Reading the leaves: How Southern is sweet tea?

Like any good Southern recipe, the origins of sweet tea are about as clear as an oversteeped pitcher of Lipton. Southerners of all stripes clamor for their own little piece of the beverage’s lore. Central Virginia, it seems, doesn’t have much of a stake. Thomas Jefferson certainly loved his tea—his financial records show he purchased […]

Local buzz: Hungry Hill Farm keeps the bees

It’s honey season, y’all! Bee colonies like the ones at Hungry Hill Farm have been buzzing around for months, and it’s time to reap the rewards. According to farm owner Glenn Clayton, June and July are the “height of the honey flow,” and one beehive can hold upward of 60,000 honeybees this time of year.  […]

Spring is here! And so is the new issue of Knife & Fork…

The spring issue of Knife & Fork is on stands now! Here’s what you’ll find inside (and below, find a digital copy of the issue). Arley Cakes’ strawberry tart. Epicurean Ways blends food and faraway places. Bill Scatena’s favorite chicken recipe. Feast!’s cheesemonger gives us tips. Are anchovies the new bacon? Blasphemy! Clifton’s Yannick Fayolle bulks […]

Working with the land: Virginia’s Bordeaux-style blends take cues from the past, but look to the future

Over the course of a dozen centuries, wines from France’s Bordeaux region have revolutionized today’s world of wine. As ground zero for some of the globe’s most widely grown grape varieties, Bordeaux itself is as valuable as its far-reaching and varied diasporas. Virginia embodies pieces of a Bordeaux diaspora, so to truly understand Virginia wine, […]