If you sit on the side of the road from Dillard, GA, to Franklin, N.C. in mid-September of each…read moreyear, you'll see Grammy and me chugging along, headed to Bateman's to pick up our annual supply of homemade jellies, jams, preserves, relishes and locally sourced hog jowls and side meat. We love to buy and use these delicacies made in the kitchens of local farms from peaches, grapes, muscadines, strawberries, cherries, boysenberries, rhubarb, apples, jalapenos (yes, jelly and pickles), watermelon pickles, gooseberries, blackberries, raspberries, plums, corn cob( jelly), red peppers, corn, cucumbers, and squash. Ever have squash blossom jelly? It's here and it's great. We usually pick up two cases' worth of sun kissed goodies to enjoy during the cold months for a total of $100-$120 or so. Just made some baking powder biscuits this morning to enjoy with muscadine jam. PS: They're closed from November 1 through March 30th.

The apple pies and apple fritters are amazing. Definitely recommend. The lines are long but worth…read morethe wait. Goes without saying that their apples are delicious. Friendly people as well.

They retired and are no longer in business. Lovely gentleman on the phone. Wish I could of had the…read morechance to go.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW - Skip is the owner/operator of this cozy little produce stand next to…read moreMountain Junction General Store, and he's awesome! THE SCENE We made a brief stop @ the store on our way to Glen Falls with a group of 17. Our intention was to use the restroom and get some drinks, but we discovered vintage candy, cool old signs and a REALLY cool old diner counter that caused such a nostalgic tingle that we all began to reminisce about our childhood. Skip walked over to the General Store to introduce himself when we noticed he had boiled peanuts cooking. However, they were not yet ready. Since we would be hiking for the next 2 hours AND we had to come back this way anyway, I promised him I would stop back for a cup of his home made peanuts. I was intrigued that he was using what he says is a 1865 recipe that uses very little salt. Through several depressions over the decades, the ingredients he uses became more difficult to get and more expensive, so larger quantities of salt began to be used since salt was cheaper. I'm a sucker for a good story, and was convinced I had to come back and try this 150+ year old recipe. THE EXPERIENCE After our hike, we were in a rush to make it to dinner at The Dillard House. We had a pack of 3 cars, but the lead car kept towards the restaurant while I and the car behind me broke off to stop for peanuts. I figured it would be a quick stop, since the peanuts only had to be scooped into the cup... but Skip had other plans for us. He was truly excited about our visit and would not let us leave without trying his fresh churned whipped cream, which to all of us tasted like a frothy vanilla ice cream. He then put some of his homemade cheese on a thin cracker and topped it with home grown tomatoes that he soaked in some sort of brine. They were delicious! Next he gave us a scoop of apple butter to share, but we kept insisting we had to go. So, reluctantly he put my boiled peanuts in a Styrofoam cup so I could finally pay and go. But a curious thing happened. FIRST - None of the teens or adults with me, except for my family, had ever had boiled peanuts. Normally this is an acquired taste, but his were so good that even these first timers loved them. So we stayed to order a second cup. SECOND - We had three teenage boys, three teenaged girls and a preteen boy with us. During our time there Skip mentioned how he calls to the cows in the field behind us and they respond. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" he says, but for the first 15 minutes of our stop they were no where in sight. Suddenly, as we were downing the second cup of boiled peanuts a herd of cows came walking across the field. Our kids were so excited that they all ran to the gate to greet them while skip went to get a cabbage (which he cut up and gave to the kids to feed the cows). They were in heaven, especially the girls, as they enjoyed this unique experience. FINAL THOUGHTS Skip was fabulous and full of stories that added great flavor to our day. If you are a boiled peanut fan, or have always wanted to try them, Victory Garden Produce should be on your short list. We had an amazing day and both Victory Garden Produce & Mountain Junction General Store were big contributors to our happiness this beautiful Saturday! 2017/100

Well, that was interesting! We had quite the experience at this little roadside stop…read more Skip let us try the boiled peanuts, tomatoes, cheese, the whipped cream, the apple butter & some salsa. The boiled peanuts were really salty & delicious! Everything seemed to be homemade by himself. The whipped cream tasted to me like ice cream! I also really liked the tomato & cheese snack he made for us to share! Unfortunately, I had already purchased apple butter at the adjacent store, but I think I prefer Skip's. He spun quite a yarn of stories keeping us long past the time we should have been there. He was very interesting. The cows showed up in the pasture & he let our group take photos with them while we fed them some cabbage. Everyone seemed to enjoy the cows & calves. This is a definate must see in the area which contributes to the local flavor! See you soon Skip!

August Produce is a produce distributor in the sleepy town of Highlands, NC. They have a produce…read morestand on highway 64 that offers many seasonally fresh items often locally sourced. There's always a nice selection of fruits available as well as many veggies and a selection of specialty goods as well such as local butter and eggs. I'm in love with their summer heirloom tomatoes, and never fail to stock up when I visit the area. Be sure to have cash on hand as I don't think they accept credit cards.

I'm surprised no one has reviewed Tallent's Produce yet. This is our go to produce place. They…read morehave a great selection of tomatoes and all kinds of fruits and vegetables. All super fresh and tasty. Friendly folks working there. We look forward to going there on our way home from the grocery store because we prefer to buy produce from Tallents! They also have a large selection of jams!

What a great day! My wife and I spent the day learning more than I ever thought I would have known…read moreabout bee's. Sean and Denise were amazing hosts and the property was incredible. From the moment we arrived it was insightful and we were taken through the history, mission, and every aspect of what, why and how important bees are! After a deep dive in bees 101, we were shown all the in's and out's of the bee boxes and then we suited up and went hands on. I won't give it justice in a simple yelp review about how cool it was to be suited up and open up those boxes and see the bees in action. We felt safe the entire time and were able to get some great pictures. After visiting up close with the bees we went back in the house to some amazing views and even more amazing brunch. The pairings were amazing and I now feel like I may be one of the most informed honey tasters on my block. It opened my eyes to how much time and energy Sean and Denise put into their honey. After tasting their honey my wife and I will now be doing the turn the bottle over test and count how long the bubble takes before buying any honey! If you are looking for something different to do in the Highlands, this is it. It's unique, the knowledge you gain is useful and it was the highlight of our trip up this time to the Highlands.

We had the most fabulous tour at this place today. First, an amazing talk learning all about the…read moreBees. Shawn, Denise and Jennifer know their stuff! The view from their place is over the top. It was so much fun to learn all about the bees and their routine. Wow!!! Putting on the protection outfit and gloves was so cool. Afterwards, we had the most amazing food tasting that were paired with different types of honey. I would definitely recommend this place.

Loved this place! Bought pickles and pickled onions and they were fabulous! All canned in house and…read morethe gentleman and his wife were so kind and friendly told us about their store, how they did everything and guided us through all the products. A must stop!!!

Super nice people and great products!! They're always very helpful and take the time to help you…read morefind exactly what you want.

Ingenious and unpretentious Farmer's Market, which is actually staffed and run by local farmers…read morefrom Northern Georgia! Each farm sets up a stand or two selling everything from peaches to meats, from honey to vegetables, from home-grown tomatoes to okra, from sweets and cookies to cakes and pies, from ceareals and meals to corn and poultry, from cured ham to nuts, salads, jams, pastries, seeds, beans, pumpkins and a huge amount more. Tons of parking. Very friendly farmer-purveyors. Easy access for everyone. Some shade, but it can get hot on a sunny day. Bring your own bags if you make large purchases as they were a bit short on 'em; and its just being courteous doing so! Bring lots of cash and coins. No credit cards please - they didn't mind at all waiting while I counted out quarters... Fantastic small stop by at a local corner inside an outdoor mall area, where locals pull up in rigs, trucks, 4x4 and tractors. These farmers really are going all out and OUT-competing the grocers and 'big' box office retailers. They are also by far way more interesting to talk to and I will support this Farmers Market in Clayton again very soon!!! REBEL Review: 5+

Great people Great atmosphere. You can get everything from home made breads and pastries, fresh…read moreground flour fresh ground grits, home made treats to specialty ketchup. They have it all.