Regional farm crawl shows what it’s like on a working farm

SHINNSTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — Six different farms across Marion, Harrison and Monongalia counties opened their gates this weekend for the Mountaineer Country Farm Crawl , where visitors got to see what it’s like on a working farm and all the hard work that goes along with it.

12 News paid a visit to Turtle on a Post Farm , a participating farm in Shinnston that grows a standard assortment of produce but has also invested heavily into growing hops, which are used to make beer.

Bryan Brown, the farm’s owner, said farm crawls are great because people get to see everything involved in farming, not just the food that results from it.

“They’re not seeing a Better Homes and Garden or Pinterest farms, these are working farms,” Brown said. “We’ve got weeds, we’ve got dying plants, they’re gonna come out and see what a true, working farm looks like.”

During the farm crawl, Brown toured people around his garden and hop farm. Growing hops is different from growing plants like potatoes or carrots because they are similar to vines (called bines). Brown installed large poles on his farm that have wires hanging between them. The hops will then climb up the wires and produce small, pinecone-like flowers that add unique characteristics to the taste and smell of the beers they are used in.

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