I  recently went on a road trip, visiting towns throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. As I traveled, I was looking for cool small towns or cities with vibrant downtowns, great eats, a cool vibe and access to the outdoors. One such town was Lexington, Virginia. As it happens, I was there on a Wednesday – the day of their local Farmers Market. Lexington Farmers Market or FB @LexVAFM or IG @Lex_VA_FM) At first I was a little skeptical, due to the size (two rows of vendors) – but this skepticism passed quickly as I was surrounded by a huge variety of awesome food and products. (as a caveat, this was in February, and I am sure during the summer they have many more vendors) Some of my great finds…..

Kellys Persian Food – yes Persian Food in Lexington, Viriginia! You can find them on FB or IG @kellyspersianfood. I couldn’t resist getting thier Baba Ganoush and Persian Sun Bread. Totally delish and such a great find!

Stack of freshly baked Persian sun bread topped with sesame and nigella seeds displayed at the Lexington, Virginia farmers market.Freshly baked Persian sun bread topped with sesame and nigella seeds served with baba ganoush at the Lexington farmers market.

Found a beautiful picnic area along the Blue Ridge Parkway with a great view of the James River to enjoy my Persian Sun Bread and Baba Ganoush.

I next met Kate Marie, founder of Abundant Life Kitchen. FB @alklexington or IG @abundantlifelexington. Abundant Life offers fresh and delicious plant-based meal and dessert solutions. I soon fell in love with these Blueberry Lemon Energy Bites! These were just what I needed as I was about to embark on a 5-mile trail run. (And a shout out to the Lexington Running Shop – an Uber cool running store – for the great trail run recommendation! www.lexrunningshop.com or FB @runlexington.va or IG @lexrunning )

Packaged blueberry lemon energy bites from Abundant Life Kitchen displayed at the Lexington Virginia farmers marketBlueberry lemon energy bite made with oats, nuts, and dried blueberries, held outdoors at a farmers market

My last surprise came from when I met the Mitch Wapner, not only the organizer of the Farmer’s Market, but the farmer and brains behind Paradox Farms. The Uber cool find here was the baby organic Turmeric! As a chef, I have cooked with a ton of different ingredients, including turmeric, but never fresh turmeric. Mitch suggested many ways to use the fresh turmeric – including in soups, as part of a marinade and in smoothies.

Fresh baby turmeric roots displayed in a wooden crate at a farmers market

I love traveling and exploring new places. Lexington is a great place and if you are ever in the area, you should make the stop!

Date of Visit: 2 March 2022

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