For my next installment of my Local Spotlight series, I've got an utterly fascinating gentleman, Warren Howell. Warren is the owner of Allder School Berry Farm in Purcellville. I had an absolute blast chatting with him. He has so many interesting stories, I have a feeling he could fill book after book with them.

Warren has been farming for a very long time. It was a little over 40 years ago that he started his first farm. He used to work as a freelance translator for the World Bank, which left him able to set his own schedule. Warren did all of his farming during the morning and early afternoon, leaving the hotter parts of the day to his translations.

As the years went on, things shifted slightly, and he spent the better part of his time doing something I didn't even really know existed. Keeping with his love of farming, Warren opened Four Season Farm Services. This was a custom farming business that enabled people to keep their property zoned for agriculture without having to actually do the farming themselves.

Warren has also served with the Agriculture department of the EOC of Loudoun County, but in 2009 he went into "full" retirement. I have to put quotes around "full", because even though he has left behind the traditional workforce, Warren is anything but retired. He spends his days tending to his glorious berry farm, and working on expanding his crops.

It has actually been very difficult for me to grab photos of the berries that Warren grows, since he has such a huge fanbase, he's typically sold out very early in the Market. Blackberries, blueberries, red raspberries and strawberries are among his most popular items, but last weekend, he started something new, that I suspect as soon as word gets around, will really take off…. roasting peppers.

Sean and I had the privilege of taking photos of some of the very first peppers to be roasted right at the Farmer's Market. I sampled one this past Wednesday, and lemme tell ya … they're AWESOME.

I definitely suggest stopping by Warren's booth the next time you head to the Leesburg Farmer's Market. Not only does he carry a superior product, but you'll end up with a new friend, as well.

Ways to keep up with Warren:
Wednesdays – Leesburg Farmer's Market, from 2:30-6:30 (he is also the Market Manager)
Saturdays – Leesburg Farmer's Market, from 8am-Noon.
Facebook, Email or Phone (540.338.6412)

Stay tuned for more post about some of the other great vendor's I've met. And remember … SPP is very proud to offer a 10% discount on any of our services to those who support any of the Loudoun Farmer's Markets.