.”

As to the “secret ingredient” that makes Skyline the busiest, buzziest space at the Archwood farmers market in The Plains, Josh says it’s simple. “The

Like traditional cucumbers, they make great pickles.

Master Gardener Tiffany Black learned of them two years ago when her regular variety of cukes was unavailable and says she’s hooked.

Like their squash relatives, these interesting melons are good at hiding behind leaves and can grow to 3 feet if left too long on the vine. They are best harvested at 12 to 15 inches in length for cooking like summer squash.

Pick them sooner to eat raw.

Grow Armenian cucumbers (Cucumis melo) just like regular cucumbers (Cucumis sativa).

These tropical plants require warm soil and warm weather.

Seeds germinate best if the soil is over 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stagger seed planting dates from late May through July to increase the harvest period.

Egyptian Walking Onions.

These vigorous perennial onions are top-setting, meaning that the onion bulbs grow on top of the onion stalk instead of being hidden underground.

When a cluster of bulbils becomes heavy enough to cause the onion stalk to fall over,

Fare & Flair

main ingredient is love.”

It doesn’t hurt to stir in lots of butter, sugar and heavy cream, but Skyline treats are good for what they don’t have, too - no artificial flavoring, no artificial coloring.

“I’m a strong believer in stories connecting people,” Josh says. “Skyline is where sweets and stories meet. When you eat one of our treats, that’s the story of my family.

Local commerce is key to connecting people.

“As convenient as Amazon is, it robs you of the personal interconnections and interactions that make friendships and bonds.

“We’re trying to bring that back,” one treat at a time. skylinesweets.com

the bulbils will root into the soil, and voila, the onion has “walked” to its new location.

Egyptian walking onions, also known as Allium x proliferum and tree onions, should be fall-planted for harvesting in the next year. Now is the time to place your order for these delicious curiosities.

Simply plant the bulb, which looks like a tiny shallot, no more than an inch deep in the soil. You will be greeted in March with tasty green onion leaves that can be harvested all summer through late fall.

These ambulatory onions are a staple plant in the garden and kitchen of Master Gardener Elaine Dubin. She recommends using them liberally in cooking -- chopped up big in stir fries, chopped up fine for toppings – and sharing the prolific plant with friends.

If you want to see the onions walk, let the main shoot grow, and about midway through the season, you will see purple red bulb clusters forming at the top. You may eat the bulbils if you wish, plant them yourself in a new location or let the onion walk on its own.

Apples, cold weather combine for delicious, and uniquely Fauquier, flavor Ice wine is a tasty trademark of Markham’s Chateau O’Brien

Apple ice wine baba

By Mary Ann Dancisin Howard O’Brien has always had a strong affinity to France.

Even his winery’s name, Chateau O’Brien, is a sly reference to the renowned Bordeaux property Chateau Haut Brion. It’s not surprising that, on a trip to Normandy in northern France several years back, he became intrigued with the idea of apple wine. Normandy produces Calvados, the widely loved apple brandy.

O’Brien took it a step further, considering whether at his Markham vineyard and winery he could produce a true Virginia specialty – homegrown apple ice wine.

Ice wine is an extremely rare quaff. True ice wine is harvested after grapes have frozen while still on the vine.

The sugars and other solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing for a more concentrated juice to be extracted.

The best ice wines come from cold regions in Germany, Canada and upstate New York.

Here in Fauquier – known for cold winters, but not all that cold, Chateau O’Brien has at least part of the puzzle: the winery is surrounded by apple orchards, some dating back

Fauquier apples lend a sweet, tangy flavor to Chateau O’Brien’s ice wine.

200 years.

Waiting for apples to freeze on the trees doesn’t work since when apples ripen, they fall to the ground and, eventually, rot.

O’Brien figured out a workaround.

Vintners at Chateau O’Brien use Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith and other apples for the wine blend.

Ripe apples are shredded then mashed. In a refrigerated tank, the apples “freeze like a rock,” according to O’Brien.

Fermentation takes place after the mashed apples are allowed to melt.

The pure, silky liquid is bottled when residual sugar reaches 11%, fairly low by dessert wine standards. Rich and flavorful, crisp and clean, Chateau O’Brien Apple Ice Wine shows peach, honey and – obviously –

Chateau O’Brien

Markham chateauobrien.com (540) 364-6441 howard@chateauobrien.com Chateau O’Brien Apple Ice Wine 2018 $54/375 milliliter bottle Additional flavors at Château O’Brien: French Champagnes: Palmer and Gosset Nick’s Blueberry Apple Wine April’s Apple Rose Virginia Apple Wine Award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Tannat

ripe apple flavors with notes of candied brown sugar.

Only about 100 cases of this rare treat are bottled each year.

The wine makes a pleasant dessert in itself, though O’Brien suggests pairing it with cheesecake, pound cake, ice cream or panna cotta. Chateau O’Brien Apple Ice Wine is also wonderful with soft, full-fat cheeses such as brie and camembert.

Arterra Winery Jason Murray at Arterra Winery crafts another Fauquier trademark at his Delaplane location.

Murray utilizes 100% native yeast fermentations, a tricky endeavor as you must be on constant watch to make sure the yeasts are doing their job correctly. He uses no adjustments or balancing or stabilizing agents and lets the wine undergo malolactic fermentation naturally. This is the same labor-intensive process that produces Burgundy’s most sought-after wines.

Each vintage expresses the characteristics found only at that moment in time, only at this particular corner of Fauquier.

As Murray puts it, Arterra is literally one of a kind.

The Arterra tasting room also functions as a gallery space for Hawkmoth Arts, showcasing the ceramics of Murray’s wife, Sandy Gray-Murray. She takes her inspiration from the lush

Fare & Flair

A delicious variation on the classic Baba au Rhum 3 tablespoons butter 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons yeast 2 cups sugar (divided) 4 eggs 5 ounces Chateau O’Brien Apple Ice Wine 5 tablespoons cream 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups water In a saucepan, melt the butter and let it cool.

In the bowl of a mixer, mix flour, salt, yeast, 3 teaspoons of sugar and 3 eggs with a hook at low speed. Add the other egg and the melted butter and knead until you get a dough that is ready to be used with a pastry bag.

Pipe the dough into muffin pan cups, and let it rise by at least a third. Bake at 320° Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes.

For the syrup, boil 2 cups water with 2 cups sugar, then add the ice wine. Remove from heat; stir until it thickens.

Top the babas with the syrup and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Arterra Wines

Delaplane arterrawines.com (540) 422-3443 arterrawines@gmail.com

Hawkmoth Arts

Co-located with Arterra Wines hawkmothartsinfo@gmail.com vineyards surrounding her. Of special interest to Fauquier’s horse community, Gray-Murray practices the art of horsehair Raku. This artistic technique uses horsehair to create a cloud-like, swirling pattern that is burnt onto the surface of a hot ceramic piece.

Horse owners are able to bring in their own hair to make a personalized item, and Gray-Murray conducts other pottery and art classes yearround.

Spring 2023

27

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Ice plant – that’s one cool customer for your garden Lots of look-alikes are available in native varieties, too

By Betsy Burke Parker The ice plant is the common name of the popular Delosperma Cooperi species.

This drought-tolerant plant is a perennial ground cover succulent, native to South Africa. In Virginia’s Piedmont region, the ice plant produces aster-like flowers, which bloom all summer long.

FRAMES, from page 20 And having a cold frame to get a head start on the growing season, or to extend it a few weeks past the traditional mid-October “last frost” date, the miniature greenhouse structures are the way to do it.

Sharon Lindstrom, an avid local home gardener at age 79, says she wants to know what is in her food. Too, being outside with her hands in the dirt - digging, tending, harvesting - makes her feel in touch with creation and that, she says, fully restores her soul.

Lindstrom says she no longer has the mobility to garden the traditional way as bending and kneeling in her beds are no longer options but using raised cold frames allows her to get her hands good and dirty again. “Gardening may seem a small thing … so I appreciate the option of cold frames.”

Catlett home gardener Bruce Thoen has been tending his garden with home-styled cold frames he built out of old

It grows best in a sunny location, often planted as a ground cover and for erosion control. The ice plant grows 3 to 6 inches high, spreading 2 to 4 inches. The ice plant prefers well-drained soil, including sandy soils or poor soils, as long as they’re quick to drain.

It has fleshy foliage, which turns a darker shade of green as the temperature starts dropping. Ice plants can stay evergreen in the south, and a healthy, well-protected plant in Fauquier’s zone 6a or 6b can sometimes stay green through house windows since the early 1980s. “Imagine a rectangle 12 feet by 14 inches to accommodate the width of the seedling tray,” says Thoen. “The height of the back side was 16 inches by 12 feet, and the front 12 inches by 12 feet.”

The long, narrow dimensions gave him the slope required so rainwater could run off of the windows when it stormed.

Thoen’s custom-crafted cold frames are hinged in the back so they can be propped open when daytime temperatures start to rise, snugly closed against nighttime chill.

“It worked really well, and the cold frames added four to five weeks to the northern Virginia growing season,” Thoen says.

Lewis recommends making sure cold frames are built upon solid base soil, or gravel, on level ground, situated to receive as much sunlight as possible. “I also suggest using supplemental heaters during the cold season,” adds Lewis.

BEER, from page 25 The brewing equipment dominates the back part of the taproom, offering the added treat of seeing the process unfolding right in front of your eyes. A food truck is usually on site on weekends, and delivery food is also welcome inside the brewery.

Started by two friends with a passion for brewing, you will find many approachable and instant classics on the beer menu. As a

Keeping it native

Ice plant comes in a variety of hues and blooms all summer.

If you like the look of the ice plant but want to join the slow roll of the Go Native movement returning to ornamentals that are native to Virginia, consider Canada Anemone or Common Blue Violet. Both are low-growing perennials that spread to form a dense ground cover.

Both have small flowers and rich green foliage, and both are easy to grow.

most of the winter.

The name comes from a peculiar trait: When light reflects on an ice plant’s leaves and flowers, it creates a shimmering effect as though the plant is covered in ice crystals or frost,

hence the descriptive name.

Though not native, the ice plant attracts, and feeds, many area pollinators.

Small, daisy-like flowers blossom throughout the spring with repeat blooms in the summer.

ISAAC, from page 25

seasonally, but we have staples and fan favorites.” They serve daily specials.

Though Denim and Pearls keeps it upscale with a gourmet twist, Isaac tries to infuse a bit of homestyle in his cooking, family fare style. He uses his three young children as a gauge for taste and accessibility.

“My kids always want me to cook eggs Benedict,” Isaac says.

“My 8-year-old daughter likes to help me in the kitchen. It’s a little time-consuming making the Hollandaise sauce and poaching the eggs so it’s more of a special occasion dish.”

As much as she loves to cook, his daughter is already planning a career in cuisine.

Isaac tempers her enthusiasm for the job with a dose of reality.

“A chef is working long hours, weekends and holidays,” he says he cautions her youthful ardor. “But if she really wants to do it, I would embrace it and help her anyway I could.” denimandpearlsrestaurant.com 29 Main St, Warrenton

As a teen, Isaac worked in local restaurants – line cook at the old Napoleon’s near Old Town, line cook and kitchen manager at the Hunter’s Head in Upperville.

He cooked three years at Poplar Springs in Casanova and spent at year at Trummer’s on Main in Clifton.

He spent four years at the Iron Bridge in the same Main Street space occupied by Denim and Pearls.

When asked his current “favorite” among the varied Denim and Pearls menu selections, Isaac says he loves the spicy shrimp and grits and the traditional coq au vin. “I love cooking so many different things,” he says. “Like porchetta, an Italian dish that is a pork belly roulade stuffed with garlic and herbs, rolled and tied and cooked sous vide and then roasted in the oven until crispy on the outside.

“At Denim and Pearls, we have 100 percent control over what we do with the menus, “ he says. “We change the menu

newer brewery, Great Mane is always trying to keep customer favorites front and center; so, be sure to share your opinion on what you are drinking with the bar staff.

Donal might be the perfect spring beer, with hints of lemon zest and a classic farmhouse ale profile that pairs well with barbecue or any food with a little kick in the taste profile. John Doe is another natural pairing for a spring picnic. This highly appealing saison style beer has just the right blend Fare & Flair

of hops and spice and is a reliable option for anyone in your group that might not be looking for a hoppy IPA. Finish with a pint of Born Black Imperial Stout. You can definitely taste the 10% alcohol level that is layered into eight varieties of malt and complimented with notes of coffee, chocolate and candied fruit. trouvaillebrewingco.com greatmanebrewery.com Spring 2023

29

The power of perspective I’m a writer. Right?

How hard could it be?

I shakily shared with a friend of my deceased fiancé and mine how the cursor on a blank page on my computer had been blinking back at me for months as I struggled to write our story.

I was the wordsmith. I Alissa should have Jones them at hand.

The Last But I did Word not.

“You’ll find the right words; don’t worry,” our friend kindly counseled.

“Let God do the talking; you’re just holding the pen.”

These were the words I needed to get going.

The tiny exchange reminded me of the gift that keeps on giving in the form of a lesson my beloved Tommy had left me with – the value of changing your perspective.

Pennsylvania native Tom Wyld was a familiar face in Warrenton where he lived for many years, most notably as a chorister at his beloved church, St. James’ Episcopal. But as many or more at Molly’s Pub downtown also knew him as Tommy. It was his favorite spot to relax and gab and catch up with friends.

Tommy was as well-known in the D.C. area where he spent much of his time working to support issues close to his heart after retiring as U.S. Navy commander in 1990.

I’d first met Tommy the year my parents and I lived in my mother’s birth country of Portugal. The U.S. Consulate was hosting a reception for U.S. ships participating in NATO exercises the week of Thanksgiving, 1976.

Tommy, a Navy lieutenant and two other young officers spent the holiday weekend with my family, Tommy remaining an extra week to meet a U.S. ship for the return stateside.

My mother said it was easy to treat him like family: she made sure he was fed well and had a hot water bottle to warm his bed. My retired Coast Guard father loved trading military stories and friendly banter about which was better – the Navy or the Coast Guard.

Laughter and loving banter echoed throughout the house; it was at once entertaining and enchanting.

Of course, I was also captivated by 30

Spring 2023

Tommy’s charismatic smile, dazzling blue eyes, magnetic personality and uproarious sense of humor. But it was his gentle way of engaging me in conversations, challenging my thinking without challenging me that captured my heart.

Without realizing it, I was learning how to think outside of my little box.

In a moment of what my teen brain translated as bravery during one of our strolls to the beach one afternoon, I reached in my purse for the cigarette I had been carrying for weeks, curious to try and eager to show off how grown-up I was.

“Oh, that’s going to hide your pretty smile,” Tommy said with a grin. He gently replaced the cigarette in my hand with his hand. My heart fluttered.

Tommy had a unique ability to help others see through a different lens, which often changed their perspective on issues.

The skill served him in all his careers – the Navy, then as vice president of legislative affairs for the NRA, communications director for SWIFTVETS, director of communications for Osen Hunter and as vice president of government relations for the Motorcycle Riders Foundation.

Through MRF, he helped highlight the social, physical and emotional benefits of riding a motorcycle and helped secure the Murkowski Amendment to the federal highway bill to guarantee funding for state motorcycle safety programs.

Tommy was inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Freedom Fighter Hall of Fame in 2002.

For Tommy though, his successes were less important than negotiating with people and making friends. He listened more than he talked, especially to people whose opinions he did not share both professionally and personally. It was what I’d heard during those friendly exchanges The Last Word

with my father all those years ago about Navy versus the Coast Guard.

Though Tommy and I had exchanged letters for a few months after he left Portugal, life took us in different directions.

But just as life has twists and turns, it has surprises as well.

Thirty-seven years after our first meeting, we reconnected after he heard the news of my father’s passing. Three years later, I was living in Virginia, looking forward to our future. It seemed like time had stood still between decades when one December evening I was standing in the soft falling snow atop a hill in Warrenton, holding hands with and wrapped in the peacoat of the man I only dreamed I would see again, both of us gazing at a house he said he was going to buy for us.

I’ve heard it said, “Maybe it’s not about the happy ending; maybe it’s about the story.” This is what I keep telling myself.

His faith in God sustained him as he fought valiantly, but Tommy ultimately lost his battle with cancer March 2, 2020, two months before his 72nd birthday.

With a heart broken in a million places and worn out from a year of asking why, I knew something had to shift, or I would be consumed with sorrow.

I owed myself, and Tommy, better than that.

After much reflection and prayer, I came to see that I was feeling so broken and cheated because I was lamenting about how I loved him, and he was gone, and it wasn’t fair.

One little shift changed things: I began to think about it from a different perspective. I began to reflect on his love for me, and all the ways he showed that love. Tommy didn’t just give me gifts on special occasions; he planned experiences around them. He was always looking out for me, from insisting on being the one to drive at the sight of one snowflake or buying me new shoes because he thought the ones I had weren’t supportive enough.

When I shifted my perspective from how I loved him to how he loved me, I was refueled and refreshed, and I saw how very blessed I was, which was a reason to celebrate, not lament.

Tommy left me – and the world – a lingering gift: practice in how to see things from a different perspective. This present – this perfectly pertinent present-- plus knowing I was deeply loved by him not once, but twice, helped me finally find the words to share Tommy’s tale.

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