Photo by Lauren Baldwin
1. Absurd Snacks Maple Cinnamon Trail Mix
$8.99 at Stella’s Grocery Westhampton
This vegan trail mix created by University of Richmond students features roasted chickpeas, fava beans and green peas with seeds, oats and quinoa. Filling a hole in the snack market as a nut-free contender, the mix packs a protein punch with a wallop of iron. The maple cinnamon has earned a permanent place in my hiking kit.
2. Keya & Co. Bombay Chips
$7.99 at Perk! Coffee and Lunchbox
You can almost read a romance novel through these thin, expertly fried, cumin-dusted potato chips. Peppered with Keya Wingfield’s Indian spice blend, the crispy snack offers a heated escape — and is just the ticket for a second-season “Bridgerton” binge, perhaps poolside. Also find them stocked at Ellwood Thompson’s.
3. Buttery Brittle Pecan Brittle
$6.99 at Shields Market
Located in Moseley, this mom-and-pop confectionery has a five-star rating on Etsy for quality and melt-in-your-mouth yumminess. Shields Market carries an assortment of flavors, including cashew, but it’s the rush of pecan pie stickiness from the classic that leaves me craving a neat bourbon or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
4. Virginia Peanuts
$4.59 to $6.99 at Libbie Market
I’m often asked by locals and visitors where to buy Virginia peanuts. That place is Libbie Market, which stocks dozens of options by the can, bag and burlap sack, including Old Bay, roasted red skins and chocolate-covered varieties that are sourced from Hubs and Virginia Diner. Roasted, boiled or salted goobers make ideal throw-it-in-the-bag munchies.
5. Firehook Crackers
$6.40 at Little House Green Grocery
Thick-cut, rosemary-sea salt, garlic-thyme or multigrain crackers from Firehook, made in Chantilly, have found a home in picnic baskets for more than 30 years. Little House supplies a hefty assortment, the ultimate foil to a tub of creamy, tangy Birdie’s pimento cheese, although the jalapeno is my personal flavor bomb.
