Herbs, produce and baked goods are helping fund one local young woman’s dreams of becoming a nurse.
Wolftown resident and Madison County High School graduate Willow Rudolph is enrolled at Piedmont Virginia Community College pursuing her associates degree. She will graduate next December as a registered nurse and continue her education at the University of Virginia with dreams of starting her career in the intensive care unit or emergency room before eventually becoming a flight nurse and perhaps later a nursing teacher and mentor. And she’s making it all happen through her farmstand.
“It started as a simple idea and a joke one day,” Rudolph said. “I had extra vegetables from the garden and I have always dreamed of having a farmstand. I didn’t realize it was possible.”
Rudolph’s boyfriend heard her talking about the idea for a few weeks and one day, she came home to find a newly constructed farmstand. With help from her mother, Rudolph decorated and painted the stand, turning it into a pink and white staple with bright colored signs luring customers in for vegetables and baked goods.
The produce is grown mostly by Rudolph who has gardens at her house as well as at her grandmother’s and father’s home. This is the second year the self-service stand has been operating and after seeing how successful last year was, Rudolph worked with friend Dylan Jarrell of Jarrell’s Excavating to expand the gardens. She also bakes treats for the stand including cookies, biscotti, cake pops, muffins and more utilizing her mother’s recipes. Rudolph said her mother operated a bakery and shared all her recipes and tips. When her gardens can’t keep up with demand, Rudolph supports other local growers and small businesses to fill the gap. She also barters, trading baked goods for fresh fruit including watermelons, peaches and cantaloupe and picks her own blackberries, blueberries and wineberries.
“It’s definitely a labor of love, but it means everything at the stand is fresh, local and made with care,” Rudolph said.
Rudolph restocks the farmstand daily. On days she works at the University of Virginia Health Pre-Operative Unit, the stand is stocked in the wee hours of the morning and again when she returns home, sometimes after a 12-hour shift. On days she doesn’t work, she keeps a close eye on it, sometimes restocking as many as four times per day.
“I try my best to keep it full and fresh for everyone who stops by,” she said.
The farmstand has become more than just an attempt at fulfilling a dream. Rudolph said over time, it has grown to be more meaningful, especially once she realized it could be used to help fund her nursing school journey.
Everything is sold at the stand by donation and Rudolph keeps track of what she makes, setting it aside for school expenses. She uses the funds to cover direct costs including books, clinical scrubs and shoes and supplies such as a stethoscope and practice mannequins. The funds make a big difference, she said, because it allows her to use the income from her daytime job for day-to-day living expenses.
“I don’t put prices on anything because I want people to feel comfortable picking out what they need without pressure,” Rudolph said. “My goal is to create a space that’s welcoming and based on trust. I happily accept whatever folks feel is a reasonable donation toward my nursing school journey.”
Folks can keep up with the farmstand, named Weeping Willow’s Farmstand, on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572589013543). Rudolph routinely posts photos and updates of what is available at the stand, which is located at 64 Garth Run Road in Wolftown. She accepts cash, Venmo, Zelle and Cash App as payment.
