Charlottesville VA area - food specialties

[Mottmott]

I'll be visiting Charlottesville (suburbs) in a couple weeks. What food delicacies are there in the vicinity that I might bring back to Philadelphia? I'll be making some day trips while I'm there, so I'd be willing to go a distance to find something outrageously good.

I assume there might be specially good places to get Virginia Ham direct from the maker, maybe honey. Where? and what else? Thirty years later I still remember some spectacular bacon we found in an ordinary market on a W. Va camping trip.

I'll also be doing some cooking while there, so where are the local farmers' markets?

[rob7]

In my opinion, one of the best country hams is produced by Kite's Hams in Wolftown. Wolftown is in Madison County. Their farm is a few miles of rt 29 so it's convinient whether you are coming down 29 or leaving going north. I don't believe that they make a honey ham. They have a couple different varieties of country hams, bacon, and some other products.

http://kiteshams.com/index.htm

On that same road is a relatively new winery\vineyard, Sweely Estate.

http://www.sweelyestatewinery.com/

If you are in the mood for wine tasting, I would also try:

http://barboursvillewine.net/winery/

You can do some peach picking at Chiles Orchard.

http://www.chilespeachorchard.com/index.shtml

The farmers market in Charlottesville operates every Saturday morning right next to the Downtown Mall.

http://www.charlottesville.org/index.aspx?page=757

[Mottmott]

Thanks. I'll check them out.