There's something really satisfying about plucking blueberries from the bush, dropping them into a gallon bucket and taking them home to make a delicious blueberry crisp or pie with the fruits of your labor (ha! get it?).



My friend Lisa and I went to Blueberry Ridge Farms for pick-your-own blueberries a week or two ago. Check in with their Facebook to see which days they are open - mostly 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. MWF, but also they try to do some Saturday hours. No appointments are necessary. It's $18 for a bucket or $17 if you use your own bucket or have the one from last year. Blueberry Ridge Farms provides detailed instructions on how to navigate to the farm in Fairmont:





 There's another farm not too far away, but you must set up an appointment.



So if you have a free evening after work or can catch them on a Saturday soon (while blueberry season lasts!), do so. It was nice to get out and pluck the blueberries for myself, choosing which ones I want and leaving the others to ripen a bit longer.

I picked a gallon and made a blueberry crisp, ate a few handfuls and froze the remainder. I washed them of (though they don't spray at this farm), dried them, put them on a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet and froze for an hour before taking them out and bagging them up to freeze. Each morning I've been taking a handful of frozen blueberries and mixing them with some greek yogurt for breakfast.

Has anyone been? Or has anyone been to the other farm? It's a fun way to spend some time and get some goodies out of it too!

Big Timber Brewing, one of about a dozen breweries in the state now, opened its taproom in Elkins about a year ago. Since then, the brewery has made its way around the state - including on tap in Morgantown. I've had a few different beers in town, but it was even better to try them at the source.

The interior is pretty cool with lots of wooden features - tabletops, bar stools, shelving - in honor of the lumber industry that kept Elkins alive for so many years. They also have these great little coasters that list all of their social media. Very nice.



I ordered a sampler, which included their blonde, pale ale, porter, IPA, poplar session IPA and sluice dry stout. OH, and their root beer.

The blonde was easy, drinkable and would be nice for a hot day. Not too heavy and pretty clean.

The pale ale is a good bit hoppier (surprise), but I like the actual flavor. It's not too hoppy, but you know it's there.

The porter was pretty heavy, but considering I'm not a huge coffee drinker, I'm not really the target audience for this one.

The IPA, of course, took the hops up a notch. Not my favorite, but I can see why hopheads would dig it.

The poplar session IPA is up yet another notch.

The dry stout was actually not as bitter as I thought it may be.

The root beer! I don't even love root beer, if I'm being truthful (please don't shun me). But it's kind of a like a sneaky treat at the end of a beer sampler. Like, obvi it's not beer. But it's exciting to have something so sweet at the end.

Give Big Timber Brewing a visit - lots of great beer and a super fun vibe.

Grade: A

The Custard Stand is a West Virginia institution. With six locations around the state, the restaurant draws a loyal crowd - both on the chili and the custard front. The chili can even be bought in most local grocery stores in the area.

While traveling, we tried to stop at the Elkins location determined to get an iconic ice cream photo a la Gordon Gee. When the location was unexpectedly closed, I poured my heart out on Twitter. I was devastated that we rushed to get there and Tony wasn't going to get his first Custard Stand experience. With some swift assistance from their social media person and some refiguring of our schedule, I figured out we would be traveling near the Oak Hill location later in the week. Plan made.

The Oak Hill location has a more modern feel with a few stainless steel table and chair sets inside. I ordered a small caramel cone; Tony ordered a small cone, as well. So the small here wasn't quite as impressive, but it worked. And it's delicious, as always! Creamy! No hotdogs on this visit, but sweet treats are always welcome.

We also managed to get T-shirts out of the exchange, which is awesome. It's a perfect reminder of our fun trip and Tony's first Custard Stand cone.

Grade: A

While I'm a fierce advocate for the Morgantown Farmers Market, there's another market not too far away. My friend Kayla and I decided to check out Bridgeport's Farmers Market recently to see what vendors are there and what new goodies we could get our hands onto.

It was a super rainy day, and most of the vendors were hiding under their tents. One of the first tents we sought refuge from the rain was "My Little Cupcake." I hadn't heard of them previously, but they made an impression. The set-up is cute with a burlap runner and chalkboards noting the day's flavors. Chocolate covered strawberry, orange, almond ... mmm. They also had homemade ice cream for sale! I snagged an almond cupcake. I can say it's one of the best ever. Moist, sweet, nutty. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. Most cupcakes, they're good enough. They're fine. I mean a bad cupcake is still not that bad. This one? I would travel for this one.

One really nice thing about Bridgeport's market is they serve hot food! So you can come down, get your groceries for the week plus have lunch while you're doing it. They have Hash Browns & New Grounds on site, plus the Conference Center has a lunch menu available. There's a covered table for seating so you can be comfy while lunching (or breakfast-ing)!

Lots of veggies available, plus some sweet treats AND a hot meal while you're there? #winning, as the kids would say.

There's a new grocer and bubble tea shop on High Street: TK's Fruit, Produce and Bubble Tea. With the exception of the Mountain People's Co-Op (now on Pleasant Street) and Vonson, there aren't many options for fresh groceries downtown. Lots of restaurant options, yes, but for the folks who live downtown, this should be a welcome addition.





There's everything from bright, leafy greens and coconuts and ginger to watermelon, grapes and garlic. It's a small space, but they have a good variety of produce and organic options.





While I don't necessarily need to buy my groceries downtown (I'll stick to the farmers market + bougie Kroger for that), I'm always open to trying bubble tea!


In the back of the shop, there is a bubble tea section where you order your drinks. There are a few different options. First of all, you have to figure out if you want Milk Tea with Tapioca or Fruit Black/Green Tea with Tapioca. I ended up going the milk tea route and chose the caramel black tea with milk. 

The bubble tea is pretty good - I love the tapioca balls with the flavor of the caramel tea. It was pretty tasty. I think I'll try a fruit one next time, though. This place is a nice addition, but it's a tad rough around the edges at the moment. There were a lot of boxes and things that were a bit haphazard. Plus I think some finishings need to be in place just so it looks more put together. But that's OK, there's plenty of ambiance around town once you get your drink to walk around and see High Street. Some chairs outside would be lovely!

Grade: B