Brooke County Farmers Market is a small, weekly pop-up market. The Kookie Jar - gourmet cookies I tried a Kentucky butter cake, which was lovely. Flynn Flower Farm - mixed bouquets Beautiful! G-ma's Jelly & Jams I took home a jar of peach. Harms Honey Local honey is always best. And look at this baby morel mushroom candle. Homemade Happiness - breads, scones, rolls Of course, I had to try a pepperoni roll. And, there were a handful of other vendors who I will need to check out next time. I believe the market has moved to a new location since my last visit. So, I look forward to checking that out. Have you been?

Bandidos On The Run is a food truck in Wellsburg that parks outside of the former Pizza Hut. My hometown has often been devoid of any Mexican cuisine off and on over the years. So, I am always happy to see a new offering in the small town. I ordered the following: Mexican Street Corn in a Cup, Cheese Dip, Classic Tacos (3) with Ground Beef, Sour Cream & Tomato, Loaded Rice with Grilled Steak and a Grand Chimichanga with Al Pastor but hold the lettuce. The Mexican street corn in a cup eight just a bit too sour for me. Usually the corn is sweet and it has a fairly good balance, but this was just a bit off. I also had the chimichanga, which is covered in cheese sauce. I mean, you can't really go wrong with that. Super stuffed with filling and no skimping on the cheese. My mother and grandmother both enjoyed their cheese dip, the tacos and the steak over rice. Overall, a decent meal. Grade: B

Eric Freeland's Farm is located in Beech Bottom and grows a number of delicious fruits and vegetables, like: Red Berries
Black Berries
Golden Berries
Strawberries
Everbearing Strawberries
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Kennebeck Potatoes
Cantaloupe
Beets
Cucumbers He has made a name for himself being one of - if not the only - strawberry farmers in the Northern Panhandle. His products can also be found at The Public Market in Wheeling, which is a great option for those who can't make it out to the farm. The farm offers pick-your-own sunflowers and zinnias when they are in season – and even a sunflower festival. He even offers products from other local producers, like honey from Windswept Farm. I endeavored to get a little bit of a sampling from everything that was available on my recent visit. That included some strawberry jam, some of the aforementioned, honey, some black raspberries and some strawberries. Those berries were some of the tastiest I've had in recent memory. The strawberries were so tiny, but packed with sweet flavor. The black raspberries were gone within minutes. What started as a quick nibble turned into me popping them into my mouth relentlessly. If you are so inclined, stop and check them out – every little bit helps as the drought takes its toll on our local farmers. Have you been yet?

Fonce's Produce is a local market in Wellsburg that sells fruits, vegetables, pickles, herbs and flowers. This shop has been around for as long as I can remember, but I don't remember setting foot inside. So I did just that. The shop has some pickles and spices from Pittsburgh. Chocolates from Anderson's Candies. I like the little bit of Pittsburgh influence because the city is so close to Wellsburg. As for produce, there was a variety of tomatoes, including mortgage lifters, hillbillies and more. There were also peaches, watermelon, apples, grapes, lemons, limes, cherries and pears. Also stuffed olives, pepperoni, cheese and drinks, too.

There is a small little convenience store in my hometown of Wellsburg that sells a little bit of everything: lottery tickets, cigarettes, basic pantry items, and more. But, when I recently stopped in, I noticed they have a selection of deli items, too, like sandwiches, side salads, broasted chicken, meat and cheese platters and more.



Mark's Carry Out is such a frequently visited spot for most in town that I didn't even think about it for its food necessarily. But, I did try some of the chicken and sides on my most recent visit.



"Broasting is a method of cooking chicken and other foods using a pressure fryer technique invented by L. A. M. Phelan and marketed by the Broaster Company. The method essentially combines pressure cooking with deep frying to pressure fry chicken that has been marinated and breaded. Internationally, broasted chicken remains highly popular in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, as well as in Latin American countries such as Colombia and Peru. Many restaurants and fast-food chains in these countries also have the word "broast" in their names," according to Wikipedia.



So, the chicken is part of a larger, franchised organization. And, it was decent. I like a harder fry on my chicken, and this was certainly more moist, but not bad.



The pasta salad was my favorite. What can I say? The Northern Panhandle knows how to do pasta salad better than anywhere else I've been. The noodles have some firmness, and there's a lot of add-ins, opposed to just swimming and dressing.



Overall, it is a nice stop if you're looking to get a few random things all in one go plus a quick meal.



Grade: B

When I visited home this summer, my parents and I went to check out Chiefs Smokin BBQ.



This downtown BBQ team operate out of a tent with the smoker nearby -- and a line at least a handful of people deep.



They serve brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken and sides like mac & cheese.



They even have their own merch for sale.



So, my dad ordered enough to feed a small army and we brought it back to the house to dig in. 



I'm not quite sure if I've ever actually had a brisket sandwich - usually I've had brisket on its own. But this was tender, melt-in-your mouth brisket. I love having a bit of bark, but I didn't see any here. Overall, though, not bad!



The macaroni & cheese was homemade, but lacked a bit of flavor. It needed something to punch it up. But, still a nice addition to town for something different. 

Grade: B