Vegetables -- Fresh From Local Gardens

Randy Deel lives on a working farm on Blue Ridge Turnpike east of Fincastle.

Besides raising beef cattle and alfalfa hay, his father always kept an acre garden. After his father’s death in 1989, Randy continued with the cattle and hay farming and has expanded the garden to an acre-and-a-half.

New to the Botetourt Farmers’ Market this year, his garden offerings reflect the best of what the season has to offer -- spring peas, beets, cauliflower, green beans, cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini and tomatoes.

Deel’s fruit trees provided tasty sweet ad sour cherries at a recent market, some of which ended up in homemade cherry pies and preserves offered by fellow vendor Linda Ruggles.

Doing all the gardening work himself, Randy Deel tries to pick his produce as close to market time as possible for freshness -- even to the point of picking peas in the rain!

He finds it gratifying to see his customers pleased with the quality of his produce and enjoys the time spent at the Botetourt Farmers’ Market.