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All the United States West Virginia Malden JQD Saltworks
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

JQD Saltworks

This fourth-generation family business is reviving West Virginia's historic tradition of salt-making.

Malden, West Virginia

Added By
Capri S Cafaro
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This Appalachian salt business has a long family history.   @jqdsalt
This Appalachian salt business has a long family history.   @jqdsalt
Wild forged ramp leaves are dried and used in salt flavoring.   ccafaro77 / Atlas Obscura User
All sorts of seasoned and smoked salts are served here.   @jqdsalt
This operation takes an old-school approach to salt harvesting.   @jqdsalt
Nancy Burns wanted to reconnect with her family’s heritage.   ccafaro77 / Atlas Obscura User
Salt crystals are dried in the sun and painstakingly harvested.   @jqdsalt
This crystals offer a taste of the region.   @jqdsalt
  jqdsalt / Atlas Obscura User
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About

After more than a decade of working as a chef in restaurants around North Carolina, Nancy Burns reconnected with her own gastronomic heritage. Her time in the kitchen led to an interest in collecting salts from around the globe. Eventually she started to research her own roots and the history of salt in West Virginia.

Burns is the fourth great-granddaughter of the man who started JQ Dickenson Saltworks back in 1817. The saltworks ceased operation in 1945. In 2013, Burns and her brother revived the family business.

West Virginia geology has lent itself to salt formations and mining as many know. Burns approaches salt as an  “agricultural product,” not a mineral and uses the sun to evaporate the brine as part of the salt-making process.  Once the salt is harvested from large beds in greenhouses, some of it is with imbued with local flavors such as ramps, mushrooms, and even ghost peppers. Burns also ages some of her salt in bourbon barrels for additional complexity.

JQD Saltworks sources a monthly subscription box, which is aimed at teaching people how to creatively use the salts by providing recipe inspiration and education. Seven times a year, the Saltworks host chefs onsite from the region to make a dinner featuring local ingredients and also incorporate the salts.

The Saltworks facility is open for tours to see the magic behind the scenes. It is also possible to do a salt tasting in the rustic company store. The store is stocked with both JQD Saltworks items and a variety of artisan goods ranging from soaps to hand-carved wood products made by craftspeople from across Appalachia. 

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Salt

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JQD Saltworks is available for private events.

Community Contributors

Added By

ccafaro77

Edited By

jqdsalt

  • jqdsalt

Published

January 31, 2025

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JQD Saltworks
4797 Midland Dr
Malden, West Virginia, 25306
United States
38.290428, -81.561496
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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of West Virginia

West Virginia

United States

Places 106
Stories 10

Nearby Places

Grave of Thomas Bullitt

Charleston, West Virginia

miles away

'Power'

Charleston, West Virginia

miles away

Mortar Man

Charleston, West Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of West Virginia

West Virginia

United States

Places 106
Stories 10

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