Purchasing local foods in-season is important to buying local because they won't have to be shipped thousands of miles, the money you're paying for the food goes directly to the farmer, and the food is more likely to be healthier and unprocessed.

While it's easy to purchase foods from anywhere in the world all year round, it's not the most sustainable, and you can't be sure how the product was handled. Here's a quick list of the seasonal fruits and veggies for February. Not all of these are grown locally, of course.

• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Beets
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cilantro
• Clementines
• Fennel
• Grapefruit
• Kale
• Lemons
• Lettuce
• Leeks
• Oranges
• Onions
• Parsnips
• Pears
• Rhubarb
• Shallots
• Sweet Potatoes
• Tangelos
• Tangerines

Did you know there is a magazine dedicated to WV food? I didn't either, until recently. Savor! West Virginia is "an independent publication dedicated to West Virginia food, spirits and travel." While they haven't produced a print publication yet, they are building an online identity.

Check out their Facebook and Twitter accounts.Yes, this is cool. But it's also very, very helpful. On their Facebook page, you'll see specials every day. For example, know those bakeries who change their specials each day, and you're not quite sure what it'll be until you step foot inside the door? Savor WV compiles that content from around the state and gives it back to you on one simple page.

Local places they cover include Terra Cafe and New Day Bakery. They also showcase events from all around the state. And, my favorite, is their fantastic recipes. I don't include many recipes on my blog because, well, I'm not the best cook. I'm trying, though! But they have some great stuff, like a Bacon Swiss Chard Frittata and a Cheese Grits Spinach Souffle. Mouth-watering, I know. And they take submissions.


So, of course I had to get in on this action. I've sent in my review of Mario's Fishbowl, and I will be a regular every other Monday, starting on Feb. 13. Check them out!

Smoking will be prohibited in all bars and restaurants within Morgantown and all of Monongalia County by March 12. After about four years of debates, the city of Morgantown passed a nonsmoking law back in June, and then Monongalia County passed their ban last month. To be consistent, one date was set to regulate indoor smoking. Monongalia County is the 20th to pass an indoor ban in West Virginia, and Morgantown is the second city.

Many advocates lobbied for this decision, such as Smoke Free Mon County, Smoke-Free West Virginia Communities, and the Breathe Easy Alliance of Morgantown.

Some bar- and restaurant-owners are happy with the decision, and have even implemented the ban already, ahead of the March deadline. "We're ecstatic," said Jared Riggleman, a manager at the Boston Beanery in downtown Morgantown, told WBOY. Boston Beanery went smoke-free in August. Mario's Fishbowl, a staple to the community, went smoke-free last year. Owner Mark Furfari told WBOY that "It's worked and it's worked well," owner Mark Furfari said. "We've seen some new faces and we've gotten a lot of positive feedback from all of our customers on that change."

Both the Beanery and Fishbowl set up areas outside for smokers that include tables, benches, heaters, and even a TV at the latter. Will this satisfy everyone? Of course not. Morgantown folks have been grappling with this issue for quite some time.

What others are saying:

Over at Erin Kelley's blog, she promoted 123 Pleasant Street being a non-smoking bar since the beginning of the year. She notes that one bartender in particular isn't making as much money as he had when smoking was allowed, so she encourages those who believe in a non-smoking bar to show their support.

On Sam Wilkinson's blog, The City of Morgantown, he notes the importance of the ban. He even commented on how Mario's Fishbowl was fantastic, but the smoking made it unpleasant. Mark Furfari himself commented and said they were to go smoke-free soon. Judging from his more recent comments, the ban seems to be working. Wilkinson actually posted another blog with even more compelling info.

Even commenters are, well, commenting on the issue, as seen over on Fork You's blog. "LAL" posted "Since Putnam Co. still allows smoking in restaurants and bars, there were several people smoking but we actually came out of there smelling like we’d been swimming in the deep fryer. I’ll go back, though, for the wings for sure." Seems as though he/she was anticipating smelling like smoke. Luckily (or maybe even worse), the deep fryer smell took over.


While I empathize with bar-owners and restaurant-owners who may lose business, I think the ban is the greatest good for the greatest number of people. For every eight smokers who die from smoking, one innocent bystanderdies from secondhand smoke. That could be another customer, a waiter or bartender, or a child who is dining with their family. I don't like those odds. And yes, I understand that it may be a private establishment, but it's not off-the-grid. It's in a town where other people live. And allowing those who developed a habit to trump the rights of those who do not doesn't seem fair. If you're doing something that could kill another person, it isn't fair.

And, really, businesses may gain customers who had previously hated the smoking. For a long time, I hated going to Gibbie's and leaving smelling like an ashtray. I've gone much more in the past month or so than I have in the past year. Maybe those people will balance out those who will be lost.

I think valuing the general health and well-being of the public is more important than the preferences of a few.

America developed an obsession with cupcakes in the past couple of years. Small cupcake-only shops sprung up all over the country. I visited my first, Georgetown Cupcake, two years ago. That was before that shop had a television show. Cupcakes became the cute, trendy thing. They propelled into popularity because of their excellent portion controlled size. Even Morgantown has its own cupcake shop, The Cupcakerie.

Located right on Willey Street, this small shop is prime location for foot traffic. A shop dedicated to only cupcakes. It's a cute idea, and I love that it's something different. Yes, it might be trendy, and yes, it might be this whimsical kind of notion, but it's a nice addition to Morgantown because it's not the same burger joint or bar-trying-to-be-a-restaurant. I stopped in the other day to try it out. I had been awaiting its opening forever. I kept calling, and the opening date kept getting pushed back. But finally, it opened.


I walked in, and the shop is a long, somewhat narrow space. It is whimsical, with pink stripes everywhere and crystals and a chandelier. There's a small countertop with maybe a half-dozen varieties of cupcakes with small signs in front that name the flavor. A couple tables are inside to sit and enjoy your sweet treats.

I walked up to the counter and got entirely too exited. I had to think about this rationally. A regular cupcake was $2.50. But, the mini ones were $7 for 6. That didn't sound bad - all I needed was to taste each one. So I got one of nearly every one they had that day. I was really happy with the concept of these minis. I could get a bunch of different flavors, just a bite of each. I didn't need a whole cupcake. I just wanted to try a little of each. So this was perfect. I ended up getting 6 minis and one full-sized because they didn't have any of that flavor in a mini. My total came to $10. On a side note, they mix the minis and the regular size cupcakes on each of the cake stands, so it's really pretty and sweet.

I left with two small plastic containers, one with one full-sized cupcake and another with six mini ones. I took out the large, Rocky Road cupcake first. This chocolate cupcake was rich, smooth and definitely, decadently chocolately. It was topped with a creamy chocolate butter cream, sprinkled with mini chocolate chips, some mini marshmallows and some chopped nuts - pecans and walnuts. If you like chocolate, this is for you. Very rich.

Next, I tapped into my minis container. The first one I plucked was the Red Velvet. I don't know if I've ever had red velvet, but my goodness. It was so moist and delicious. The buttermilk and cocoa blended together seamlessly to create this delicious chocolate-vanilla blend. The cream cheese frosting made for a perfect combination, and the dark chocolate shavings added a new layer of flavor.

The pumpkin pie mini was next. You can imagine what it tasted like - a slice of fluffy pumpkin pie. Light nutmeg, spiced pumpkin pie cake, all topped with a fluffy whipped cinnamon brown sugar butter cream. Also sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. This is a slice of Thanksgiving in bite-sized form.

The chocolate mini was the same rich chocolate cake with a sweet vanilla icing with a few chocolate chips on top. Similar to rocky road - just with less components.

I chose the peanut butter cupcake next. It was a chocolate cake, with a hidden surprise! A small peanut butter cup was hidden inside. The frosting was a creamy peanut butter, and it was topped with some orange sprinkles. Yum.

Next was another peanut butter cupcake - I think the cookie monster. It was a vanilla cake - almost lemony - with some peanut butter chips inside. It was topped with a creamy vanilla butter cream and a few peanut butter chips. Right now, I felt like I was eating a jar of peanut butter. But in a good way. The flavors were vibrant.

Finally was a raspberry kissed cocoa mini. It was the chocolate cake, with raspberry butter cream icing and sprinkled with pink pearls. I wasn't sure if I could eat those, but I did. Just sugar. Not too bad either.

I really like the idea of this place. It's fun. It's different, and they make a damn good cupcake. I'm not sure how often I'll be in the market for just cupcakes? But maybe enough people around town will be to keep this place afloat. It's always good to have new places that add a new flair. Try it out sometime. They have so many different flavors, it's difficult to not find something to like.


Grade: A

I know nothing (very little) about craft beer. But I always want to learn more. And I especially want to learn more when it comes to how to pair beer with food. I came across this excellent chart that I think really helps. I'm sharing some basics that I've discovered in hopes of learning about how to pair some local craft beers, like Brew Pub's or Mountain State's, with the food in the best way possible.


I'm going to lay out some basics that I've learned with the help of some very helpful sites so that we can work together to figure out which beers pair well with which foods. So there are four main ingredients in beer:

• Malted Barley - medium roasted malt has caramel flavors; dark roasted malts have chocolate or coffee flavors. Other grains like wheat and rye can be used.
• Hops - provides bitterness as a counter to the sweet malted barley, and bring flavor such as citrus, pineapple, green grass, pepper and pine.
• Yeast - can lend a fruit, butterscotch and buttery flavor. Also clove and banana. Also earth, cheese, and hay.
• Water - makes up 90-95 percent of beer by mass.
• Other - like spices, fruit, chili, etc.

Types:

• Ales - use top fermenting yeast, usually a darker & fruitier.
• Pale Ale
• India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Extra Special Bitter (ESB)
• Porters
• Stouts
• Barley Wine
• Abbey Ales (Dubbels, Trippels, Quads)
• Lagers - use bottom fermenting yeast, usually clearer, lighter & crisper. Bud, Miller, Coors.
• Pilsner
• Lager 

 Terms:

• Body - the sense of fullness or viscosity of the beer on your palate. Beer is usually described as being thin-, light-, medium-, or full-bodied.
• Complex - beer that involves multiple flavors and sensations on your palate.
• Crisp - effervescent and bubbly.
• Hoppy - having a bitter flavor of hops and a spicy aroma.
• Malty - sweet caramel-like flavors.
• Mouthfeel - sensations of warmth, carbonation, dryness, etc on your palate.
• Roasty/toasty - roasted grain (not burnt) flavors.

There's also some information out there about how to best serve the beer - what kind of glass, etc. So, I want to know your best beer/meal pairing in town. Which dish goes best with Brew Pub's Alpha Blonde? Their menu says chicken alfredo, chicken penne, BLT wrap, fried calamari, beer bread, the club and spinach artichoke dip are the best. 

Better yet, what's the best locally produced craft beer in town? So far, I'm fond of the Alpha Blonde and the Eighty Shilling Scotch Ale at Brew Pub. Any tips or info you have would be fantastic!