Every Wednesday, farmer Richard Settle wakes up before dawn to load the truck with homegrown plants and produce and leaves Culpeper County at 4 a.m. for the two-hour drive to Sherwood Regional Library.
“If you don’t like to drive, this ain’t the place for you,” said Settle, owner of Sunset View Farms.
Settle has been taking the weekly trip to Mount Vernon for the last 25 years to sell fresh produce to locals at the Farmer’s Market.
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Over the last three decades, Settle has owned and operated the family business in Reva, VA. Farming is second nature to Settle, who, like many farmers, started at a young age.
“I just liked it,” said Settle. “Mom and Dad were doing it, and I just got into it.”
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This month, Sunset View Farm is selling tomato plants, snap peas, and a variety of fresh herbs. But it’s the summer crops including cherries, peaches, pears, and plums that keep people coming back to their stand, said Settle. Later in the summer, apples are big sellers for locals.
What keeps Settle coming back to the Mount Vernon Farmer’s Market?
“The people,” said Settle, who sees a lot of longtime regulars who have purchased goods for the better part of 25 years. “I always like the people.”
Be sure to stop by Sunset View Farms' table at the Mount Vernon Farmers' Market at Sherwood Regional Library on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to noon.
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