ZESTER

The Microplane Ultimate Citrus Tool takes zesting to a whole new...er, plane. We use this zester not just because it’s easy to get off just the citrus peel, without the bitter pith, but also because we can make those fancy citrus-peel curlicue garnishes and look like we’ve gone to cooking school (even though we haven’t). About $13 at Kitchen Kupboard and Kitchenwares & More in Harrisonburg, the Happy Cook and the Seasonal Cook in Charlottesville, and Culina in Lynchburg.

BUTTER BOY BUTTER

These handmade, preservative-, rGBH-, and artificial-color-free butter cakes don’t just taste fresh—they are fresh. James Skylark (aka the Butter Boy) churns them the night before selling them at his distinctive lemonade-stand-style booth. “They’re so fresh, they seem lighter,” says Sklyark, who has been making his own butter at home for several years. “And the creaminess really comes through.” He tries to source heavy cream from local farms; if unavailable, he uses Shenandoah’s Pride. $3 for two cakes (a half pound), unsalted or with kosher salt, at Charlottesville City Market. 

WAHOO-Q BARBECUE SAUCE

Even a Hokie grill-master can get behind this zesty barbecue sauce concocted by Mike McBlair’s Wahoo Ridge Catering in Charlottesville. Made with lots of local and organic ingredients, WahooQ is a distinctive blend of vinegar and sweet styles, with a big kick of green chiles grown by Planet Earth Diversified. It’s thick, too—so it doesn’t quickly drip off when the heat is on. Available at Greenwood Gourmet Grocery, Integral Yoga, Michie Tavern, the Organic Butcher, Rebecca’s, the Virginia Shop, Whole Foods.

PEACH POPS

Did you know the word Popsicle is owned by Unilever? Neither did James Rucker, which is why he’s changed the name of his fledgling frozen-treat enterprise from Pantheon Popsicles to Pop’s Achilles Ice Pops (say it fast and you’ll see why). No matter the moniker, his new peach flavor—made with fruit from Henley Orchard in Crozet—is a one-of-a-kind summer treat. (We especially like the bits of rosy skin throughout the Popsi–oops, ice pop). Rucker also plans to unveil a local blackberry-and-lavender flavor this summer. Collect ’em all! $3, at Charlottesville City Market, Market at Pen Park, Farmers in the Park, and Rebecca’s.

CONCORD GRAPES

These are not the crisp, oblong grapes from the supermarket; Concords are round, soft, and juicy. It feels gloriously unrefined to hold them to our lips, squeeze, suck out the flesh, and then discard the skin. “It’s just a different way of eating,” says Samuel Johnson, who has five rows of Concords at his Hickory Hill Farm. Look for his grapes at the Harrisonburg Farmers’ Market come mid-August. “They’re the traditional American grape grown by country people,” says Johnson. “And they’re worth rediscovering—or discovering for the first time.” Price determined by market (always competitive with grocery store grapes).