Saturday, October 22nd, bring the family over to our local Whole Foods Market® !  I have a partiality to WFM since it originated in Austin, Texas and used to stop in for lunch at the Dallas WFM.  If you haven’t yet discovered all our new Whole Foods has to offer, you’re missing out.  If the parking lot is any reflection on the popularity of the new location, this store is a big hit. I stopped in to see what is on the agenda for this month and found a couple of stand-outs. Delicious Honey Crisp apples greet you inside the door, but the prominent outside display goes to local grown Henley’s Orchard apples.  The salad of the month is a  Harvest Green Bowl a 1 dollar savings for a healthy lunch combining watercress, goat cheese, apples, pecans, Belgian endive and a pomegranate vinaigrette.

charlottesville.wholefoodsmarketcooking.com

The  Whole Foods supports our local growers, another good reason to keep business local.

I was searching for an apple eiswein mentioned to me but had to settle for hard cider, well maybe not settle.

 In the refrigerator case we found quite a selection of hard ciders and if you want to delve deeper into the apple bin we have a couple  of our own local cideries you really need to visit: Albemarle Cider Works,  Castle Hill Cider and Foggy Ridge Cider.  The closest bottles of wine I could come to apples had tastes of green apple and I thought were kind of cool to include in an adult Halloween party just because of the labels (decorative accent and certainly not local), Sweet Bliss and Eve Chardonnay.

The Mid-Atlantic Region Hosts AppleFest ExtravaganzaVirginia Whole Foods Market stores invites shoppers and families to a harvest tasting event, highlighting the deliciousness of Seasonal Apples

Virginia Whole Foods Market stores are hosting an AppleFest!

From juicy and aromatic apples to those that are fine textured, families and apple-enthusiasts can welcome the new fall season while sampling a variety of tasty apples and enjoying its culinary and crafty delights.

Whether seeking heirlooms varietals or local picks, the in-store festivities will allow customers to compare apples to apples.   Transforming into a delicious orchard, Virginia Whole Foods Market’s AppleFest will be complete with inspiring cooking demonstrations, entertaining crafts, prizes, tastings and more!  While exploring taste palates of sweet treats and savory apple infused dishes, customers will be exposed to and learn about the best apples that the harvest has to offer.   Featured activities will include:·

A mouth-watering samples and cooking demonstrations·         Carmel-apple making stations*·         Hard apple cider on tap* ·         Apple sampling in every department·         Apple scavenger hunt*only at select Virginia stores                                      Free and open to all who enjoy apple sensations

         Saturday, October 22, 2011 ·        Charlottesville – 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (1797 Hydraulic Road)