"FIRSTHAND Cooperative is a worker-owned coffee company located in the heart of Appalachia. Inspired by the principles of the fair trade movement, we connect producers and consumers in mountain communities through our fair share guarantee. This commitment to mutual aid and our vision for a sharing economy along coffee supply chains supports social enterprise development abroad and right here in our mountain home."

I just got some of this coffee to try! Have you had a taste yet?

Every time I see a Girl Scout cookie special, I gotta try it now.

Such is the case with Kustom Kreams' new Girl Scout inspired creations. The Barboursville shop features rolled ice cream. And with this special, you get the option to add Thin Mint, Samoas, or Tagalongs.

Well, technically, these are from ABC Bakery - so they are Caramel Delites and Peanut Butter Patties. 

And I went with the tagalong, which had a peanut butter topping with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Mmm!

The Wheeling Public Market is a new awesome spot in Wheeling.

I'm always a fan of public markets, and this one is no exception.

From packaged goods and fresh fruits, they have a little bit of everything.

There are a lot of local options, which is great.

They have J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works, local honey, Rolling Pepperoni rolls, and so much more.

There's also a restaurant at the back, which uses local ingredients.


So they serve breakfast in the morning and lunch in the afternoon.

And I looked over the lunch menu to decide on a snack option.

The pimento grilled cheese stuck out to me (because of course), on sourdough bread and a side of homemade pickles.

They also had options like burgers, grab & go salads and more. It's not a huge selection, but it is a curated one.

While there, I also tried some pickled beets and feta, picked up some granola and grabbed some coffee, too.

It's such a cool, local option for shopping, getting a feel for the local community and eating some great food.

Have you been?


If so, what's your favorite thing to get here?

Neely's Grocery is a deli in Wheeling. They have a whole bunch of goodies, including groceries, deli meats and salads.

You can get all sorts of boxed goods.

And sauces.

Plus you can get assorted deli meats.

And they have sandwiches.

On this day, I tried a meatball sandwich.

It's huge and loaded with cheese.

This pasta salad was unreal. SO good.
 

Here's my latest Appalachian Mercantile Box! Minus a giant bottle of maple syrup that I took out to photograph for my column. This one was filled with that, plus a butter dish, tea, peanuts, buckwheat flour and soap. Love these boxes!