So, I wrote this column for the WV Gazette-Mail because I love local grocers, and I made a separate page so you can check them out, and I will hopefully visit all of them in the near future: <3 a="" grocers="" local="">

The shop is full of lush greens, bright red apples and bundles of multi-colored carrots, all grown from a farm down the road. You can find your next-door neighbor working behind the register. And, it’s all located just around the corner from home.

Independent groceries are growing in West Virginia and fulfilling a need for fresh, local produce in many areas that may otherwise be considered food deserts — where healthy food is limited.

“Every viable township and/or city deserves to have their own grocery and/or market,” said Justin Doak, co-founder of Front Street Grocers in Thomas, along with Trevor Reichman, Corey Bonasso and Eva Gutierrez. “Thomas is reclaiming its place once again as a viable activity center — both in the arts and basic community services/needs. We have a surprising amount of businesses for a town of 500 residents, and a grocery store was a missing piece.”

A small, thriving community often has a few signature shops — maybe a restaurant, sometimes a hardware store, probably a pharmacy, a post office and a grocery store.

But oftentimes the nearest grocery store in West Virginia is 20 or more miles away, creating what the USDA defines as a food desert — an area where people don’t have access to fresh fruit, vegetables and other healthful whole foods. The USDA estimates people in most counties in West Virginia have some limited food access.

Enter local, independent groceries like Front Street Grocers, The Wild Ramp (Huntington), Alderson Green Grocer (Alderson), Highland Food & Farm Market (Davis), The Market Place (Philippi), Farmer’s Daughter Market & Butcher (Capon Bridge), Fish Hawk Acres (Buckhannon), and more.

These markets — whether co-ops, locally owned or nonprofit — not only support local farmers, but they also provide the community with year-round, convenient access to other healthy food and items carefully selected to fulfill the needs of the community. And the community has a responsibility to support them in return.

“We currently source local cheese, syrup, honey, greens, all of our chicken, beef and pork, winter squash, and winter storage vegetables from a mix of local farmers and growers,” Doak said. “We have nearly 1,000 different items in our store. ... We seek product attributes such as organic, pesticide-free, non-GMO, fair-trade, pastured and/or good land stewardship practices.

“We aim to do our best to bring in the best, filter out the bad and strike a balance with value so that what we source is accessible to our community.”

And, beyond enjoying a carefully curated product mix, there are other benefits you receive when you shop at a locally owned grocery store:

Relationships: You know these people selling you this food. They want to do right by you, and you have an easy opportunity to request specific items, unlike at a large chain store.

Health: These smaller stores have your health in mind, rather than the shelf life of a product. Health and nutrition are often at the forefront, and that leaves you with better options.

Convenience: You don’t need to make a weekly grocery run for everything you need. Instead, you can stop for a few minutes every day or two to get what you need at peak freshness. And that leads to less food waste.

Community: You’re putting your money directly back into the local economy. No huge chunks are heading to a corporate headquarters outside of the state.

Starting a local grocery store is tough. There are infrastructure renovations, health code requirements, expensive equipment, utilities, payroll and stock to consider. And that sometimes translates to slightly higher prices for a higher-quality product.

The benefit we receive, as a community, though, is exponential. Supporting these small, independent shops sets the tone for how we shop in West Virginia. And, with the rise of these smaller independent stores, we have an opportunity to change where our money goes, what food we eat and how we grow together.

“A local grocery is established to support the community, and in return, the support is given back. It takes both to tango in this business, but [the grocery store] has to lead,” Doak said. “Food is and will always be a pulse of a community or region. ... We might not have everything someone wants, but we will have everything someone needs.”
Fire-roasted Buddha Bowl

This flavorful, filling 30-minute Buddha Bowl with roasted sweet potatoes or yams, onion, kale, crispy chickpeas, a tahini maple sauce, and topped with kraut is a Front Street Grocers specialty. This healthy, nutrient-rich dish is representative of the types of dishes during their Saturday kitchen service, and while they rarely make the same thing twice, this recipe is a keeper.

Best when fresh, though leftovers will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Serves 4 to 6.

4 tablespoons olive, coconut or avocado oil

1 red onion, sliced in wedges

4 large sweet potatoes, halved

2 bundles broccoli, chopped

1 large or 2 bundles of kale, stem removed and chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed, patted dry

2 teaspoons cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

kraut for garnish

Tahini sauce (optional)

1/2 cup tahini

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 lemon, juiced

4-6 tablespoons hot water to thin

Sriracha sauce to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 400-degrees and arrange sweet potatoes and onions on a bare baking sheet.

Drizzle both with a bit of oil, making sure the flesh of the sweet potatoes are well-coated and placed skin side down on the sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven, flip sweet potatoes and add broccoli.

Drizzle broccolini with a bit of oil and season with a pinch each salt and pepper.

Bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, then remove from oven and add kale.

Drizzle kale with a touch more oil and season with a pinch each salt and pepper.

Bake for another 4 to 5 minutes then set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add chickpeas to a mixing bowl and toss with seasonings.

Add 1 tablespoon oil and chickpeas and saute, stirring frequently. If they’re browning too quickly, turn down heat. If there isn’t much browning going on, increase heat. About 10 minutes total at slightly over medium heat is the sweet spot.

Remove browned and fragrant chickpeas from heat and set aside.

Prepare sauce by adding tahini, maple syrup and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine.

Add hot water until a pourable sauce is formed.

Set aside.

Slice sweet potatoes into bite size pieces.

Divide vegetables between 3 serving bowls and top with chickpeas and tahini sauce.

Here's a column I did recently on raw cheese creamery Spring Gap Mountain Creamery for the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

Here's another column I wrote for the WV Gazette-Mail recently:

Even during the coldest winter months, West Virginia farmers are still growing fresh produce to support the community.

The Winter Blues Farmers Market, organized by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, took place Feb. 12 at the Charleston Civic Center as part of the 2017 Small Farm Conference. A sister event, the Winter Blues North Farmers Market, was held Feb. 9 in Morgantown. For the earlier event, more than 25 vendors gathered at the Ruby Community Center at Mylan Park to sell fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, eggs, breads, jellies, nuts, honey, woolen products and much more to the Morgantown community.

Many folks don’t realize they can get fresh, local food even throughout the winter. But, yes. Yes you can.

Farmers employ a variety of methods to make sure they’re putting food on your family’s table year-round — methods like using high tunnels, low tunnels, greenhouses and storage crops, according to Lisa Jones, program coordinator for the West Virginia University Extension Service Small Farm Center.

DeBerry Farm Fresh Produce, for example, sold potatoes, beets, garlic, winter squash and some pepper jelly at Winter Blues North. Storage crops, like potatoes, squash and apples, keep for long periods of time, as long as they are at optimal storage temperatures — around 55 degrees or so.

Those bright, leafy greens? Sickler Farms, which sold lettuce, kale, bok choy, collards, spinach, rainbow chard, mustard greens and arugula at the market, uses greenhouses and high tunnels — which protect crops from the snow and cold temperatures and extend the gardening season. Greenhouses work in a similar way but with the addition of environmental-control equipment.

“This was a great opportunity to highlight the amazing variety of products available in the winter months,” said Bryan Cheslock, president of the Morgantown Farmers’ Market Growers Association.

“Our farmers are a major economic driver, and this event not only boosts local business but supports our community with fresh, delicious goods.”

In the interest of full disclosure, I sit on the Morgantown Farmers Market Growers Association board, which hosted the event along with the WVU Extension Service Small Farm Center, because I care about its mission to provide the Morgantown area with fresh, local products.

The farmers are busy January through December so communities can eat healthily and channel money back into the local economy during the time when there is less activity.

So, if you think it’s difficult to support local farmers and food during the off-season, think again. Charleston’s Winter Blues Farmers Market and Morgantown’s Winter Blues North Farmers Market are just two of many markets that offer the opportunity to do so. The Bridgeport Farmers Market held a Valentine Market on Feb. 12 that featured local farmers, bakers and artisans who brought seasonal produce, farm-raised meats, fresh eggs, baked goods and other products.

Take some time to seek out opportunities to build those relationships with your local farmers, learning how your food is produced and maintaining those relationships — even throughout the chilly months of the year.

Eating fresh, local food is one way to fend off the winter blues.

For more information on how to find locally sourced food, reach out to your WVU Extension agent in your community or local farmers market.

Candace Nelson is a marketing and public relations professional living in Morgantown. In her free time, Nelson blogs about West Virginia food culture at CandaceLately.com.

Follow @Candace07 on Twitter or email Candace127@gmail.com.

I've been writing for the Charleston Gazette-Mail as a food columnist for a few months now, but I haven't had the chance to share some of the columns I've been writing! So, here's a look at the first column I wrote:

A spoon was once the symbol of intention to commit.

And I mean more than just committing your face to that piece of blackberry cobbler.

The legend goes: In the 1800s, when there weren’t shops on every corner, men had to craft their gifts by hand, and one common present was a spoon. A man would fashion the spoon out of available lumber, and he’d give his wooden spoon to a lady in hopes of courting her.

I don’t know about you, but a spoon would certainly win me over. And I’m talking present day. That blackberry cobbler (a la mode, please) isn’t going to eat itself.

The spoon, albeit tiny, is the basis of so many experiences, memories and cherished moments. From your first bite of baby food to those plastic spoon prizes you’d dig out of cereal boxes, to the best bowl of pho you’ve ever had. Yes, the spoon is, in fact, quite grand.

Just ask Stan and Sue Jennings of Allegheny Treenware, a working farm in Thornton. The Jennings, who create a variety of wooden utensils made from West Virginia hardwoods, consider themselves “spooners.”

Spooner (n.): A person who crafts spoons.

People all over the world have devoted their lives to this craft. These spooners may mold intricate, decorative spoons from porcelain or create ornate designs in metal, but many of the others gather inspiration from the humble Allegheny Treenware shop, 10 miles east of Grafton.

“We have a very traditional, Appalachian feel to our spoons,” Sue said. “They’re very cut and dry. They’re not artistic. But they work really well for what we do — and you can appreciate that. They hold up well, and you can use them over and over and over again. They are hard workers.”

Allegheny Treenware spoons stay true to their Appalachian roots. After the Civil War, when people began making spoons from pewter or other metal, it was the Appalachians who continued to use wood — partially to carry on the tradition and partially because of the cost.

“The poorest people have always been the Appalachian people, and we’ve used wooden utensils longer after everyone else. And we continue to produce that traditional, Appalachian spoon,” Sue said.

Now those traditional, Appalachian spoons are inspiring others. Sue and Stan have met several other spooners within the state and along the East Coast, people who took up the trade after seeing the success at Allegheny Treenware, with their own added twist or contemporary feel.

“Every successful spoon maker inspires people, and it’s great that we’ve inspired several people to pursue this craft. That’s just what we want,” she said.

See? Spoons change lives, people.

But the biggest change that the simple West Virginia spoon has seen is on the small screen.

Damaris Phillips, of the Food Network show “Southern at Heart with Damaris Phillips,” began using Allegheny Treenware’s 9-inch long-handled measuring spoons on her show a few years ago, and, suddenly, online orders began rolling in for the set.

“I had no idea what was happening, so I started asking one of the customers and found out Damaris Phillips was using the measuring spoons on her show,” Sue said. “She has made our website sales ... just nothing short of amazing.”

Sue said she usually sold about 50 sets of the four measuring spoons per year, and the show sent that number into the hundreds. These four spoons — and the show — changed their business.

All because of a spoon.

The spoon not only plays a role in our daily lives, but it has also changed lives. From the spoon your grandmother uses to stir her tea to the little spoon in West Virginia that made it big on the Food Network, they are the building blocks of so many experiences we hold dear.

Yes, that spoon is mighty.

Now, where did that blackberry cobbler go?

To learn more about Allegheny Treenware, visit alleghenytreenware.com.