OUR STORY
Quail and Hound: A Family-owned Farm
After Rick's time in the Navy, he worked in private industry and public service for several years. In 2013, he and his wife, Wendy, a former science and English teacher, settled in the Northern Virginia area. Their love for the outdoors and desire to live in the country, drove them and their family on a year's long search for a farm in the historic town of Middleburg, Virginia-- the heart of Virginia's horse and hunt country. They found their diamond in the rough; a 20-acre farmette with plenty of space for an apiary, a workshop for their woodturning projects, and plenty of space for their hounds to run. Since 2016, they've remodeled the home and added great spaces for outdoor entertaining. In 2017, they started with a few backyard chickens and two hives, and their farm continued to grow since then. Their children are now grown and have children of their own and help at the farm. Wendy and Rick enjoy entertaining and cooking for friends and family, and Rick occasionally cooks at local events. They now sell raw unfiltered honey, their amazing rubs and spices, and beeswax and honey products. They also enjoy wood turning and sometimes have wood crafts available.
About Quail and Hound Farm
Rick and Wendy had a vision when they moved to the farm. They wanted a fixer-upper with enough land to produce quality food products they could enjoy with family and friends. They raised some backyard chickens, sold eggs to neighbors and friends, and took on another pup.
Wendy and Rick had a good friend who was a long-time beekeeper in neighboring Winchester. After sharing his beekeeping experience with with Wendy, a former life science teacher, she took an interest in beekeeping because of the role of bees as pollinators to local crops, their endangered status, and research that she found that local honey could help with her allergies. Rick just loved the idea of producing his own honey to have in the mornings with his Greek yogurt and walnuts. They started in 2017 with two hives, and as their knowledge and skill in beekeeping increased, so did their yearly harvest of liquid gold. In 2018, they began gifting and selling honey to neighbors, and in 2020, they began selling to the public. Now, they sell at multiple farmers' markets, local farm markets, and from their little store front in Middleburg.
Wendy and Rick grew up in households where food brought friends and family together. Rick's inherited his passion for cooking from his mom, who was an amazing cook. Rick takes great pride in his cooking and prepares food with meticulous attention to seasoning and flavor. Over the years, he created his own rubs including what is now Bistro Chicken, Flame and Smoke, and Savory Steakhouse. While cooking at farmers' markets and local events, as Quail and Hound Grill, the demand for his rubs grew, and it was added to Quail and Hound products.
Wendy has always taken great pride in her home and believes "self care" is necessary for our health and well-being, so she worked to incorporate her honey and beeswax into skincare and houshold products including hand-made lotion bars, lip balms, and soaps, and pure, natural soy candles mixing the sweet, calming scent of honey with some of her other favorite fragrances like vanilla and lavendar.
In 2025, they built a workspace and store front on their property, which is open year round with self-serve checkout to ensure neighbors, friends, and customers can purchase their products on demand. We hope you will enjoy our products as much as our friends and family do.
100% Pure, Raw Honeys
Rick and Wendy started their apiary in 2016 and launched their delicious liquid gold in 2017. Quail and Hound honeys include 100% pure, raw, and unfiltered, amber-colored wildflower honey and a lighter, sweeter, golden clover honey. The farm's wooded lot, many trees and wildflowers provide a varied and endless flow of nectars and pollen for our bees, including delicious tulip poplar, cherry, walnut, oak, apple, maple, and wild strawberries. The creek that runs through the property provides a natural water source; however, during the warm months, our bees can also be found busily flying around our deck drinking from the fountain and visiting the flowers and hummingbird feeders.
In 2021, they added something new... they cold-infused their dark wildflower honey with dried habanero peppers creating a sweet honey with a bit of a kick. This made for delicious marinades and glazes on chicken and pork, could be added into recipes such as corn bread, and some customers swear that it clears their sinuses when added to their tea (we bet it does).