The Vegetable Garden is a new addition to the Morgantown Farmers Market, frequenting the Westover Farmers Market on Tuesday afternoon/evenings.

The Vegetable Garden, known as Davis Brothers, Inc., on Facebook, sells a number of - wait for it - vegetables at the market.

According to Connect Clarksburg: Julie and her family have 30 acres in production, growing everything from potatoes and onions to collard greens and corn.

I snagged an onion, as you can see! Find Julie on Tuesdays at the Westover Farmers Market or give her a call at 304-376-2143.

The Osage Pecan Company of Lewisburg is quite the pleasant surprise. It's a small shop full of all sorts of nuts, candies and other treats for purchase. Chocolate amaretto covered pecans? Butter toffee pecans? Chocolate covered pecans!

The business is locally owned, with the first location in Butler, Missouri, and then the one in Lewisburg opened in April 2014. They give out free samples, so be sure to grab a handful or two!

Jim's Drive In, one of the last remaining drive ins in the state, is located in Lewisburg and serves up burgers, hot dogs and milkshakes in true drive in style - from the comfort of your car. While many of the drive ins in West Virginia have a very small indoor dining area, Jim's is strictly car-centric, though there is some outdoor seating.

This is the first drive in I've been to where I actually ate in my car. Luckily, I was close enough to the front of the restaurant to see most of the menu. Besides that, I always do my research and knew they have their "famous ranchburger," which has sweet pickles, a slice of ham, cheese, tomato, purple onion, lettuce, tomato. Add a side of onion rings and a caramel milkshake, and my mouth is watering as I type these words.

I waited for just a little bit before my food was brought out. Again, I had never actually driven up to a drive in before. So. I didn't realize they actually attach the tray to your window. I thought it just hugged my door somehow. Imagine that awkward moment when the carhop has my food on a tray. I look at her. She looks at me. I look at her. She asks me if I can roll up my window a bit. Oh. OH. Okay. Sorry.

It's kind of nice having a little bit of privacy while dining out. It's the best of both worlds: having someone else cook for me, but being able to wear whatever I want and listen to music I want. The only downside is crumbs in your car. BUT I was in a rental. So.

The milkshake was delicious. Like, so delicious. Caramel + ice cream = me in love.

The burger wasn't bad. I didn't love the ham or sweet pickles on the burger. But, minus those, it's a pretty standard burger, so I wasn't unhappy. It's a good burger. The onion rings were also pretty solid - nice, crisp, not too much residual grease.

I think next time I could just opt for a regular burger. Because it in and of itself is pretty darn good.


Grade: B

I often talk about how Morgantown is a college town, and I, being outside of a typical college-aged student, feel out of place. Most of the events cater to this crowd, as do many of the restaurants. My absolute favorite event every year, though, is the West Virginia Wine and Jazz festival.

It's the perfect time to revisit staple West Virginia wineries and possibly find some new favorites. This year's event, which took place Sept. 19-20, featured Daniel Vineyards, Fisher Ridge, Forks of Cheat, Heston Farm Winery, Kenco Farms, Lambert's Vintage Wines, Potomac Highland Winery and West-Whitehill Winery. I've been to about half, and I hope to get to the other half as time allows. Some of my favorites are always Forks of Cheat, and I loved most Potomac Highland's wines, too.

Food vendors included Chico's Fat, The Cupcakerie, Garcia's Latin Market, The Greeks, Jersey's Subs, Lamberts Catering, Ramada Inn, Russ' Ribs and Slight Indulgence (who had a killer wine accompaniment with cheese and more).

I ordered the "Almost Heaven" from Chico's Fat, which had ... get ready for it ... two deep-fried macaroni and cheese planks topped with pulled chicken and pork with a chipotle cream sauce and cojita cheese. So, really, there's very little you could do to make this NOT taste good.

I also had a side of tortelini pasta salad from Jersey's, which was eh.

So, who went this year? What were your favorite wines?

I've heard the name "Jeff's Breads" tossed around in Lewisburg for a bit. I remember first hearing about Jeff's Breads when I visited the Stardust Cafe in Lewisburg; some of their bread was from Jeff's. The Food Guy wrote about Jeff's Breads. And I saw something about Jeff's Breads again when I had breakfast at The Bakery in Lewisburg. This local bakery, located just about 20 minutes north of Lewisburg, clearly has a strong connection to the Lewisburg community.

Jeff's Breads, located in Renick, offers European-style breads. The website says they open at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday and to go early for the best selection. So, I put the address in my GPS (218 Crane Road, Renick, WV) and went on my way. My GPS essentially led me to a house. I pulled up into the driveway, looking for any sign of a bakery. Then, I looked to the right and saw a white building (garage?). I crept toward it and finally noticed a small sign in the window that said "bakery." Whew.

There really isn't any name of the bakery or hours listed anywhere. So even if there was this random sign outside that said bakery, I was half concerned I would be opening a door into someone's home. It doesn't look like much, but as soon as I walked in, I could see an entire table full of dough waiting to be prepped. There's no waiting area; you step right into the bakery. It smelled great, and Jeff came out from the back to greet me eagerly.

My look of awkwardness probably gave it away that I was not a regular and indeed would like to see a menu. Jeff offers a number of beautiful breads, and I wanted to take them all home. Unfortunately, I still had another day left in Lewisburg, so I just needed some snacks, really. I asked for a pepperoni roll ($5) and a Mediterranean and Arugula Feta Roll ($7). Yum!

They were actually frozen, so I couldn't eat them right away. But I paid (cash!) and headed toward the WV State Fair for the day. I set the rolls on my dashboard to thaw. When I came back in a few hours, I had two snacks!

Let's start with the pepperoni roll. Fluffy, with a perfect golden brown crust on the outside.

The Mediterranean Roll, though, is something I would travel again for. LOOK AT IT. It's FULL of feta, arugula, olives. Dear god, it was savory and buttery and incredible. It reminds me of what I used to be able to get from New Day Bakery. I love these rolls. My only regret is that I didn't get more of them.

For more information, call Jeff's Breads at 304-497-2768.


Grade: A