With the entire world still dealing with the repercussions of global shutdowns and supply chain issues, this holiday season is the perfect time to shop local. And thankfully, the potential for buying locally crafted gifts and necessities are abundant in West Virginia. We have thousands of farmers, retailers, and artists offering goods made close to home!

When you spend local, the dollars stay in West Virginia, recirculating in our local economy.

BONUS: All your money spent at a small business goes directly to your neighbors. It does not flow out of the state. The dollars stay in West Virginia, recirculating in our local economy.

Farmer Donald Blake is preparing 150 turkeys for your Thanksgiving feast.

For the last 2 decades, the United States has seen a steady rise in small farms and WV is home to nearly 21,000 farms producing maple syrup, crops, fruit, livestock, poultry, dairy, honey, etc. These farmers are working to change the current big agriculture, factory-farm system. Farmer Donald Blake, for example, at Terrapin Farms in Frankford (Greenbrier County), has been raising quality chickens and turkeys since 2002. He is now preparing for your Thanksgiving feast with 150 turkeys.

The pick-up date is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, on November 23rd.

Donald says your bird must be pre-ordered as soon as possible. He will butcher it for you on his farm in Renick and it will be freshly packaged. The pick-up date is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, on November 23rd. For added convenience, Donald has added an online ordering service via TerrapinFarmWV.net.

You can also call him at 304-667-6008. He is offering delivery to Beckley and Charleston and has flexible rates for restaurants and wholesalers.

So, while it may be tempting to grab a Thanksgiving bird at the supermarket, think about supporting your local farmers who are offering tasty, locally-sourced birds for a free-range holiday.

Some other excellent local food options in Greenbrier Valley include Swift Level Fine Meats in Lewisburg which offers West Virginia cheeses, breads, and locally sourced meats. If you are in Monroe County, stop in Linden Deli + More for local meats prepared by Mann’s Meat Processing.

And get into the spirit with Smooth Ambler, Greenbrier Valley Brewing Co. in Maxwelton as well as Big Draft Brewery and the Village Wine Shop in White Sulphur Springs. The team at Hawk Knob Appalachian Hard Cider want you to enjoy the taste of tradition with their ciders and meads. From now until Thanksgiving, they are offering discounts on ciders and cases at their meadery in Lewisburg!  Also, don’t miss out on excellent local finds at Patina in downtown Lewisburg! They have beautiful vintage décor, clothing, accessories, art, jewelry, antiques, and so much more!

And keep it real this holiday season with a quality Fraser Fir Christmas tree from Crickmer Farms in Danese. Your trip to the farm will not only create lifetime memories but you can feel good that you are helping the environment. It is estimated that 80% of artificial trees worldwide are manufactured in China so overall, real trees general less greenhouse emissions per holiday season than artificial ones.

Now more than ever is a great opportunity to shop local. Perhaps the best present this holiday season will be gathering together with family and friends. Even a disrupted supply chain won’t overshadow celebrations, not with the great gift of being together.

– HashtagWV #137. November 2021.
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