This Week's Market…
May 3rd - May 9th, 2026
Markets:
The farm stand is open on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I will be at the Hall’s Way market on Thursday from 2 pm to 6 pm (see more details below), and I will be at the Depot St market on Saturday from 7:30am to 12pm (also see more details below).
This Week…
Banana bread
Apple pies
Mixed nut tarts
Chocolate balls
Muffins
Veggies: chard, kale, cilantro, parsley, radish, lettuce, collards, bok-choy, Spring onions, and I should have some garlic scapes!
Bok choy pesto
Goodbye Julian…
A few months ago, I went into the O’Reilly Auto Parts store to get a battery for the tractor. A sweet high-school boy was working and came to my rescue when I stood in front of the wall of batteries, not knowing what to choose. He helped me decide, and after I paid for the battery, he asked if I needed help taking it to the truck.
I said no. And you could see that he didn’t like my answer.
“Let me do it anyway,” he said. And right then, my heart melted.
He grabbed the heavy battery, and we went outside. 45 minutes later, we were still standing there, in the parking lot, talking…
He told me about high school. He told me about welding classes at the community college. He told me about the auto parts store. He told me about wrestling. He told me about starting a mowing business…
Something in his energy was familiar… His ambitiousness, the drive, the focus… I guess I saw myself in him. I was this boy once… Going, going, going, constantly, really wanting to make it in just about everything.
I fell in love. Completely.
We exchanged numbers and planned for him to come to the farm to give me a price for mowing. I really wanted to support this young man in some way or any way possible.
We kept texting, and a few weeks later, he showed up at the farm. He was so polite and respectful. And I remember being amazed at the way he communicated with me. We decided on a price and two weeks later, Julian Combs (on the right in the picture) rolled down the farm’s driveway in his pickup, pulling a trailer with a commercial mower on it.
Someone was with him, and when the passenger door opened, I was so happy to see Jaxon! (on the left in the picture above). I’ve known Jaxon for a couple of years. I’ve been to his house, he went camping with us, I took his prom pictures, he’s been to my house for parties, gone fishing with Benny, and sweet Mika (my 9-year-old) had a total crash on the guy!
I didn’t know until that moment that these boys were best friends, but as I hugged them both, it all made total sense! Jaxon was there to help, and so they went to work.
This was just a couple of weeks ago.
On Saturday night, Jaxon and Julian lost control of the Honda, not two miles from my house, and hit a tree. The car was split in half.
Julian died instantly. Right then and there, his body on the wet grass, on the side of 158. There was nothing anyone could have done to save him.
Jaxon is in the hospital. Last I heard, he has brain swelling and bleeding and is in critical condition.
What? Why? How?
I am not even sure what to say. I literally talked to Julian last week. How is this making any sense?
My body is hurting. My heart is hurting. Our kids are hurting. The town is hurting. This boy meant so much to so many people, and I am not surprised at all. Police had to close 158 last night due to the large crowd gathering at the tree. We listened to each other… High school kids standing in the bed of a pickup truck, crying, sharing stories and memories of this beautiful boy and how he touched their lives.
If you see me a bit off at the markets this week, please forgive me. My brain is still trying to understand what we are dealing with here. They didn’t say when the funeral is… It might be on Saturday. My things will be at the market, and I might need to leave early. I really don’t know. We’ll just have to see.
Goodbye, sweet Julian, I so so wish I had more time with you! The farm and I will miss you. So very much.
If you believe in the power of prayer, please take a second to say a prayer for Jaxon. For his recovery, for his healing, for his family.
May is Mental Health Month…
In other news, maybe better news, my oldest daughter won the Person County mental awareness art contest…
The theme was: Radiate resilience: Show How You Shine Through Challenges.
Here is what Maya wrote:
“The piece I created shows a girl standing on a stormy beach. Around her, everything is dark and overwhelming—but above her, a lighthouse shines, revealing something you wouldn’t see otherwise: a sky full of color and stars.
I made this piece because mental health, to me, isn’t about escaping the storm. It’s about standing in it… and still finding something to hold on to.
There was a time in my life when I hated the darkness I was in. I didn’t understand it, and I didn’t think anything good could ever come from it. But over time, I realized that even though I didn’t choose those experiences, I could choose what I did with them. I could let them shape me into someone more understanding, more aware, and more compassionate toward others.
The darkness didn’t define me—but it did teach me. It helped me recognize the light when I found it. It helped me see things in myself and in others that I might have never noticed otherwise.
That’s what the lighthouse represents to me. Not a way out—but a reminder that even in the worst moments, there is still guidance, still meaning, still something reaching back toward you.
This piece is also very personal because I created the idea with my mom, who has been one of those lights in my life. That connection means everything to me.
I want people to look at this and feel seen—not just in their strength, but in their struggle too. Because even if you’re still in the storm, that doesn’t mean there isn’t something beautiful waiting to be found.
There’s a quote that inspired my work: “I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.”
And I think that’s what resilience really is—not ignoring the darkness, but learning how to see the stars within it.
Thank you.”
I am so darn proud of this young lady! Just like Julian, she is ambitious, kind, brave, and compassionate. In different ways, I was reminded this past week how special our kids are. How much impact they have on our community and how much I want to create a place for them to shine, grow, mature, and discover.
There is a ceremony on Thursday night that Maya and I have to attend. Again, the veggies and everything else will be at the Hall’s Way market, but I might not be there the whole time. Maybe Nori will run the table. My brain is so overwhelmed right now that I haven’t figured things out yet. But we’ll be there.
Comfort…
Yes, I know it’s May.
But, fuck it, this week, all I want is comfort food. Combine the cold temperatures with a broken heart, and a bowl of my mother’s soup is all I want.
So that’s what you’re getting too.
This Israeli Bean soup is medicine for the soul. I hope you make a large pot.
If you are new here…
Welcome!
Hi friends! I am so excited that you are all here on this email list so I can communicate with you directly. I am going to try to send one email a week with farm and market updates.
This email list is powered by Substack. If you’ve never heard of it, Substack is a platform that combines social media, podcasting, video production, writing, and email communication without being dependent on an algorithm.
It helps us, content creators and business owners, create content and deliver it to you directly. If you are in my space, we can communicate without a robot between us. Yay!
It also helps us get support from the community. This email list is completely free; however, many people ask me how they can support the farm. Substack offers a paid membership option as well. You can learn more about it by clicking the button below:
That’s it for now, friends! Thanks for your support. See you at the markets.
~ Lady Lee ~