The WildRoots Festival

Winter Wellness: Navigating Cold and Flu Season - Be prepared for cold and flu season! In this workshop, Krista will discuss effective herbs and vitamins for immune support, respiratory health, immune-boosting foods and herbs, and simple preventative measures to keep you and your family healthy. Join us for an informative class with sample tastings of many preparations. Empower yourself with the knowledge to keep you and your family healthy and vibrant this winter. Don’t miss this opportunity for a free workshop to invest in your well-being!

Beyond the Hunt: Crafting Family-Friendly Meals with Venison - Join Rob to learn how to turn venison into dishes your whole family will love! Often misunderstood for its gamey flavor, venison can be a culinary delight when prepared correctly. Rob will reveal expert techniques to enhance its natural taste and tenderness, including roasting, crafting delicious jerky, making mouthwatering smoked summer sausage, perfecting juicy hamburger patties and more.Venison is a nutrient powerhouse—naturally lean, high in protein, and packed with essential vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc, and B vitamins. This makes it an excellent addition to your healthy lifestyle! Discover innovative ways to incorporate this versatile meat into meals that everyone will love! You won't want to miss out on tasting samples and receiving a handy recipe sheet to take home. Join him and elevate your cooking game!

The Power of Connection: Reclaiming Our Lives Through Ancestral Foods and Skills - In a world where convenience has replaced connection, reclaiming ancestral foodways offers a powerful path back to what makes us truly human. This talk explores how hunting, foraging, and cooking entirely from scratch can help us reconnect—with the land, with our food, with each other, and with ourselves.Drawing from decades of archaeological research, immersive ethnographic fieldwork with traditional and indigenous communities around the world, and hands-on experience at the Modern Stone Age Kitchen, I’ll share insights from our deep dietary past—highlighting the pivotal shifts in ancestral diets that literally built us as humans—alongside lessons from the rich and diverse food traditions still thriving today.From nose-to-tail butchering to detoxifying plants through fermentation and other ancestral techniques, this talk offers both inspiration and practical knowledge. Whether you're a seasoned hunter, an adventurous forager, or simply seeking to deepen your connection to nature and nourishment, you’ll leave with a renewed understanding of how real food can help us rewild and reclaim our lives—one meaningful meal at a time.

Rewild Your Taste Buds: Reconnecting with the Foods That Made Us Human - Modern food has hijacked our palates and disconnected us from the nutrition our bodies truly crave. In this eye-opening talk, chef and Pluck founder James Barry explores how our taste preferences evolved, why ultra-processed foods are confusing our biology, and how ancestral foods—especially organ meats—can help us nourish deeper, feel better, and return to the wisdom of real flavor.

Redefining Farm-Raised Fish - With wild fish populations dropping to an all-time low, and demand for wild-caught seafood rising every day, it has become more important than ever to support and promote sustainable, inland-based seafood options. Fish farms have long been regarded negatively for their lack of care for environmental, animal, and human health, Smoke In Chimneys is rewriting that narrative and putting Rainbow Trout back on the table.

From Forest to Hearth: Foraging, Foodways, and the Making of Early America - Step back in time and discover how early Americans adapted to a wild and unfamiliar land using ancient foraging traditions and culinary creativity. This engaging talk explores the critical role of wild foods—nuts, berries, herbs, and game—in the survival and culture of colonial communities. We’ll delve into how Indigenous knowledge shaped settler diets, how colonists blended Old World cooking methods with New World ingredients, and how foraging bridged the gap between survival and tradition. Whether you're a history enthusiast, foodie, or foraging fan, this talk offers a flavorful journey into the roots of a nation.

Foraging for Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants - Learn about the wild food and medicine that is growing all around us. After a brief lecture, we will venture into the fields around the farm to find and identify plants and discuss their uses.

The Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative: Bringing Back Grassland Birds - The Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative, a partnership between Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes, The Piedmont Environmental Council, American Farmland Trust, and Quail Forever — is innovating new ways to reverse the declines of grassland birds on working lands in the Virginia Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Shenandoah Valley. Together, VGBI partners work with landowners and producers in 16 counties to restore grassland habitat for the benefit of birds and farms. You can learn more about VGBI and our programs during the presentation and by reading more at vagrasslandbirds.org

Wild Herbal Teas and Treats - Discover our wild plants that can be used to make wild teas, including Yaupon, sassafras, and spicebush. Wild treats will also be available for tasting.

The Most Human Thing You Can Do - Incorporating ferments in your diet, fermenting with wild edibles, connecting with your cultural roots through ferments, using ferments as recovery fuel after outdoor activities and illness though winter, bolstering immunity through ferments in advance of the winter season

Hickory Unveiled: A Timeless Resource for Tools, Cooking, and Syrup

Texas BBQ with a Twist, Made in Virginia! Voted "FAVORITE FOOD TRUCK" in the 2025 Daily Progress Readers' Choice Awards

Let the flavor begin. Imagine a taste explosion! Whether you’re bringing a slice of Jamaica to your next big bash or you just want to spice up your next gathering, we are here to cater to your cravings. Don’t stress about fancy language, just be yourself and let the love for delicious Jamaican food shine.

Maryland style shaved ice 🍧

Rooted in Tradition, Crafted with Ambition. A family owned winery and brewery serving finely crafted beers and beautifully blended wines in Louisa, Virginia.

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

Water Kefir is creating a buzz in the probiotic beverage scene and Owl Spoon issetting the new standard for flavor. This naturally fermented drink has ancient rootsjust like kombucha, but it delivers a much smoother, less acidic taste that appeals toeveryone, especially those who find kombucha too vinegary or intense. Owl Spoon ismade with organic unrefined sugars- not fake sweeteners. It is caffeine-free, dairy-free,lightly sweet, and lightly effervescent, making it refreshingly authentic and deliciousto kombucha and non-kombucha fans alike. This is the new go-to for people who arelooking for the best-tasting beverage in the probiotic space.

The Virginia DWR is responsible for the management of inland fisheries, wildlife, and recreational boating for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Egg Brigade Black Soldier Fly Larvae - Veteran Owned - Always grown in the USA!

The Toy Barn Homestead, where we craft luxurious goat milk soaps using locally sourced oils and natural ingredients. Discover our unique, aromatic blends that nourish your skin and elevate your everyday skincare routine.

Locally owned and operated face painting business; Paint, Pixels, & Pixie Dust will bring the SPARKLE to any event!

Artisan baking business specializing in fresh sourdough bread and pastries like cookies, brownies, pastry pockets and more. We're passionate about crafting high-quality products for our community.

Earthbound Baskets by Tracy Haines features traditional baskets, handmade in Virginia.

“A scent for every adventure!” Hand-poured, thoughtfully crafted, soy candles and beeswax melts.

Sprinkle. Savor. Thrive. You’re holding the simplest, tastiest way to get organ meats into your everyday meals. Pluck blends freeze-dried, grass-fed beef liver, heart, kidney, spleen, and pancreas with organic herbs and spices to deliver bold umami flavor and powerful nutrients — no prep required. Use it as a finishing salt or while you cook. Sprinkle on eggs, meat, veggies, bone broth, or even popcorn (trust us). Flavor that fuels. Nutrition that sticks.Crafted by a chef. Rooted in ancestral nutrition. Made for modern life.

Annette Naber will be selling her new book on nature reconnection, Seasons of a Wild Life. She will also have information about her 2026 foraging classes.

The Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative—a partnership between Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes, The Piedmont Environmental Council, American Farmland Trust, and Quail Forever — is innovating new ways to reverse the declines of grassland birds on working lands in the Virginia Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Shenandoah Valley. Together, VGBI partners work with landowners and producers in 16 counties to restore grassland habitat for the benefit of birds and farms.

Producer of Handmade Ceramics with Unique Glazes!

Handcrafted Wire-wrapped jewelry. Silvertone, copper, and bronze metal with gemstone cabochons and beads.

Wild Woods Farm is an 11-acre native nursery that provides plants, products, and education on wild plants.

Aerial photography, thermal recovery and imaging services.

Unique Pet Gear Made in Virginia

Wildcrafted Hickory Syrup Produced in Small Batches, on Our Farm, in the Heart of Virginia.

Founded in 1966, the Louisa County Historical Society (LCHS) is a 501©3 non-profitorganization with a mission to bring to light, preserve, and share the history of Louisa County. Our vision is to enlighten the present by illuminating the past in order to inspire the future. We develop a deeper understating of our collective history through our museum exhibitions, educational programs, publications, research assistance, digital resources, and care of our growing collection of buildings, documents, and artifacts.

Quilted and crocheted home goods and gifts, made with love.

Deep Roots Milling is worker owned and operated. We mill-to-order one week every month and offer a variety of flour and meal, bolted and unbolted. Virginia grown grains, regenerative agriculture, quality milling and working as a direct link between farmers and bakers are our primary concerns. All products are milled within the walls of historic Woodson's Mill in Lowesville, VA. We are driven by water, making flour with purpose.