Locally grown

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Celebrate National Farmers' Market Week, Sunday to Aug. 12, with a visit to a local farmers' market. It's peak production season, so the markets are full of locally grown vegetables, fruit and herbs. Some also sell handmade baked goods, meats, eggs, poultry, dairy and other food products.

Representatives from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture will roast corn and hand out fruit and vegetable samples and USDA Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Audrey Rowe will present information about farmers markets at 11:30 a.m. Monday at Capitol Market.

Capitol Market, 800 Smith St., is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

West Side Farmers' Market, on the corner of Washington Street W. and Beatrice Street, is open from 2 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

Montgomery Farmers' Market, 702 Third Ave. in Montgomery, is open from noon to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Fayette County Farmers' Market, 312 Court St., is open from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays and at the BB&T parking lot in Oak Hill from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays.

Putnam Farmers Market, W.Va. 34 in Hurricane City Park, is open from 3:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturdays.

Farmers' Market at Tamarack in Beckley is open 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Jackson County Farmers' Market in the New Stone Square in Ripley is open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

Pig roast

The Metro Valley Chapter of the Gabriel Project of West Virginia is sponsoring its annual pig roast from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at St. Agnes School, 4807 Staunton Ave.

Eat-in or carry-out orders available. Lunch delivery of four or more meals to addresses in the Charleston area also available. Meal includes a pulled pork barbecue sandwich with slaw, chips, cookie or fruit and drink. Tickets are $10 each or three meals for $25. For more information or to schedule a lunch delivery, call 304-414-4666. The Gabriel Project provides cribs, car seats and other baby items to needy mothers and babies.

A big break

Do you make a food product that you think is good enough to sell?

The State Fair of West Virginia organizers will select a winner Aug. 12 in the West Virginia Recipe Challenge, a competition of potential food entrepreneurs. The entrants will compete to have a chance to have a specialty food produce launched in the marketplace and for prizes of goods and services.

Registration is still open.

The competition sponsored by West Virginia State University Extension Service and partnering agencies is for emerging entrepreneurs who have dreamed of taking their home-cooked product to the grocery store shelf. 

The challenge consists of two categories: new entrepreneur and existing business.

The West Virginia Recipe Challenge is a collaboration of WVSU Extension Service, the State Fair of West Virginia, Tamarack and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.

Visit www.grdi.wvstateu.edu/RecipeChallenge for registration forms and more specific information.

The State Fair, which runs from Aug. 10 to 18, features all the usual baked goods, canned goods and produce contests. Visit statefairofwv.com for details.

Reach Julie Robinson at jul...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1230 with information to be included in Food Notes.