During a trip to Fayetteville - when it was a touch warmer - my friend Bri and I stopped at Wild Art & Wonderful Things. 



This lovely shop has some amazing local art and products. I ended up scooping up some West Virginia-themed coasters, and one of which is a puzzle. I am also dying for one of these topographic maps. Just stunning. 



And, to top it off, they also have kombucha. I'm always a little weird about kombucha, I think, because I don't understand it. I lowkey wonder if it's gonna upset my tummy because "bacteria," but I know there is good bacteria!! Someone tell me why I shouldn't worry about this.



But, all of that aside - this was tasty! It was so summery with that little bit of sour and it made me actually enjoy the flavor - which can't always be said. I would drink this just for fun! Have you been here?

One of my favorite new-ish stores in West Virginia is the Blue Ridge Bee Company in Princeton.



"Blue Ridge Bee Company is based in the heart of the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia. When we started hearing of the mass honey bee die-off we became interested in saving this valuable creature. After much studying, we started our honey operation in 2014 and have expanded each year since.



In December 2019, we opened our store on Mercer Street in the Grassroots District. We came to this district with a vision of opening a store that was reminiscent of an old-timey general store, selling local bread, meats, honey, jewelry, soap, and more, while also supplying customers with beekeeping equipment and training. Our main goal is to teach people to keep bees properly, helping them thrive throughout the year and rebuild the bee populations."



This lovely storefront, in addition to selling a wide variety of local honey, has so many local goods. There are old-fashioned candies,  local breads and baked goods an even ice cream.



Of course, I had to try the honey - but specifically the WV Wildflower honey. You may think that all honey tastes the same, but when you try a few, you can notice the floral notes or woody notes or whatever type it may be.



One really cool thing they also have here is a line of canned specialty goods under their brand name. Chow chow, dilly beans, jams, jellies, relish - I love these items because they have that Appalachian twist and are not always something you can find in a grocery store. 



In addition to getting some of the name brand products (which are all delicious!), I went for some other local ones, like this Moonstruck Maple Syrup. Which is SO tasty.



This makes me think... I need to do a whole list on WV honey and maple syrups. 



Have you been here before? 

 
Here's this month's J.Q. Dickinson Appalachian Mercantile Box. 



This month includes coffee, a coffee scoop, bbq sauce, rib rub, lavender mist, and honey.

There are so many talented bakers in our area running home businesses. And, I'm hoping to feature them as time allows. But the first one that came to mind was The Baked Flamingo, which is operated by my friend Emily Watson. 



She creates cookies for all occasions, and she has even held a cookie-decorating class before, which was so fun! But I think one of my favorite parts about The Baked Flamingo is that each creation is special and unique. 



Take a look at these Valentine's Day-themed ones she has coming up! How cute is this "fries before guys" cookie? Plus adorable packaging with crinkle cut paper. 



This cup of sprinkle cookies and icing dunkers -- I dug into it right away. First of all, how dang adorable is this? And then it's like interactive, which is fun. AND, it's SO GOOD. I love seeing those cookies that are beautiful - but this is delicious too!



These animal cracker cookies are cute - I think things like this are so clever! 



And she even has paint-your-own cookies! How perfect would these be for something fun for the kiddos.



And, I've saved the best for last. 



Hot chocolate bombs!! These are so popular right now, and honestly, I'm here for it! There are few things better than hot chocolate, and these are so fun. Now, I cant wait to cozy up with one in a vcup of warm milk and enjoy.

Here are the goodies from this month's J.Q. Dickinson Appalachian Mercantile Box. The hot chocolate is less sweet than, say, Swiss Miss, but the flavor is good. I love this little stash box for salt. And that goat soap will make a great gift this holiday season! 

I came across Mindy's Kountry Delights on a list of locally made products. The cottage food business is based in St. Albans and features a variety of sweets like baked goods, candies, jellies, jams and other snacks. I found her on Facebook and asked to place an order. 

She makes a little bit of everything, so I just let her know what kinds of things I like - milk chocolate, caramel, etc., and asked her to make up a platter for me. And, she did just that. She delivered it to my door (contactless!) and it was full of milk chocolates, soft caramels, chocolate-covered peanut butter balls and these O'Henry bars that have peanut butter and chocolate and like oats? Just delishhh.

If you haven't checked out her tasty treats, give her a try!

Appalachian Beekeeping Collective is:

"We are a nonprofit organization that trains, supports, and provides bees and equipment at no cost to partner beekeepers in economically distressed Appalachian communities.



We help our partners produce natural honey (and income) in the “greenest” possible way. Our bees gather pollen and nectar from nearby forests and fields, not agricultural crops sprayed with pesticides. ABC partners practice natural beekeeping, using no synthetic chemicals or antibiotics."



I was so excited to receive a sample in the mail to try. What an incredible mission and concept. I love local food AND creating an industry that's sustainable. Check out how they do it and the impact they make.



Go check out how cool it is to learn about the beekeepers producing the honey! 



The Appalachian Beekeeping Collective is a project of Appalachian Headwaters, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Headwaters’ primary focus is on ecological restoration and environmental education. Headwaters creates and supports a wide range of environmental programs in addition to the Appalachian Beekeeping Collective.



OK - but how is it? It's absolutely lovely! I've taken to using honey in tons of stuff - biscuits, sauces and more. This evening, it made for the perfect topping on a spicy chicken biscuit. Mmmm Mmm. Try some and support an amazing initiative. 

You're probably familiar with Girl Scout Cookies in the spring ... but did you know they sell fall products, as well? And, you know how good the cookies are ... so just think about how delicious these candies and nuts are!

They sell things like:

Birthday Party Mix
Chocolate Almonds
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Chocolate Covered Raisins
Cracked Pepper & Sea Salt Cashews
Cranberry Trail Mix
Dark Chocolate Mint Trefoils
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Almonds
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels
Dulce Daisies
English Butter Toffee
Fruit Slices
GORP Trail Mix - 28oz Jar
Honey BBQ Snack Mix
Honey Roasted Peanuts
Mint Trefoils Tin
Peanut Butter Monkeys
Pecan Supremes Box
Peppermint Bark Round
Spicy Cajun Mix
Whole Cashews



So, of course I had to try a whole bunch! Just like cookies, there are two main suppliers. So the folks outside this region have a different supplier who has slightly different products, like:

Dulce Owls
Fresh, milky caramel surrounded by smooth milk chocolate. 

Fruit Slices
Fat free! Chewy fruit slices in an assortment of flavors. 

Peanut Butter Bears
Milk chocolate bears with a smooth peanut butter filling.

Hot Cajun Crunch
Cajun corn sticks, seasoned peanuts, pretzels and sesame sticks. 

Chocolate Covered Raisins
The plumpest raisins covered in smooth milk chocolate. 

Cranberry Trail Mix
A tasty mix of peanuts, raisins, cranberries, cashews, banana chips, almonds and walnuts. 

Dark Chocolate Caramel Caps with Sea Salt
Dark chocolate covered caramel topped with sea salt. 

English Butter Toffee
Crunchy handcrafted toffee drenched in milk chocolate. 

Deluxe Pecan Clusters
Roasted pecans covered in caramel and milk chocolate. 

Chocolate Covered Almonds
Crunchy almonds covered in milk chocolate. 

Dark Chocolate Mint Penguins
Rich dark chocolate penguins bursting with frosted mint. 

Cashews with Sea Salt
A classic favorite roasted and salted with sea salt. 

Peanut Butter Trail Mix
Peanuts, peanut butter gems, peanut butter mini cups, mini pretzels and cashews. 

Girl Scout Tin with Mint Treasures
Creamy milk chocolate with a refreshing mint-filled center. 

Holiday Tin with Caramel Treasures
Creamy caramel centers covered in smooth milk chocolate. < >
I used a combination of both the nuts and candies to make a nice snack spread for Thanksgiving. Tasty!

Look how cute these products are! Appalachian Huntsman has created some chili mix, steak & brisket dust, and pork & rib rub. I haven't had a chance to try these yet, but I knew I needed to have them. Because of these adorable illustrations - from my fav cryptid artist Liz Pavlovic. 

Have you tried these yet?! I can't wait.

If I could afford it, my regular diet every day would be a charcuterie board. I love snacking, and cheese may be my favorite food group. Paired with fruit, pickles, and other fun nibbles, it's perfection on a plate - or board.



I just learned of KSBoards in Charleston and put in an order as soon as I could. I ordered a small munch box, which included meats, cheeses, spreads and fruit. There are a few different options - like brunch or other snack trays - but this one had me written all over it. And look how cute the little utensils are! 



Ordering was super easy - simply go to the Facebook page, open the Google form, select what you want, receive an invoice then pay! They even did free contactless delivery - which was perfect. 



The Bonne Maman preserves were delish, plus there were crackers, salamis, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, a creamy spread, these cute leaf cheeses and more cheese, olives, pickles, nuts and chocolates! It was so, sooo good. What's your favorite addition to a charcuterie board?

Ray's Rub is a new seasoning blend located in Morgantown that I've been wanting to try. Why this one? Well, it's an all-purpose seasoning blend - meaning it works on beef, pork, turkey, chicken... and the list goes on.



I got lucky and won some on an Instagram contest - 6 to be exact! So, they made perfect little presents for my boyfriend, friends and parents. So, we could all try a little bit.



And - so far, so good! I've used it to season ground beef - and it added some nice flavor! And, maybe, just maybe, it might make an appearance on my Thanksgiving turkey. We shall see. But if you, like me, appreciate an all-in-one, versatile spice that punches up the flavor of everything just a bit - give it a try. 

I was so excited to receive my J.Q. Dickinson Appalachian Mercantile box today that I wanted to share it asap! I've already devoured these sweet potato chips and have my candle burning as I type this!