Good Foods Grocery

For the last 25 years, Good Foods Grocery has provided healthy food, vitamins, and products to the Richmond community.  They have locations in the West End (at Gayton Crossing) and the Southside (at Stony Point), though I’ve only been to the one in the West End.

It’s a spacious store – much more than you would expect given its location inside the Gayton Crossing shopping center.  It has a fresh produce section which carries as much local produce as possible, a bulk foods section, grocery section, and a section for beauty care items and a very robust health items section with vitamins, supplements, etc.

As far as the West End location goes, most of the people who work there are super nice – if you run across one who isn’t try to brush it off, because the store does have quite a lot to offer.

For instance, they have classes and workshops all the time.  They have occasional Wellness Wednesdays, where they offer information about products, services, and give instructions on cooking and more.  These will be on the third Wednesday of the month at both of the locations.

Their website also offers a wealth of health and nutritional guidance, as well as a monthly sale sheet so that you know about what kinds of bargains you can get.  They also care about making a difference in the world, and lobbied to oppose the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010, which would have given the FDA more power over dietary supplement providers.  You can also read about that on their website.

Locations:

Stony Point Shopping Center – 3062 Stony Point Road 804-320-6767
Gayton Crossing Shopping Center – 1312 Gaskins Road 804-740-3518

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Short Pump – Richmond’s “Frontier”

When one thinks of the frontier, the first images that come to mind are cowboys and saloons, gunfights and gold prospectors.  While these are all amusing to imagine, you aren’t likely to find them in Short Pump.  Now considered the far West End of Richmond, this area has long served as the wild west of the more “civilized” city to the east.  Generally considered to be located at the intersections of Broad Street, Pouncey Tract Road and Three Chopt Road, it is only in the last decade that real industry and commerce have sprung to life in the rolling hills of Short Pump.

The village was named for an unusual water pump found under the porch of a tavern built in the area in the early 1800’s.  The structure is a believed to have been built facing Three Notched Road (Now Three Chopt), in western Henrico County, and remains a fixture in local legend.  The community is now a far cry from the dusty roadside stop it used to be.  Although historically the site doesn’t hold much significance, it has been visited by a few notables traveling from Richmond to western parts of Virginia, including Thomas Jefferson, Stonewall Jackson and the Marquis de Lafayette.

What started as a rural backwater has become one of the most heavily developed and prosperous communities in the Metro Richmond area.  Beginning in the early 1930’s, the only real landmarks to be found in Short Pump were a garage, a grocery store and a general store.  The 1990’s saw the first true burst of development when it was decided that Broad Street needed to be widened to accommodate the traffic brought in by a newly built Wal-Mart.  Sadly, this saw the end of several of the older businesses that had persevered over several decades as room had to be cleared for the expansion.

This was only the beginning of what would prove to be a startling surge of commerce for the area.  In 2003 Short Pump Town Center, a massive open-air shopping mail, opened, attracted records numbers of visitors to the site and paving the way for even more businesses – grocery stores, car dealerships, upscale restaurants, an expansive movie theater and a wide variety of others.  With the commerce came the people.  Short Pump is now home to some of the most well-to-do neighborhoods in the Richmond metro area.

Easy accessibility from I-64, Highway 288 and Broad Street have contributed to the growth of community, allowing for continued expansion and almost constant building.   The Innsbrook area, located just east of Short Pump, seems to have jump started the progress west.  As the Glen Allen area began to prosper, the need for growth demanded more available space and greater opportunities for commerce.  Largely disregarded in the past, Short Pump provided the area needed to meet those demands.  While an elaborate shopping mall, an expansive movie theater and fancy restaurants may not seem like the most fascinating of frontiers, the tremendous development of the area can rival that of any gold-mining town.

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Locally Grown Richmond

So I saw that movie, Food Inc., and it really made me think about chicken.  It made me think of a lot of other things, too, but that image of the steroid-pumped chicken gasping for air made me a real believer in NOT buying mass-market chicken.  Or mass-market anything, for that matter.  Lucky for me there are all these farmer’s markets in Richmond.

David has written about farmer’s markets on Eating in Richmond.  He talks about several different farmer’s markets that occur all around Richmond.  Additionally, M. Stringer has talked on Richmond for Kids about the South of the James farmer’s market, and how it is a  great place to take the kids.

I got to thinking about the actual farms that peddle their delicious wares at these farmer’s markets.  It would be awfully nice to have a guide of where to buy what and when, but the sheer number of local growers and farmers markets is dizzying.  Exciting, but I’m afraid I’m too late in the game to provide a complete and comprehensive list for this year. Of course, Richmond Good Life has done that to a degree – so I’m linking to them here.  For now, here is some information about some local growers that will hopefully be helpful to you.

Edible Old Dominion

Location: Louisa County
What They Grow: It’s literally too many things to list – go to their site to see a full list, but I will tell you that at different times of the year you can get tomatoes, carrots, eggplant, peas, onions, radishes, broccoli rabe, and more.  They also offer eggs.
Who: Farmer Russell.  He started out growing potatoes outside his apartment on Grace Street.  He got a degree in horticulture, and he farms the land.  Additionally, Edible Old Dominion offers a community supported agriculture (CSA) where you can buy in at the beginning of the season and get your “shares” in the form of fresh produce, every week.
Markets: You can pick up your shares, or buy produce and eggs, from North of the James Farmers Market (Bryan Park Tuesdays 3-7 PM), Innsbrook Farmers Market (Thursdays 11-6), and South of the James Farmers Market (Forest Hill Park Saturdays, 8-1).

Manakintowne Specialty Growers

Location: Powhatan, VA
What: at press time, they had all types of salad greens, micro greens, braising greens, radishes, cabbages, carrots, beets, edible flowers, fresh herbs, and more.
Who: Jo and Rob Pendergraph and Peter Markham.  Local farmers since 1985, they are careful and conscientious about their practices.
Markets: Goochland Farmers Market, Byrd House Farmers Market, Fall Line Farms Coop, plus you can buy their goods at Libbie Market and Ellwood Thompson’s.  If that wasn’t enough, you can also experience Jo, Rob, and Peter’s green thumb handiwork at a number of Richmond eateries.

Here is a list of some other farms located near Richmond.  Where possible, I’ve hyperlinked to the farm’s website so you can learn more about them.

Bluebird Produce of Hanover
Sergio Lopez Farm
Jon Philhower Farm
Greenwood Farms
Fleetwell Organix
Walnut Hill Farm
Ault’s Family Farm
Alfredo’s Beehive
CCL Farm
Edmonds Farm
Empress Farm
Faith Farm
Pair-A-Dice Farm
Amy’s Garden
Bill’s Produce
Black Creek Farms
Casselmonte Farm
Common Ground
Eli’s Greens
Fertile Crescent Farm
Gencroft Farm
Goldman Grown Nursery
Native Plants
Pleitez Produce
Rocking F
Root Force Collective Farm
Sporganics
Thistledowne Farm
Three Springs Farm
Walnut Hill Farm
Frog Bottom Farm
Victory Farms
Dragonfly Farm and Plants
Averys Branch Farms
Chadwick Orchids
Forrest Green Farm
Furbelow Farms
Mustard Seed Farm
Wild Heaven Farm
Greenway Beef

As for the local farmers markets – here is a short list by day:

Sundays:

April – December:  Vintage and Grower’s Market at the 17th Street Farmers Market 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM – 100 North 17th Street.

Tuesdays:

May – October:  The Byrd House Market 3:30 PM – 7:00 PM – 224 South Cherry Street
May – October:  North of the James Market 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Bryan Park

Wednesdays:

May – November:  Lakeside Farmers Market 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM – 6110 Lakeside Avenue (Saturday hours as well, please see Saturday section)
April – October:  West End Farmers Market 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Gayton & Ridgefield

Thursdays:

April – December:  Grower’s Market at The 17th Street Farmers Market 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM – 100 North 17th Street

Fridays:

April – December:  Red, White, and Brew at the 17th Street Farmers Market 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM – 100 North 17th Street
?:  McGuire, VA Farmers Market 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM – 1201 Broad Rock Boulevard
Year Round:  Quirk Gallery First Friday of the month 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM – 311 West Broad Street

Saturdays:

May – October:  Petersburg Farmers Market sunrise – noon – Old and N. Sycamore Streets
May – October:  St. Stephen’s Church Farmers Market – 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM – 6000 Grove Avenue
April – October:  West End Farmers Market 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Gayton and Ridgefield
May – December:  South of the James Farmers Market 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Forest Hill Park
May – October:  Monument Market 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM – 2709 Monument Avenue (at Richmond’s First Baptist Church)
May – November:  Lakeside Farmers Market 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM – 6110 Lakeside Avenue
May – October:  Goochland Farmers Market 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM – 2955 River Road
May – October:  Chester Farmers Market 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM – Village Green
May – October:  Ashland Farmers Market 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM – 101 Thompson Street Ashland
April – December:  Grower’s Market at 17th Street Farmers Market 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM – 100 North 17th Street

Other good websites to check out are the Market Umbrella,  Center for Rural Culture, Off the Vine Market, and Byrd House Market.

Happy and Healthy Shopping!

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