The Burning Barrel Farm

10/22/2026

It’s Thursday!

We will be at the Rustburg Ruritan Community Farmers Market from 3-7.

Come see us!

10/20/2026

It isn’t Sunday, but it is still a great day to share our most notable customer(s) from this past weekend!

We had quite a few customers who really stuck out in our minds, but we will focus on one of our favorites.

This customer is a man who has come to us almost every Saturday for well over a year…maybe even two! When we first met John, he was not in a good place and seemed to be really frustrated by what life was offering at the time. Bit by bit, he began taking small steps to rebuild the life he was living into a much better one.

John is an avid biker. That is how we first noticed him: he stopped by one morning for a muffin after his bike ride. It was during this time in his life, we noticed he began biking more and focusing on his health, both physically and mentally. He began going to social events and making new friends. He joined biking groups in order to surround himself with like-minded people. And that is when it happened…John found out who he truly was. And he was happy. Happy like we had never seen before.

Then it happened. John fell in love with an incredibly kind and thoughtful woman. They bike together, they camp together, they make dinner together, they just do life together. John’s face is always the same. It is happy and never frowns. He even brings his beautiful partner to the Market.

John has impacted us in many ways, but what stands out the most is the effort he took to fix a broken part in his life. He fought for himself when no one else would. It was hard for him, but he pushed through and came out a better man and even found someone to share that with.

We are honored that John is our friend and that he allowed us to be a part of his story. He definitely has his “ducks in a row.” 🦆🦆🦆

10/17/2026

Friday nights mean one thing (besides football)…our weekly update on all things!

Only this week, we didn’t have that many pics to cover all the activities: football games, moving animals, school, baking, picking up vehicles from the mechanic, Emily’s fall break, etc.

And, as always, we end our week with the best part…Market Day at The Historic City Market!

Come see us tomorrow from 9-3 in Market Square!

10/15/2026

Come see us today from 3-7!

Guess what?????? Tomorrow is your favorite day of the week, its MARKET DAY!! Here is your vendor line up:
Wh***ey Ridge Homestead
Mor-Lyn-Del Farm
Ida Marie's gardens and gifts
Stone Crow
The Country Crumb LLC
Hundley Home Goods
Robert Art Photography
The Burning Barrel Farm
Kingsfold Farm
Mimi’s Cookie Jar
Better Days Soaps & Skin Care
The Garden Honeybees Farmstand and Bakery
Bennie’s Seafood LLC
Knot a Clue Crafts
Woodside Country Crafts and More
Hollow Oak H**p Farm
Rustburg Baptist Church

Our food truck is Slow Smoke Bistro and I have attached their amazing menu!

DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR CANNED GOODS FOR THE United Way of Central Virginia CANNED FOOD DRIVE AT OUR MARKET FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER!!

If you do not see a lot of vendors outside, they will be inside!!! Don't just assume we only have a few!!

10/12/2026

This week's memorable customer...

We didn't have a customer that really stuck out to us this week. There were; however, a few interesting people who stopped by with some engaging personal information...like the couple whose grandson is a linebacker for Boston College.

So in lieu of writing about a customer, we thought we would highlight our good friend, Elyas. He is the vendor right beside us who sharpens all things...knives, blades to lawnmowers, chainsaw chains, etc.

We have known Elyas for about three years. We have many of the same interests and beliefs. He is always at The Historic City Market on Saturdays available for customers and is known for his catch phrase, "Stay sharp." 😂

Many people know him as "The Sharpening Guy" but we call him our friend. We provided the food from our farm for his wedding reception to his beautiful wife, Erica; he has been a big brother to our son, Timmy; and a great friend and colleague to us at the Market.

Elyas shows up and engages in intelligent conversation every week with, not only us, but his customers (and ours, too). When his job has him traveling anywhere near our farm, he always stops by to say hello and usually ends up sharpening our knives, too (mostly because it kills him how we store them which makes them dull)

When Elyas misses the Market, it is because he is either sick or helping a family member with a task that can't be handled alone. He is a truly nice guy. BUT he is also really good at impersonating Gollum from The Lord of the Rings, creating incredibly beautiful geometric art and all other kinds of ink drawings, and a GREAT conversationalist about conspiracy theories and just life in general.

Check out his business, you won't be sorry. He is a really great person and an even better sharpener! Any Edge Sharpening is parked beside us every Saturday from 10-3.

https://www.facebook.com/share/19gX4wPWbk/?mibextid=wwXIfr

10/10/2026

The weather is definitely coming later today…come see us from 9:30-3 today!

We have some stew beef and roasts left for Sunday crockpot meals!

And don’t forget the biscuits if you’re making gravy in the morning.

See you soon!

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

It’s our weekly snapshot!

This week, we conquered a rainy market day, rainy chores, Homecoming, football games, farm work, a short school week (yay for Fall Break!), and plenty of farm work!

Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new faces at The Historic City Market tomorrow in Roanoke.

10/08/2026

Happy Hump Day!

We hope everyone is easing into October with all the feels of fall!

Just a reminder, we will be at the Rustburg Ruritan Community Farmers Market tomorrow from 3-7!

We will be OUTSIDE!! Yay for cooler weather!

10/05/2026

It's that time again! It is time to highlight a memorable customer in Downtown Roanoke, Inc..

Yesterday at The Historic City Market, it rained all day and it really was miserable weather. We managed to have a few customers stop by and brave the nasty weather.

We had two customers who were really were memorable. One was a returning customer from out of town. She was beside herself because her daughter was getting ready to get engaged later in the day. She was so excited and told us of how much she liked her daughter's boyfriend and how he had asked for permission to marry her daughter. She then proceeded to tell us that her husband had passed away and how weird and difficult it was to hear her future son-in-law ask for her permission. It was bittersweet for her, but more exciting than anything. Before she left with her goodies, she reached across the table and hugged me (Amy). It was genuinely touching. She not only came back to see us, but she wanted to share such a special moment with us.

The second customer we had that was memorable was someone who always buys from us. His name is Chris and he works at Ernie's. He always buys bread from us and is SO funny. Yesterday, he came over to just chit chat. This guy. He is one of the most intelligent people we have ever met in Roanoke. He can carry a conversation with just about anyone, but when you really talk to him, you start to understand just how incredibly intelligent he really is.

We found his use of elevated vocabulary, cussing, and subject matter (politics) so well intertwined and yet, not offensive or necessarily right or wrong. His ability to read us and know we aligned with him politically and then talk about it in conversation as if it was nothing was so impressive. When he walked away, we looked at each other in shock. And not many people shock us (at least in a good way).

Chris is also a dad. His greatest achievement in life is his daughter. She is a freshman at Virginia Tech. I hope she knows how much her dad loves her. He talks about her all the time.

When you look at Chris, you would think he was nothing special. He seems like a blue-collar guy who works at a diner washing dishes and cooking food for people. When you TALK to Chris, you realize he is a lot smarter than most of the people he serves food to. We are literally blown away and honored to have him as a friend.

You really have no idea who you will meet in life and the impact he or she will have on you.

We honestly have the best customers. Thanks, Roanoke. Until next week...