Loudoun Buy Fresh Buy Local guide arriving in mailboxes soon

Posted on by PEC

WARRENTON, Va. (May 11, 2023) – With the spring growing season upon the Virginia Piedmont, The Piedmont Environmental Council is pleased to announce the release of its 2023-2024 Buy Fresh Buy Local Loudoun County guide, offering a one-stop source connecting consumers to fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat and more, by way of local farmers and farmers markets. 

The Loudoun guide has been mailed to 149,127 households and will begin arriving in mailboxes next week. PEC also produces a Charlottesville area guide, covering Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson Counties, and a Northern Piedmont guide, covering Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock counties, which have already been mailed out. In total, more than 310,000 residences and businesses will receive a Buy Fresh Buy Local guide.

Each Buy Fresh Buy Local guide features about 200 area-specific farms, orchards, farmers markets, as well as wineries, breweries, restaurants, and retailers. The guides also provide a travel map of some of the locations patrons can visit, a fruit and vegetable availability calendar, a fact sheet explaining various common food labels, and a handful of local farm features. 

“The Virginia Piedmont is known for its beauty and abundant agricultural resources. Our goal with these guides is to connect Virginians to locally grown and produced food, thereby helping farmland stay farmland and preserving the region’s rural economy while supporting the local food economy as well,” said PEC Buy Fresh Buy Local Assistant Faith Schweikert. “We hope Buy Fresh Buy Local encourages people to look to the local producers and businesses around them for their healthy and delicious foodstuffs before depending on a vast global food supply chain that is ultimately less friendly to the environment and our local economy. Whether it’s meats, vegetables, specialty items or more, it’s already here in the Piedmont.” 

The free Buy Fresh Buy Local guide is made possible with the support of community sponsors, including the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, Wegmans, Finest Butcher, Farm Credit, and Oak Spring Garden Foundation. “The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation recognizes the agricultural heritage of Loudoun County and the value of local food production,” said Bill Hazel, senior deputy executive director at the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation. “We are pleased to help connect citizens with fresh local food and a bit of history.”

Loudoun guides were additionally supported by Loudoun Farm Bureau, the Loudoun Valley Homegrown Market Cooperative, Mom’s Apple Pie, Long Stone Farm, Ayrshire Farm, Great Country Farms, and Lightfoot Restaurant. 

Community members can download all three Buy Fresh Buy Local guides at: pecva.org/buylocal. PEC also has a searchable Buy Fresh Buy Local website, at buylocalpiedmont.org, with an interactive map that makes it easy for consumers to find exactly what they need right where they want it. Learn more about PEC’s local farms and food program at pecva.org/farmsandfood. 

Media Contact: Faith Schweikert, Buy Fresh Buy Local Assistant
[email protected]; 540-347-2334, x7026

The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) works to protect and restore the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont, while building stronger, more sustainable communities. Founded in 1972, PEC is a locally based, community-supported 501(c)3 nonprofit and accredited land trust. At the core of PEC’s approach is a focus on educating, engaging and empowering people to effect positive change in their communities. Learn more at pecva.org.