Every town should have at least one good local pizza joint. In Grafton, it's Capri Pizza Parlor. It’s a modest, no-frills restaurant with an old-school interior and straightforward menu: pizza, hoagies and salads. I ordered a small cheese pizza, which had a semi-thick - but crisp - crust. It was topped with a generous layer of melty mozzarella that stretches beautifully and delivers that classic, creamy cheesiness without being overly salty. Simple and comforting, though I would've loved some more zip in the sauce. Grade: B

Here's my latest column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

If you’re at Grandma’s house, that blue Danish butter cookie tin on the coffee table is never full of cookies.

Tomato pin cushion? Yes. Nuts? Sure. Sweet treats? You bet. Old-timey candies like squishy orange circus peanuts and hard, strawberry-wrapped candies can be found alongside spare nickels and bobby pins.

Occasionally, there may be one less common, curiously named candy in the mix: horehound.

Horehound has a distinct flavor often compared to root beer, black licorice, and marshmallow — all derived from plants with an earthy, herbal character. That bittersweet taste comes from “Marrubium vulgare,” a member of the mint family known for its fuzzy gray-green leaves and small white flowers, features that ultimately shaped the plant’s name.

The word “horehound” traces back to Old English, combining “har,” meaning gray or hairy, with “hune,” an early term for the plant itself. Together, harhune described the herb’s woolly leaves, and despite the modern spelling, the name has no connection to dogs or actual “hounds.”

Horehound candy is made by steeping dried leaves in hot water, then adding ingredients like butter, sugar, or molasses to create a boiled candy, cut into pieces once cooled. This simple process has remained largely unchanged for nearly two centuries, and its consistency and long shelf life made it a practical treat for families storing sweets in tins or jars.

Horehound’s use as a medicinal herb predates its candy form. People brewed teas, boiled syrups, and crafted lozenges from its leaves to treat coughs, sore throats, and congestion. In a region like Appalachia, where coal mining, logging and other dust-heavy industries often affected respiratory health, horehound provided a practical home remedy, offering some relief for irritated throats and lungs.

The plant itself is remarkably resilient. A hardy perennial, horehound grows easily in poor, well-drained soils, thrives in full sun, tolerates drought, and requires little maintenance. Appalachian families could cultivate it near their homes, using it for both culinary and medicinal purposes — a small herb with outsized utility.

Today, horehound candy isn’t as common as peppermint sticks or Bit-O-Honey, but it persists for those seeking old-fashioned sweets. Brands like Claey’s, Smith Brothers, and Jakemans keep the tradition alive, often found in local general stores, farmers markets, and specialty candy shops across Appalachia. These candies continue to appeal to people who appreciate both historic flavor and the herbal qualities that originally inspired them.

Horehound stands among other old-timey sweets as a link to a bygone era of candy-making, when treats were simple, often herbal, and sometimes doubled as remedies. Like butterscotch discs, root beer barrels, and licorice wheels, horehound reflects both the flavor preferences and practical ingenuity of past generations, offering a taste of history in every bite.

So next time you open that well-loved cookie tin, next to chalky Necco Wafers and chewy Mary Janes, you may just find a horehound drop — a candy whose curious name, earthy flavor, and herbal history carry a piece of Appalachia, tucked quietly among the classics.

The Winter Blues Farmers Market was held today at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center with 134 West Virginia farmers/producers. Bakery
Christy's Cupcake Creations
Chunky Monkey Sweets LLC
Flavor Mutt
Gibson's Goodies
Honey Do Produce
Lettie Janes
Mama Faye's Fudge & Confections
Mrs. Mel's Nana's Kitchen - They offer many "friendship breads," and I opted for a small salted caramel loaf.

Olden Days Farm and Cottage
Page's Sourdough
Pixie Sweets
Runway Farm
Sycamore Farms & Primitives
The Bluespoon Bakehouse & Catering - This former brick-and-mortar has scaled back, and they are focusing on baked goods. I have a pepperoni roll to try.

The Wild Ramp/Coalfield Development
Tibbenham Chocolates
Triple B Eatery
Willie's Candy
WV BAKr Bath & Body/Candles
Auntie Di's Emporium
Blooming Blessings Greenhouse
Hills & Holler Apothecary
Keep It Simple
Mountain Momma's Mindfulls
Sudsberry
The West Wildflower Co
Wild Mountain Soap Company
WildKat's Herbal Oasis, LLC Hemp
Genesis Mountain Farm, LLC

Pet
Bella and Beau's Biscuits
Buddy N Beast
Pawsitively Delish

Artisan
Blue Thistle Fibers, LLC
Bugtussle Farm
Butterflies From Heather Haw Run Farm - Mini sourdough pepperoni rolld caught my eye, so one went home with me.

Headline Books
Hidden Springs Farm
JEM'S Creations
Moonraker Alpaca Farm LLC
Rock Lake Community Garden

Canned Goods/Jams and Jellies
Dark Hollow Foods
Handmade WV Market
JarHead Farms Keep It Simple - I grabbed a jar of blackberry jam.

Kelly's Fresh Produce & More
Legacy Foods
Mountain & Marsh Trading Co LLC
Sassafras Mountain Farm LLC
Sol de Montani Chile Ltd Co
T. L. Fruits and Vegetables
Tarbilly's BBQ
Tipsy Roo's
Uncle Bunks
Uncle Frankies
Williams River Farm - These folks specialize in two products: strawberry jam and strawberry syrup. I finally got a jar of the jam to try. Yates Sorghum - Sorghum speaks Appalachia to me. I picked up a small jar, but I had a hard time deciding between this and the apple butter.

Goods
Arbaugh Farm
Boone Memorial Hospital
Capitol Conservation District
Firstfruits Flour LLC
Food is Medicine
Front Porch Gifts
Ilar Homestead and Bakery
J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works
Solar Holler
St. Albans Farmers Market
South Charleston Farmers Market Unity Sisters Farm & Mear Mae's Meadow - Eggs and these radish microgreens have a little bite and are absolutely addictive.

Wildlee Made
WV Department of Agriculture Regulatory
WV Department of Agriculture Apiary
WV Grown
WV Farmers Market Association
WV Food and Farm Coalition
WV State University Extension

Freeze Dried Treats
DARN Good Candy
Harvest Trails Co.
Mike's Munchies LLC
TC Treats LLC - These Bits-o-Honey are even better in freeze-dried form.

Snack Items
Angie's What's Poppin Shoppe
Buffalo Creek Provisions
Cerealsly Delicious
Goldilocks Grazing
Mountain Juice Co
Sassy Gals
Something Good In WV LLC The Barefoot Farmer - I picked up some vanilla pecan granola here, which will be perfect for a crisp or with yogurt.

The WV Pickle Guy
Trail Top Popcorn
We B Fryin Snacks Maple and Honey
Family Roots Farm - This Wellsburg-based farm has my heart. They are good people creating high-quality products, and I can't wait to try the maple mustard I purchased.

Lavender Hill Roost
Ronk Family Maple Farm
Treats From Trees
Howe Sweet It Is
Larry's Apiaries
Oldham Sugar Works/Fruits de la Rose
R & A Honeybees LLC
Rimfire Apiary
Simply Bee
Sugar Bottom Farm
Tyler Creek Farm
Woodhaven Farm

Meat and Dairy
Angelos Italian Sausage
Custard Stand Chili
Forest Heights Farm - They had little meatballs samples and sell heritage bred beef. I got one lb. to try put.

Lost River Butcher Block
Middle Mountain Farmstead - Pork chorizo was calling my name. But I've never actually cooked it. Give me your tips! Novak Farm - I purchased some pork kielbasa, which I am hopeful the maple mustard will pair perfectly with!

Parsons Ridge Farm
Perk Farm Organic Dairy
Quicken Farm - ramp brats that I am already dreaming up how I can use. Taylor Family Farms & Custom Meats - I picked up some cowboy cut ribeyes. Produce and Plants
Green Thumb Botanicals LLC
Gritt's Farm
Herd Dirt Compost
Mountain State Fungi - I missed out on them last year, so I was sure to get some dried pearl oyster mushrooms.

Muddy Mountain Flower Farm
Sassafras Mountain Farm LLC
Sloping Acres - It's rare to find black walnuts for sale. I learned this when I was working on a column about them. So I was excited to see these available.

WV Herb Association

Coffee
Aroma of the Andes Coffee
Bean Theory Coffee
Mountain Folk Coffee
Mountain Table
Sibling Coffee Roasters
The Black Dog Coffee Company

Rise + Restore Coffee Co. is a family-owned coffee shop in Mineral Wells that also offers dine in and drive-thru service. Drink options include lattes, refreshers, smoothies, teas and more. I ordered a peach sunrise refresher, which features peach, pomegranate and orange juice. This had a great mix of sweet with tangy tartness. For snacks, they offer several kinds of bagel sandwiches: chicken salad, egg salad or buffalo chicken on an original, everything or jalapeno bagel from Box Bagels. My buffalo chicken everything bagel checked all the satisfactory boxes - some punchy sauce or crumbles of blue cheese would have pushed this into "exceeds expectations" range for me. Grade: B

Across the Board Game Café is a unique restaurant and game café where friends and families connect over delicious food, coffee, and hundreds of board games. They have over 500 games, which is more than I even knew existed. While gaming is not my particular brand of nerdy, I love that it's available for others. I was here for the food. It looks like they have a pretty extensive menu with coffees, ice creams, breakfast, flatbreads, salads, dips, sandwiches, soups, cake, pastries, dirty sodas, mocktails and more. In my eyes, though, I only saw ice cream. Ashby's Sterling Ice Cream is made in Michigan and hand-scooped here in White Sulphur Springs. I took one look at "Strawberry Pretzel Dessert" and knew it needed to be in my tummy. It's a premium, creamy, sweet-and-salty flavor featuring cheesecake ice cream mixed with strawberry puree and a crunchy, salty pretzel crust swirl. I need that ribbon of salty, crunchy contrast in every ice cream for the rest of my life. Grade: A