It’s Summer!! We made it to our longest season in Alabama and I couldn’t be more excited for all the fresh produce that comes in Summer. My most favorite would have to be basil! Yes. You read that right. Basil is such a versatile herb plus an excellent companion plant. It can be added to tea, lemonade, sweet, and savory dishes. Plus who doesn’t love basil pesto?!? I for one won’t raise my hand because pesto is a favorite around here. We actually had this for dinner last night! If you love pesto too, you can grab yourself a jar or two here. We make a lime version too!

CORN went into the ground super late….not just that, but then we had to transplant it! Yep, we did that….some work was getting done on our property and it was run over, but we couldn’t let it go to waste. Hence the transplanting…….we’ve been babying it in hopes that it would perk up and now it has! 

Beans are growing in plenty on the farm and more have been started. The new ones will go to our land, but for now we’re enjoying watching these ones grow! This trellis was originally built for peas in the Winter, but these beans have found their way up it all on their own.

Did you know that both Hawkins Homestead Farm and Kith & Kin CSA are a part of Sweet Grown Alabama? Well you do now! This is a program that links what you’re looking for to a local farmer in your area. We love that this is available in our neck of the woods now!

Our go to green that survives the Summer heat is Asian Spinach. It’s doing very well, but the bugs absolutely love it. Flea beetles and worms are the absolute worse. So we keep it under cover from the time of planting.

Turkey deposits are NOW live! We know people want turkeys for their big feast, but the way things are going, get 2! We ground ours up each year along with marinating turkey parts for the freezer.

It was just announced that Dothan has made the National list for the top 50 cities with rising COVID-19 cases! This city is SO small, this can only be because people truly believe that the virus is over. It’s NOT! Please, please, take precautions! Brandon and I talk about the number of people who don’t have masks and it amazes me to think how something so simple could protect so many, but people won’t adhere to it. Dothan is number 48!

In addition to turkeys Kith & Kin CSA is now open for Fall membership. Secure your food and support local farmers who are concerned about growing food the way it should be! Now through 7/15 you’ll get a free jam or jelly with every order.

We are planting something almost every single day! Another run on the grocery store could mean disaster for SO many people and we want to be there for the community. Already we’ve seen a rise in prices of everyday items, plus beef is outrageous right now and apparently pork is next. I reached out to Working Cows Dairy to see what cuts of meat they have and we advise you to support them as well. They have ground beef and of course dairy products which can be frozen for later use. Of course we don’t know what will happen, but we all have to eat!

So I’ll close this month with asking everyone to please be safe! We know that some people will get sick, but if you’re able to, stay home! The beach will still be there. The mall isn’t going anywhere, and you don’t need to take your kids out to entertain them.

Wear a mask because you don’t know if you’re asymotomatic and could be carrying the virus. Protect yourself and those you love.

As a suggestion, when you go out for the essentials, grab some board games and a deck of cards. You’ll be surprised how this brings families together and it’s fun too!

I am not a TV watcher, but I do love a good show every now and then. So if you have something that you’re interested in, catch up on it.

Lastly, please don’t forget to get some form of exercise in. You can do this at home. In my neighborhood, I’ve watched this couple walk the length of their driveway for exercise and thought what a cool idea. Gym not needed!

Just throwing some ideas your way.  My offer still stands for seeds for anyone who wants to plant a garden!  We’ll talk again next month. Until then……