WV Living

Oct 1, 2024 | wvliving.com | Devin Lacy

ON OCTOBER 10, 1774, THE BATTLE OF POINT PLEASANT—immortalized as the “chief event of Lord Dunmore’s War”—was waged between Virginia troops led by General Andrew Lewis and Native American warriors. Now, 250 years later, the city’s residents and guests are coming together to honor the fight and lives lost. “It’s important that our people know how our country came to be,” says Darlene Haer, treasurer for the Point Pleasant Battle Days Committee.

Oct 1, 2024 | wvliving.com | Devin Lacy

When we think of the fall season, pumpkin is often the first thing that comes to mind. From a pumpkin spice latte that warms you up on a crisp October morning to that last bite of pumpkin pie to finish off your Thanksgiving meal, this versatile—and distinctly orange—winter squash is made for much sweeter things than decoration. Smooth, creamy cheesecake meets crunchy, nutty pecans for a decadent fall dessert.

Jul 15, 2024 | wvliving.com | Pam Kasey

Managing his four-acre sugar bush in Canaan Valley a century ago, Robin Reed Kalog’s grandfather spaced his trees wide. It was very different from our typically dense West Virginia forest, but he was an inquisitive and intuitive farmer who liked to try all methods. Grandpa Reed’s Highland View Farm sugaring operation ended years ago. “But when Mike Rechlin from Future Generations University (FGU) saw the grove, he said it was clear that it was planned from the get-go for syrup,” Kalog says.

Jul 15, 2024 | wvliving.com | Pam Kasey

Toms Creek Family Farm, in the southwestern part of the state, has been in Greg Christian’s family for over a century. It was pasture in the early 1900s. But since the 1940s, about 20 of the 30 acres has reverted to woodland, with lots of red maples. In 2017, Christian and his dad attended a maple demonstration by a nearby producer, Rich Flanigan.

Jul 15, 2024 | wvliving.com | Pam Kasey

It can take a lifetime to realize the forest farming potential of a place—generations, even. Jeff and Teresa Munn found a rich example at their Pendleton County farm. Jeff Munn’s parents bought the mostly forested 200-acre property in the 1980s, and the couple inherited it in 2010. But from 1830 to the 1970s, it was owned by the John Propst family, then his grandson Ananias Pitsenbarger’s family.