The holiday shopping season is underway, and while there are many worthy retailers out there vying for your hard-earned dollar, sometimes what you want is something that says, "West Virginia."
Whether it's for family and friends who've left the state and moved away or for someone who needs to be reminded that cool things can be found in the Mountain State, there's a lot of great stuff here. Over the next couple of weeks we'll be offering a few gift ideas to put under your own tree or to get in the mail to someone.
These are not necessarily gifts for everybody on your shopping list. But consider them suggestions for those people who can be a little tricky to buy for.
Even before the Martha Stewart "American Made" contest nomination, J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works was a rising star on the food scene with their top-quality, small-batch salt taken and processed on their Kanawha County farm.
Run by brother and sister Lewis Payne and Nancy Bruns, the family business has been featured by NPR, Food and Wine Magazine, Bon Appetit and The Atlantic, as well as a host of West Virginia-based publications.
Aside from its salts, J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works has hosted several farm-to-table dinners both on their property in Malden and at other locations in the state.
Salt from the salt works would be a literal taste of home, but maybe not one many people would remember. Salt mining and making was once a thriving industry in the Kanawha Valley, but died out toward the middle of the 20th Century.
For the holidays, J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works offers several sample and specialty packages that are both tasty and decorative.
J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works will offer on-site sales at 371 Kanawha Salines Drive in Malden from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays though Saturdays this month until Dec. 23.
For more information, visit J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works online at www.jqdsalt.com or call 304-925-7918.
Reach Bill Lynch at lynch@wvgazette.com, 304-348-5195 or follow @LostHwys on Twitter