Although the name “Quail Cove” sounds like it might either be part of an inlet or a great birding area, it is neither. Located on Virginia’s Eastern Shore between Machipongo and Nassawadox, Quail Cove is actually our treasured local “organic foods plus much, much more” store. It’s formal name is Quail Cove Farm and it’s a fun place to visit. About twice a month, usually on a Saturday morning, I go and stock up on goodies and staples for the weeks ahead.
I first started shopping at Quail Cove about eight years ago when, for health reasons, my husband decided to switch from regular milk to soy milk. Now one wouldn’t think, in this era of emphasis on watching calories and sugar content, that it would be difficult to find soy milk that has no added sugar. Ha ! Just try it ! (Although I’ve heard that now the Silk brand sold in the milk section of most grocery stores has a no- sugar- added offering I’ve never found it.) Anyway, a friend mentioned that Quail Cove had recently opened and that they might carry it. To my pleasant surprise, they did and they do, in no -refrigeration- till- opened ( is that a great invention or what ! ) quart boxes which we now purchase by the case. (Here’s a plug for the company who makes this great product – Westlake Organic Unsweetened Soymilk ) And that is the story of how, years ago, we got started shopping at Quail Cove ( www.quailcovefarms.com ). We’ve been going strong ever since.
I wouldn’t want anyone to think that Quail Cove is just about relatively boring items like unsweetened soy milk or Muir brand canned tomatoes, so good, or a brand of yellow grits that cook up into the creamiest ever. ( I refer folks who have never eaten grits to the side-splittingly funny scene in one of my favorite comic movies, “My Cousin Vinnie”, where the main character tries grits for the very first time.) No indeed, there are lots of goodies on them thar shelves, Missy ! Like wonderful coffees blended and roasted locally by the Eastern Shore Roasting Company, Amish baby swiss and other specialty cheeses, all kinds of organically grown frozen berries, frozen whole wheat pie crusts (try finding these somewhere else), free range eggs, organically raised chickens from a Pennsylvania Mennonite farm, sweet potato chips crunchingly great with chicken salad sandwiches, lots of chocolates, my personal favorite, dried fruits and nuts in bulk, local honey, top quality vitamins and much, much more. And of course, seasonal local produce and fruit, bursting with organically grown freshness. It’s easy to see why, hot or cold, rain or shine, every other Saturday morning, it’s Quail Cove time.