Buying local just got a lot easier: Monroe County farmers are now taking orders for locally grown beef, pork, lamb, goat, eggs, goat cheese, organically grown vegetables and more.

Thursday was their first pick-up day. Charleston-area residents who had placed their e-mail orders - so far, the farmers haven't had to advertise except by word-of-mouth - stopped under the shade trees at the Unitarian church on Kanawha Boulevard to pick up sacks full of everything from ribeyes to peach butter.

"Did your neighbor get through the frost OK without losing his apple blossoms?" Cabot Oil and Gas executive Jeff Keim asked farmer Rachel Moran. Moran had been worried about the looming frost when Keim had placed his order a few days before. It wasn't too bad, she assured him.

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Farmer Pam Dalton places two dozen brown eggs from Breezy Knoll Farm in Gap Mills into Ann Silbernagel’s grocery bag.

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Consumers say they seek locally grown food because it is better for the environment, the local economy and their own taste buds. Margot Saunders, another Monroe County customer, said she likes to really know the people who grow her food.

"One of the best things about being in West Virginia is the kindness of the people here," said Saunders, who lives in Charleston with her husband and two children, ages 14 and 18. For example, she says, she gets a lot of her meat delivered by Sandy Creek Farms in Jackson County. "When the Sandy Creek folks come, they put the meat in my refrigerator. They bring a bone for my dog. And if I forget to leave the check, it's OK - I just send it later."

Another customer, Phyllis Payne, said she wants to support local farmers because she loves the parts of West Virginia that are still wall-to-wall green. "Monroe County is probably one of the prettiest places in the state," she said. "And we'd like to keep it that way."

That's getting more and more difficult, said Brian Wickline, West Virginia University agriculture extension agent for Monroe County, who raises cattle on the land his family has farmed for more than 100 years.

"These [farmers] are the guys who are responsible for the green space," he said. But farmers can usually make far more money selling their farmland to developers, to parcel into vacation houses for out-of-staters, than they can by selling the food they raise. "The agriculture economy is really tough right now," Wickline said.

Buying local just got a lot easier: Monroe County farmers are now taking orders for locally grown beef, pork, lamb, goat, eggs, goat cheese, organically grown vegetables and more.

Thursday was their first pick-up day. Charleston-area residents who had placed their e-mail orders - so far, the farmers haven't had to advertise except by word-of-mouth - stopped under the shade trees at the Unitarian church on Kanawha Boulevard to pick up sacks full of everything from ribeyes to peach butter.

"Did your neighbor get through the frost OK without losing his apple blossoms?" Cabot Oil and Gas executive Jeff Keim asked farmer Rachel Moran. Moran had been worried about the looming frost when Keim had placed his order a few days before. It wasn't too bad, she assured him.

"Now, if you have any questions about cooking that goat meat, just give me a call," she said.

Consumers say they seek locally grown food because it is better for the environment, the local economy and their own taste buds. Margot Saunders, another Monroe County customer, said she likes to really know the people who grow her food.

"One of the best things about being in West Virginia is the kindness of the people here," said Saunders, who lives in Charleston with her husband and two children, ages 14 and 18. For example, she says, she gets a lot of her meat delivered by Sandy Creek Farms in Jackson County. "When the Sandy Creek folks come, they put the meat in my refrigerator. They bring a bone for my dog. And if I forget to leave the check, it's OK - I just send it later."

Another customer, Phyllis Payne, said she wants to support local farmers because she loves the parts of West Virginia that are still wall-to-wall green. "Monroe County is probably one of the prettiest places in the state," she said. "And we'd like to keep it that way."

That's getting more and more difficult, said Brian Wickline, West Virginia University agriculture extension agent for Monroe County, who raises cattle on the land his family has farmed for more than 100 years.

"These [farmers] are the guys who are responsible for the green space," he said. But farmers can usually make far more money selling their farmland to developers, to parcel into vacation houses for out-of-staters, than they can by selling the food they raise. "The agriculture economy is really tough right now," Wickline said.

"Americans have gotten used to cheap food here in the United States - and that's basically what they get. We like to think we're providing customers with a product that's better than average, fresh and wholesome."

Dina Mohler, a lawyer at Charleston Area Medical Center, was the Charleston consumer who originally asked the farmers if they'd bring their food to Charleston customers.

Mohler said she'd been having a hard time finding locally grown food in the city, outside of tomatoes and other height-of-summer vegetables at the farmer's market.

"I love the farmer's market. We're so lucky to have it," Mohler said. "But what about leeks, lettuce, cauliflower, carrots, peas, dairy ... all those things you can't get [locally grown] at the farmer's market?"

Meanwhile, three counties away, a coalition of Monroe County farmers had been supplying those hard-to-find local foods to Charleston restaurants, including Bluegrass Kitchen, Bridge Road Bistro and Soho's, for two years.

Mohler asked the farmers if they'd be willing to sell to individuals. "They asked if I thought I could give them about 20 names" of people who would be interested, she said. "In two days, I had over 100 names.

"People are just so wanting this kind of thing. They've been looking for it. All we had to do was ask."

For information or to order Monroe County farm products, e-mail Rachel Moran of Cedar Dawn Farm at cedard...@earthlink.net. The Monroe County Farm Market is online at www.monorefarmmarket.com.

To contact staff writer Tara Tuckwiller, use e-mail or call 348-5189.