Despite having reported on Howard County for years and for two publications, I have spent relatively little time in its vast western countryside.

I decided to change that this week.

And what did I find? The western portion of Howard County is more than farms and McMansions and also has more diversity than you might expect.

After getting turned around more than once at the many traffic circles along Route 32, I stumbled upon a Cuban-owned restaurant and two Black-owned businesses, a farmers market and a coffee shop.

Here’s a snapshot of hidden treasures that Lisbon, Glenelg, West Friendship and other communities in Western Howard County have to offer.

Jenny’s Market

3490 Old Ivory Rd., West Friendship

When Linda Heigh’s daughter Jenny was 16, she set up a small, round patio table near Route 32 and sold a small offering of fruits and vegetables to save her dollars for college.

That was 24 years ago. While Jenny is now grown and has a family of her own, the market still stands. Affectionally called Jenny’s Market, it is run by Heigh with the help of some of her 10 children and 13 grandchildren.

What began as a small-scale setup has turned into a full-fledged operation offering fresh fruits, vegetables and local goodies such as honey, teas and eggs. It is open seven days a week, 12 hours a day (7 a.m.-7 p.m.).

Oh, and did I mention the market is on Heigh’s front lawn?

Heigh’s neighbors ask her to stock nonlocal items such as bananas, lemons and limes. It saves them a trip to the Clarksville Giant, Heigh said.

I walked away with local peaches, a cucumber and peppers. Cost: $16.

The market runs from the first weekend of May to the last weekend of October. This season, it ends Oct. 26 at 4 p.m.

There’s still time to drive out there. You don’t want to miss it.

Cilantro Neighborhood Cantina

3881 Ten Oaks Rd., Suite A1, Glenelg

I forgot to mention that I had a reporting partner on my HoCo journey this week, our great summer photo intern, Florence Shen. When we stopped at Cilantro Neighborhood Cantina, we feasted on fresh homemade guacamole, shrimp tacos and a filet mignon burrito.

Yampier Santana, a native of Cuba, opened Cilantro with his brother in 2019. A 30-year veteran of the restaurant business, Santana wanted to bring Latin culture and food to Glenelg, which he found was lacking.

Santana’s 11-year-old son, Valentin, helps in the restaurant. Although he gets tips sometimes, Valentin really enjoys getting to know customers and having conversations with them.

When Florence ordered the burrito, Santana approved, saying it’s “a delicious menu item.” Valentin prefers the chicken tacos with fries.

Cilantro also has a fully stocked bar, with jumbo margaritas. Although we didn’t imbibe, other diners did — and the drinks were gigantic.

After munching on guacamole, we boxed our leftovers. As Florence skillfully got her burrito into the box, she remarked: “This will feed me for three days.”

Alex’s Snow Cones & Ice Cream

16041 Frederick Rd., Lisbon

I never thought that I would find myself in a mini barn furniture store’s parking lot enjoying ice cream, but that’s exactly what I did.

As we approached a red barn with a retro light-up sign, panic set in as I read the sign: “Cash Only.” I can’t remember the last time I consciously carried cash in my wallet. Fortunately, the crisis was averted quickly when Florence spotted an ATM.

We withdrew $20 and decided what flavors we would get. I opted for the peaches and cream; Florence went for the mango sorbet. We enjoyed our treats among the various small barns, sheds and Adirondack chairs for sale.

The stand is named after Alex Myers, the son of Gary Myers, owner of Myers Mini Barns. The family business has been in operation since 1982, and Gary Myers opened the ice cream barn in 2011. It has become a hot spot during the spring, summer and fall.

K-9 & Coffee

3830 Ten Oaks Rd., Glenelg

Pulling into the small parking lot of K-9 & Coffee, I didn’t expect to find what we did. As we walked in, we were welcomed into a cozy space decorated not with many coffee items but, well, with bottles of bourbon. Turns out that, in the latter half of the day, owner Kelvin Abrams stops serving coffee and starts fixing proper pours and Old Fashioned cocktails.

Abrams also owns the business next door, Tiki’s Playhouse, a doggie day care center and cageless boarding hotel. The coffee-bourbon situation is actually in the former dog grooming area. Abrams transformed the space into a coffee shop roughly 11 years ago because he couldn’t find any other gourmet coffee shops in the area. He acquired a liquor license three years ago.

On Saturday mornings, folks can enjoy caffeine while letting their dogs run around in the canine-friendly playground. For those more interested in trying out the hard stuff, there are opportunities to sip on a variety of liquors, including Japanese whiskey and Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, made by a Black-owned company that Abrams often uses in his cocktails.

Florence and I visited the shop in the morning, so we sipped on our hot drinks while Abrams told us all about his business ventures.

High’s

12780 Frederick Rd., West Friendship

Florence and I are Jersey girls, so gas stations that have a bodega feel mean a lot to us. Needless to say, when we walked into the High’s Dairy Store off Frederick Road, we were more than surprised by the bounty we found.

There were the classic rest stop snacks such as name-brand candy, chips and jerky. But what really caught our attention were the prepared foods, including hot, to-go mini pizzas and quesadillas, along with the store’s own soda flavors. There’s even an ice cream counter that offers milkshakes and sundaes. In fact, High’s began as an ice cream store chain in 1928.

As we were checking out, Florence’s eyes lit up when she spotted the variety of Lunchables.

Here’s a suggestion to the Jersey Turnpike: Add some High’s stores along the way.