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Jake DuVall is an upcoming fifth-grader at Greenfield Elementary School, and he has been a vegetable producer for the past five years! DuVall and his parents, Ken and Sheryl, have a nice garden in Troutville. In keeping with the buy fresh and buy local campaign promoted by Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension as well as tourism and area business, Jake DuVall may be the best example of a producer who is making an impression on those around him.

" We keep the prices below the grocery store," said the young entrepreneur, which separates him from some who charge more for locally grown. For instance, he sells three cucumbers for $1.00 and delivers! "Jake tithes 10% of his earnings, too," said mom Sheryl.

What has he learned? He, unlike many young people, knows how to prepare soil and plant vegetables. He knows how to weed and harvest and he knows the value of a dollar earned. He also helps his parents canning the foods they get, whether that be deer meat or green beans or sauerkraut!

On the Botetourt View's visit, he had picked beans, tomatoes, peppers, cukes, squash and dug some potatoes, one of which looked like a mouse!  "Corn is my favorite vegetable to grow," said Jake. He grew a cabbage 14 inches in diameter, too. In the garden waiting to mature he has pumpkins, tons of tomatoes and new plantings of watermelon and cantelopes.

He called a couple of customers for the day--Theo Evans of Troutville and Cheryl Willis, the manager at P.zaz Salon in Daleville, and took some orders. The food left over he and his mother will can-- mostly green beans -- and the family will eat the rest. Stuffed peppers were discussed.

Jake DuVall raised a lamb for his 4H lamb project this year-- he won the novice award for Botetourt County this spring and the family will butcher a trade lamb for the freezer. They also have an orchard of apples, pears, cherries and vines for berries like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and a strawberry patch. All of the fruits they can something-- either sauce, fruit or jelly.

On the delivery route DuVall is enthusiastically greeted by both Evans and Willis. Evans is looking forward to tomatoes and Willis buys all the vegetables he has bagged including green tomatoes, which she fries. "I have been buying vegetables from him since we opened the salon," said Willis.

Sheryl DuVall said, "We don't use spray or dust," so these are healthy home grown veggies. If you would like to contact Jake DuVal, call 589-1792.