Cooperative Living November/December 2014 - 19

HOLIDAY
GIFT GUIDE
W
hether you're shopping for friends
and family near or far, Virginia-made
foods make ideal holiday gifts:
Our first featured advertiser, The Good Earth
Peanut Company of Skippers, got its start a quarter
of a century ago, building on a family farming
tradition dating back to the 1700s. Did you
know peanuts can be considered a health food?
They contain lots of protein, more than 30 vitamins
and minerals and have no cholesterol or
trans fats, plus studies have shown that eating
them can improve your body's levels of good
cholesterol. Peanuts grown in southeastern
Virginia have the largest kernels of any variety,
making them ideal for enjoying whole.
In addition to offering delicious raw and
roasted Virginia peanuts by the bag or in vacuum-sealed
tins, Good Earth has gift-giving
options for every pocketbook. Their " Peanut
Lovers Basket, " three-way gift box and three-way
decorative tin each retail for less than $20, while
" The Virginian " in its state-shaped gift basket
offers the culinary experience of gourmet salted
and double-dipped chocolate peanuts paired
with Vidalia onion ranch dressing and a jar of
their homemade fruit preserves. For the indecisive,
Good Earth's " Quadruple Drool Special "
lets you sample regular, honey-roasted, buttertoasted
and double-dipped chocolate peanuts
all in one sitting.
Another repeat advertiser, the Holy Cross
Abbey of Berryville, is offering creamed honey
in eight different flavors for the 2014 holiday
season, including cinnamon, brandy, almond,
lemon, orange, blueberry, raspberry and natural.
Handmade by Trappist monks who are living
out monastic vows that date back to the sixth
century, Holy Cross Abbey gift boxes include
four 10-ounce cups of honey in your choice of
flavors. Sales from their online store are continuing
to provide a chief means of support, along
with providing hospitality to those on retreat at
their Guest House.
One of our newest advertisers, Mary's
Cakery and Candy Kitchen of King George,
uses only the highest-quality ingredients to create
sought-after cakes and creamy confections.
Many of these, like her chocolate-covered potato
chips, are unique and can only be found at
Mary's.
What started as a home-based business
soon grew beyond capacity, settling into 7,000
square feet of production and showroom space
just off historic Kings Highway (Route 3) in King
George County to become the largest privately
owned specialty chocolate store in Virginia. A
visit to their online store reveals such holiday
treats as pumpkin-praline fudge, snowballs made
of coconut and white chocolate or peanut butter
crunch, mint bark and Mary's famous " Christmas
Puddle " - 2.4 ounces of chocolate-topped buttery-soft
caramel and crunchy peanuts. And if
you've got a special birthday, anniversary or
other event on the horizon, one of Mary's custom-decorated
cakes or edible chocolate centerpieces
will ensure lasting memories.
While you can order their wares with just the
click of a mouse, both Good Earth and Mary's
welcome visitors to stop by Monday through
Saturday, except for holidays.
10305 Indiantown Road
King George, VA
540-775-9350
Cakes, Candies, Fudge, Pies
and More!
Check us out today!
www.maryscakeryandcandy.com
maryscakery1@gmail.com
Gift Baskets made to order!
Store Hours: M-F 8-5, Sat. 9-4,
Sunday Hours 12-5 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 21
1 mile east of Interstate 95 at Exit 4.
November-December 2014/www.co-opliving.com
17
http://www.maryscakeryandcandy.com
Cooperative Living November/December 2014

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