Welcome to Fall Line Farms & Local Roots!

The Center for Rural Culture's Fall Line Farms and Local Roots is designed to connect family owned and operated farms and businesses with customers in search of local food year round. It's Richmond Virginia's non-profit online farmers market!

Give us a try! Use the Promotion Code "one_month_free" for one month of free membership.

Order what you want
Shop by the item
with no minimum order

Order when you want
Shop as often
or as little as you like

Order from the farms you want
Shop directly from individual farms
with no substitutions

Thank you for supporting our local producers!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to give us a call 804-878-2166.

Our Producers

FARMS
Verde Natural Florals
Village Garden
Trails End Farm
Thistledowne Farm
The Freckled Farm Soap Company
Rockcastle Farm
Rain or Shine Greenhouse Gardens
PigCrafters
Peacemeal Farm
Night Sky Farm
Owl Orchard
Misty Morning Sunrise Farm
Mickey&Ann's Farmette
Manakintowne Specialty Growers
Liberty Tree Farm
Lar-Lyn Farms
HaaShrooms
Grassbelly Farm
Goats R Us
Forrest Green Farm
Elk Island Produce
Dragonfly Farm
Deer Run Farm
Cypress Grove Farm
Burkeville-Waverly Farms
Brookview Farm
Broadfork Farm
Aynsley + Cp
Authenticity Farms
Agriberry

OTHER SMALL BUSINESSES
Zen Beekeeping
X-actly Wright Seafood
Woodson's Mill
Wild Earth Fermentation
Vegtabowl Foods
Truly Scrumptious
Three Hens Candle Co
Steve’s Succulents
Salsas Don Sebastian
Honey's Homemade Stuff
Great Harvest Bread Co
The Green Kitchen
Good Health Herbs
Farmstead Ferments
Cumberland Middle School
Black Hand Coffee Co
A Local Pie Company

Better Together: Introducing Commonwealth Market Growers

A Couple of Louisa County Farms Collaborate to Expand Their Offerings

Demand for sustainably raised products is growing, and that increased demand is good news for small farmers like the ones who supply the food you purchase on our pages each week. Of course, growth brings challenges, but our farmers are finding creative ways to meet them, often by coming together in collaboration.


That’s the story behind a new name you’ll see on our pages this week: Commonwealth Market Growers.


Jon and Meredith Bremer of Liberty Tree Farm in Louisa County have faithfully provided our Fall Line Farms and Local Roots members high-quality produce, herbs, and flowers, along with some truly tasty value-added products like their pepper jelly and their Red Anaheim Pepper Sauce. Now they’re joining forces with their friends and neighbors, Mark and Faye Clements of Salt and Pepper Farm, to form Commonwealth Market Growers.


“We were already sharing equipment and labor,” explains Jon, “so this just made sense. Our farms are still separate, but we’re working in partnership now because it allows us to expand our offerings, reach more customers, and still keep a high level of producer involvement in the selling process.” The Clements bring humanely raised meat and pastured eggs to the partnership—the perfect complement to the Bremers’ beautiful produce.


This week’s offerings from Commonwealth Market Growers will include farm-fresh pastured eggs. Eventually, they'll add woodlot-raised pork and other high-quality meats. There will also be fresh cooking greens, pea greens, and leaf lettuce—along with two kinds of pesto (pea green and arugula) and frozen braised Asian greens.


When you purchase from Fall Line Farms and Local Roots, you’re supporting farmers like the Bremers and the Clements, who are dedicated to bringing you the best possible food they can deliver. While you nourish your body and enjoy the tasty meals that you prepare from your market haul, you are also strengthening our local food system. Thank you for your orders, which build our community in so many positive ways!


Pictured Above: Mark Clements and Jon Bremer of
Commonwealth Market Growers

A Bountiful Container: Follow This "Recipe" for a Beautiful Edible Arrangement.

By guest blogger Jacqueline Murphy of Semperflora. (Details after article)

When you think about container plantings you might envision a classic ornamental combination. Maybe you visualize a half wine barrel overflowing with lipstick red geraniums and variegated ivy. And that’s a perfectly lovely recipe for lasting color and visual interest. But maybe you’re interested in benefits beyond beauty. Perhaps you have a hankering for a container garden that provides fresh herbs or vegetables or edible flowers that’s also pretty enough to sit on the back patio or next to the front door. An ornamental edible container gardenwould be a satisfying solution.

You’ll find one container planted with five different ornamental edible designs below.

Choose Local Plants

With almost 200 locally grown plants to choose from at Fall Line Farms and Local Roots, the most difficult task is going to be exercising restraint. Or, if you have the space, you could plant up multiple containers and toss self-control to the compost heap.

One big advantage to using locally grown plants is that they’re acclimated to our growing conditions. That translates to healthier plants that will be easier for you to maintain.

Planting Recipes

These recipes include plants grown by Fall Line Farms and Local Roots producers and are designed for a single half whiskey or wine barrel planter or a comparable container 26–28 inches in diameter. A half-barrel holds about four cubic feet of soil and you can find bags of soil for sale at Fall Line Farms and Local Roots, too. Each design includes a mix of edibles that are also ornamental.

1 Borage
1 Bronze fennel
3 French marigold
3 Nasturtium, yellow and orange

Plant the borage and bronze fennel toward the center and edge the container with a combination of marigold and nasturtium. If you’re placing the planter against a wall, place the taller plants, the borage and fennel, toward the back of the container. If you prefer, you could use all marigolds or all nasturtium as edging plants instead of a mixture.

1 Hyacinth bean
5–7 Nasturtium, yellow and orange
1 Teepee or spiral trellis, approximately 6 feet tall.

You can buy a trellis or make your own teepee trellis by lashing together three bamboo poles with wire. Sink the trellis about 12 inches deep into the soil and plant the bean at its base. Edge the container with nasturtium.

1 Tomato ‘Black Plum’
1 Basil ‘Amethyst’
3–5 French marigold
1 Trellis or teepee, approximately 6 feet tall

Make your own teepee trellis by lashing together three bamboo poles with wire. Sink the trellis about 12 inches into the soil slightly off center in the barrel and plant the tomato at its base. Place the basil to one side of the tomato and arrange the marigolds around the edge of the container.

1 Rosemary, upright form
1 German chamomile
3 Nasturtium

Place the rosemary slightly off center and the chamomile next to it. Edge the planter with the nasturtium.

1 Lemon balm
2–3 mints (spearmint, peppermint, apple, pineapple)
3–4 Terracotta or plastic pots

Lemon balm is a member of the mint family. All mints are aggressive growers and will quickly crowd out other plants. If you’d like to try growing several types of mint together in your half barrel, keep them separated by sinking smaller pots into the larger container.

Place your container garden in a location that gets about six hours of sunlight per day for the most bountiful harvest. The exception is the mint garden, which will be happier with some shade in the afternoon.You might also be happier if you place a table and chairs near the mint so you can easily pluck leaves for your iced tea or other libation.

Jacqueline Murphy earned her MFA in Literature and Creative Nonfiction at Bennington College in Vermont. Semperflora offers garden coaching and design consultation that harmonizes with nature. Visit semperflora.com or find Jaqueline on social media at Instagram @semperflora_virginia or Facebook @semperflora (https://www.facebook.com/semperflora/). Roughly translated, semperflora means “always plants.”

Use Your "Market Haul" to Best Advantage! A Spring Supper Salad.

How about a Spinach, Chevre, and Strawberry Salad with Toasted Nuts? It can go from side to supper with a few easy tweaks--and ingredients from our buying pages!

One of the best things about our Fall Line Farms & Local Roots community is that our producers get along so well. You should see the happy hubbub on Thursday mornings when they arrive on site to swap orders (and greetings, and smiles)!

The items they deliver every week play well together, too. So many fresh, beautiful ingredients --and an infinite variety of delicious ways to combine them!

Here's one example: a fabulous, fresh salad featuring jusicy strawberries and tender spinach as the base, with a couple of additions that take it to meal status in a hurry.

Strawberries don't have to just be sweet. Think about them as a delectable and playful partner to spinach. That's a combo with color, taste, and texture! By now, you know that Agriberry and Thistledowne have some gorgeous, juicy strawberries in. And six of our producers are offering spinach this week. (Liberty Tree's spinach is pictured above. Assemble the spinach and the berries--whole or sliced--in a big bowl. You already have a salad!

Dress with Olive Oil Taproom's lovely olive oil and some tangy-sweet balsamic vinegar.Stop there, and you've got a delicious accompaniment for any meal.

Or go for broke. Add organic pecans from Good Health Herbs. Toast 'em and toss em' on top. Oh my. What a spring delight!

Craving a dinner salad? Manakintowne Specialty Growers has local chevre to add to the mix.The hearty tang of this creamy goat cheese will play to perfection with the other ingredients and transform your salad from a side into a supper!

Not used to using chevre? Just pinch off little bits of it and toss them in amongst the leaves, nuts, and fruit. Or take it up a notch. Mix some olive oil and vinegar (in any proportions you like) and marianate the bits of chevre a little before tossing them in. You can use the marinade as dressing!

Accompany this with a hearty loaf of crusty, fresh baked bread from Broadfork Farm, and you will have a spring supper to remember!

So many great combinations. So much fresh, healthy food at your fingertips.Take your time. Explore our pages. Let creativity be your guide. And enjoy!

Eat well and be well. And know that your orders support small farmers and local food entrepreneurs who appreciate your business. THANK YOU!

Smiling Farmers, Happy Members--Thank You for Supporting the Local Food Economy!

Meet Christy (Thistledowne Farms) and Ann (Mickey&Ann's Farmette), two of our fabulous FarmHers!

These ladies love what they do, and we know that you love what they bring to our "Farmer Flash Mob" every Thursday! That's where the farmers and volunteers all meet up, make sure the orders are all put together properly, and then head out to deliver to the pickup points. Rain or shine, they're out and about, swapping smiles and orders and making sure that your delicous, nutritious food is waiting for you on Thursday afternoon.

Your support has allowed Ann and her husband Mickey to keep raising the quality meat and vegetables you've come to expect from Micky&Ann's Farmette, but also to branch out into aquaponics. And your support has also allowed Christy to offer multiple high-quality items. This week, she's picking asparagus and other veggies for market. She's also got fresh eggs,flower bouquets, and lovingly grown garden plants, all from Thistledowne Farm.

What you do as a member of our community is important, too! When you choose Fall Line Farms and Local Roots you choose great food, sustainably raised. And that's more and more important if we want this kind of local fare, raised by caring local farmers, to continue to be available. The Daily Yonder, a blog that reports on important rural issues, recently noted that farmers make less than 14 cents out of every food dollar. Not if we can help it!

As you probably know, Fall Line Farms & Local Roots is a non-profit. We have no investors--only members like you. And no brokers of food grown elsewhere, either. Just producers like Christy and Ann, who grow or raise pretty much everything that we sell on our pages. We do have a few exceptions for items like olive oil and coffee, which don't grow in Virginia, but even then we're careful to choose small, local businesses that offer the very best.

We keep our operational costs low, so our producers receive the highest level of compensation that we can manage to offer. We do that by maintaining a small, part-time staff and a crew of fabulous volunteers.

So THANK YOU for being part of the Fall Line Farms and Local Roots Community! Your order is good for you, but it's also good for the local food economy. Keep up the good work--and keep ordering!

Announcing a Center for Rural Culture Fundraiser Friday, 6/21 from 5:30 to 9 PM

The Center for Rural Culture (CRC) is having a summer fundraiser,and you won't want to miss this party! You'll have a great time while you also support The CRC--the parent organization for Fall Line Farms and Local Roots.

The event will be held at a private residence in Powhatan (TBA soon). Be sure to set aside Friday evening, June 21st, from 5:30 PM to 9 PM and plan to join the board of the CRC for a casual evening of music and fabulous seasonal and local food.

We'll offer a late spring, early summer menu using the harvest from our hardworking and talented Fall Line Farms and Local Roots producers. We'll also honor the work of our founder, Sandy Fisher, who will be on hand to meet and greet and accept our thanks for great service to our community.

Of course, It wouldn't be a party without a great band! Come dance or sing along (or both) to the music of local favorites Hoosier Daddy, a talented group of Powhatan neighbors who know how to make a party rock!

See you there!

Producer Spotlight: Salsas Don Sebastian

It all started with her husband's irresistable salsa.

America DeLoach loved the freshness of it, and the fact that it was a family recipe handed down from her husband's Mexican grandmother. She craved it all the time, and that gave her an idea!America knew that this deliciousness needed to be shared with others. So she promised her husband not to reveal the secret family recipe and started her salsa business. That was three years ago, and now Salsas Don Sebastian can hardly keep up with the orders.

"I love sharing a little piece of Mexico with others!" she says. Maybe it's America's generosity that makes everything at Salsas Don Sebastian taste so wonderful!

This business is a family affair. The business is named after America's son,
her sister works with her in the kitchen,and her daughter, Valerie,handles the social media for Salsas Don Sebastian.

"Almost everything on our menu is Mexican,"America says, "but I am Venezuelan, so there's a taste of my culture, too. My sister, Rachel, who makes the [traditional Venezuelan] Hallequitas is a better cook than I am, so I call her the Hallequita Queen!"

America loves building relationships with customers and the other vendors. Her big smile and friendly manner make her as popular as her handmade, fresh salsas,
which come in a dazzling and delicious array of flavors. And then there are the Frijoles, Lentils, and Venezuelan Black Beans! Asked what she is proudest of, America says, "People call me the Salsa Lady now.They know who I am!" She also notes that she has "kind of made the Chimichurri my own. Mine is more of a paste--not so oily." We can tell by the way it sells
that her recipe is a winner!

When you shop local and support Fall Line Farms and Local Roots, you also support hardworking, talented local producers like Salsas Don Sebastian. Thank you for your Fall Line Farms and Local Roots orders. You help us keep local farms, farmers, and food entrepreneurs going strong!

Back By Popular Demand! Great Harvest Bread Company (Midlothian)

We're pleased to announce that Great Harvest Bread Company, Midlothian has joined us as our newest producer!

A few weeks ago, we sadly announced the closing of Great Harvest Bread Company in Mechanicsville. Now we're thrilled that Great Harvest Bread Company in Midlothian has agreed to join our stellar group of fine producers.

Check out the Pepperoni Swirls, pictured above with the Garlic Cheese bread. There are a number of scrumptious selections listed on our pages,including freshly baked Honey Whole Wheat, Farmhouse white, and Dakota Bread. And what about those Blueberry Cheese Scones? Wow. What a great selection of freshly baked goodness!

Welcome to Fall Line Farms and Local Roots, Great Harvest Bread Company,Midlothian.We're awfully glad to have you!

Wedding Bells at River City Bakery--And a Honeymoon "Heads-Up"

You've come to know River City Bakery for its delicious assortment of pastries,
cakes, cookies, brownies, and cinnamon rolls.And just look at this delectable carrot cake.It's as beautiful as it is tasty--a real piece of culinary art!

But there's something else sweet about Colleen Geyer this week:She'll she'll soon be tying the knot! (Colleen is the French-trained pastry chef at the helm of River City Bakery. She's also a member of the Agriberry family.)

Colleen will be on her honeymoon soon, but she wanted to make sure thatwe have plenty of notice so that we can order our Easter goodies ahead of time and freeze them.

So here's the heads-up: fresh, delectable baked goods from River City Bakery
will be available for the next two order dates (3/28 and April 4).Regular business will resume for the May 2 pickup date.

Colleen notes that most of her terrific, tasty baked goods freeze well, and that the carrot cake works particularly well for this.

Bon voyage to Colleen and bon appétit to all of us!

Passionate About Animals: Burkeville-Waverly Farms

At Fall Line Farms and Local Roots, we care deeply about the quality of the products we offer.That's why we choose producers who share our goal of bringing you food that you can trust.Burkeville-Waverly Farms is a great example.Did you know that they are a family farm with a 100-year history? Or that they are designated Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW)?

According to the AGW, this designation is earned through yearly audits of the farm's practices and is "the only label that guarantees animals are raised outdoors on pasture or range for their entire lives on an independent farm using truly sustainable, high-welfare farming practices."

If you're curious to learn more, visit their website to schedule a farm visit or to stay overnight in their lovely accomodations. And click on the picture above to see all of the great selections from Burkeville-Waverly Farms!

FLF&LR Welcomes a New Producer: My Empanada

We're very excited to welcome My Empanada to the Fall Line Farms and Local Roots list of producers. Their flaky, delicious handmade empanadas come frozen--three to a package. Perfect for a quick but homemade dinner!

Claudia Urrea, one of the owners, says this: "We grew up in Colombia, South America where there were as many empanada vendors as there are burger joints in the United States. Empanadas are the classic street food in Latin America. After many adventures in the food business world, last year my husband and I decided to focus specifically on empanadas and bring to Richmond some of the many flavors and culinary secrets of our Latin culture."

Looking for something a little different? Try this little taste of South America, handmade with love right here in Virginia.