In late February, I attended the 15th annual Winter Blues Farmers Market at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center, where I had the opportunity to meet more than 100 West Virginia-based food producers. The event—which is sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture and WVU Extension Small Farm Center—netted $140,460 for vendors in five hours.
Farmers markets are my happy place. They sit at the intersection of all my favorite things: food, storytelling, fine craftsmanship, nature, and travel. (I typically beeline for the local farmers market of any city I’m visiting, which tells me a lot about the place.) Since every small business has an interesting backstory, welcome to the first installment of Sample the State, a series highlighting West Virginia food producers and the agricultural bounty of The Mountain State.
