You hav
en’t tasted good vegetables and fruit until you’ve tried them straight from the farm. Halifax County is loaded with roadside stands and farmers’ markets that sell them. “Fresh and local food is a lot better for you than store-bought produce,” says Pickett Craddock, who runs Oak Grove Plantation bed & breakfast. “I never knew corn and tomatoes could taste so good,” says her husband, Mike Doan. We always serve local fresh fruit for breakfast when it’s available.
This time of the year, July and August, is the best time for cantaloupe, watermelons, corn, squash, zucchini, okra, eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, blueberries, blackberries, beets, onions, cabbage, peaches and beans. Strawberries, asparagus and flowering plants are at their height in May. Fresh eggs are also popular here. and pumpkins are available in the fall.
Some of our favorites places for buying produce are the Downtown South Boston Farmers Market (open Monday through Saturday), the Town of Halifax Farmer’s Market (open Saturday mornings), Reese’s Farm Fresh Produce in Scottsburg and Centreville, Puryear Farm Market and Deli south of South Boston on U.S. 501, and various roadside stands, including one across from the Cluster Springs post office.