M-m-m good! Tastes of Virginia at many festivals

Apples, peaches, shad, oysters, stew, chili, strawberries, blackberries, pork, peanuts, wine, chocolate, herbs, cheese or maple syrup - if grown or produced in Virginia, there’s a festival for it.

At the Virginia Food Festivals section of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (VDACS) website, you’ll find month-by-month listings of all of these festivals and many, many more at http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/news/festival.shtml.

The site has been updated for 2013, according to a news release, and it features events from February through the winter holidays.

With so many Virginia foods represented, there is a special event to celebrate everyone’s favorite foods or favorite places: A Taste of Culpeper, the Urbanna Oyster Roast, Taste of the Mountains Main Street Festival, for example. Many events are seasonal: strawberries in May, blackberries in July and peaches in August.     

September and October are two of the busiest months for food festivals with featured products such as apples, wine, pumpkins and oysters. Chili Cook-offs and harvest festivals abound, and this is prime time for those special extras like hayrides, corn mazes, pumpkin cannons, cider-making and antique tractors. End the year at winter festivals and food/craft fairs before the fun starts all over again in 2014.

Food festivities are listed online by month. Each listing includes the date, location, contact information and a link to the event website, if available. VDACS advises festival-goers to call ahead for hours, directions, admission charges and other costs. New events are added regularly.

If your organization has planned a Virginia food-oriented event that is not included, send the details to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Event listings are free.