Look around where you live and find your local businesses. In the midst of this pandemic this is such a great idea!
Share information about them with the community via Facebook pages and any social media. Let’s help our local small businesses – now more than ever. Here is just one buy local page for our area – look for locals where you live also!
https://www.facebook.com/MarylandBLC/
Our own Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission keeps us up on all the latest goings on for our communities.
…Even if you don’t need a product right now, think of ways to help all our small businesses, see if they have gift cards you can buy now and use later, I visited Chesapeake’s Bounty in St Leonard, Maryland and got a gift card which helpes them financially at the time of the crunch. My elderly aunt needed to stop going to the grocery for the stay cat and so I got her goodies from Pepper’s Pet Pantry and then realized Pepper’s would have Shepherd-size bandannas and we could have human size face coverings and also support our Pepper’s.
Be sure also to see our blog (link below) for the Pandemic which we are trying to update all along as we can. Respect the hopes of others to stay safe and wear a face covering for all in-person shopping. Call your local stores and see if they have some kind of online or by phone shopping if you are staying ‘safer at home’.
Bandannas from Pepper’s Pet Pantry. You can call and order by phone and they will bring it to the car outside – No contact purchasing!
Monnett Farms
https://www.monnettfarms.com/?fbclid=IwAR3M01JH0x1GUTNxdnbSFKDqsaDo8y1QVejyvJNmRSyxffAdRR8sW9IckTI
and also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/monnettfarms/?ref=br_rs
MEZEH – I never have to cook again
Calvert County Farmer’s Market Association have organized to have online ordering for families and no contact pickup. If you do not have this where you live then share this idea with your local Farmer’s Association.
They made it very easy to order and we can no-contact pickup at the Prince Frederick location of get added delivery.
THIS LINK IS DOWN – updating today April 20th by evening we hope.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScm5rXupgkSZudidt26KPaqErQvUp1JBVk6QKVJKypXPpFoTw/viewform
In-between – main page: https://calvertag.com/
Chesapeake Custom Embroidery has stepped up and is making masks
Masks Masks Masks
This wonderful local company took their business and adapted to help. We have needed masks in Southern Maryland and all over the country and Chesapeake Custom Embroidery has stepped up!
All things considered I would say this is a reasonable price and they have shipping for those who do not live in SoMd!.
https://www.cceink.com/face-masks
Also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bohemiabees/
Bohemia Apiary is another wonderful Southern Maryland local business on the Eastern Shore. They do sell on line so you do not have to travel the Bay Bridge to get to their store, you have it right in hand.
Sweet Sue’s Bakery in North Beach is another of our small businesses who is still staying open to help us all with wonderful things to eat.
Cake, Cake and Cupcakes and for good measure – Cake!
“Due to the changes involving the Governor’s “Stay at Home” order, Sweet Sue’s will only open on Saturdays and Sundays from 730a to 2p.
We will only accept online and phone orders during these hours. All payments will be processed remotely. The door to the shop will be locked and a table will be placed outside to pick up your orders.
This has been an agonizing decision. We feel obligated to provide service to our community but recognize the need for everyone to do their part to contain the spread of this virus. We ask that you please consider supporting Sweet Sue’s on the weekends to allow our business to sustain through these unprecedented times.
Online orders can be placed with the “Shop Now” button on our Facebook page or through our website www.sweetsuesbakeshop.com
Call us at 410-286-8041. We can process payment for gift cards over the phone if you are looking to support us in that manner.
We appreciate everything our employees have endured with us these past few weeks and know that these challenges are temporary. Thank you for your continued support.
Megan and Jon – owners”
https://www.facebook.com/Sweetsuesbakery/
You can put the environmental needs of your home or your business into the able hands of the team at J & J Environmental Services, Inc.
Living in the south we all need to maintain our properties with the best expert professionals – Bo McKenny and all his crew Steve and Joey and all the folks will make your septic worries go away. They are a full service company and you can call them for your needs today. 
(410) 257-4444 I was happy to put my home in their hands and they did not disappoint.
Providing septic installation, repairs to drain fields, septic pumping and certifications.
ORIGINAL November SBS POST:
All know I have been keen on DNA for genealogy and anthropology for eons now, and most of my blogs are about people living and dead and their DNA, their histories and herstories and lives – which include food and music.
There are stories, studies and articles, and archaeology and research to back them up, over which haplogroup marks the first farmers and which were the hunter gatherers. And there is much speculation about exactly when, why and how these groups emerged.
What led man and woman to master or mistress agriculture and create permanent communities? Maybe, like me, they had too much stuff to move. But they still had to eat, so our beloved farmers stayed with us collectors to found the first base camps!
But whatever made folks settle down, settle down they did. And the harvest time did come, first in nature but now through the toil of men and women who have their farms, their small businesses and services.
The pre-holiday dinner is the slow cooker’s dream. Clean, peel, do some slicing and crumbling; then add it all in the cooker and let it begin. I coat the bottom of the slow cooker with extra virgin olive oil. I add butternut squash in 4 pieces, carrot strips, and whole small (or cut) young turnips, and the whole green tomatoes. I like to add a package of ground beef crumbled onto my stews and fricassees and let the meat flavor the vegetables. I add a couple of cups of water, which will make stock. Then I add the London Broil on top and cook on extra low for 4-6 hours until the vegetables are done. All the vegetables can be placed on a dish for serving.
I then put the London Broil in a baking dish. I make sure I have enough stock by adding more water to the liquid in the slow cooker. I spoon the ground beef onto the top of the Broil. This will help hold the stock on top of the meat. I cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and cook the London Broil in the oven for about 3 plus hours at 325 degrees. I turn it one time halfway through. I put the beef crumbles back on top and spoon the stock over the top. I add more water if needed.
With the beef stock and about 1/3 of the crumbled beef, I add a pound of dried beans. The beans should be rinsed and boiled in water for 5 minutes. Allow them to cool and drain the water off. Then add the beans to the meat stock and slow cook until tender, adding more water as and if needed.
The produce came from different farms; I must ask someone and add the names 🙂 The London Broil and “about” a pound, more or less, 🙂 of ground beef, clearly came from Battle Creek Beef. But I got everything at Chesapeake’s Bounty here in Southern Maryland, some things at the North Beach location and some from the St. Leonard location
Whole green tomatoes are just delicious in with slow cooked meats and vegetables. Their idea of being a fruit bursts through with flavor like a tart and delicious sort of but not mango-like or papaya-like or peach-like yum! The London Broil is like tender butter and the stock adds to the already tender vegetables of butternut squash, young turnips, and carrots. This will feed us well while we cook the upcoming holiday dinners.
Southern Maryland’s country beauty is maintained by the best tree experts in the region. Tri-County Tree will take care of your property needs for normal maintenance and emergency storm needs. Brad Dowell and crew are the best and like many local businesses are family owned and operated. Families with deep roots and tall and wonderful trees through Calvert, St. Mary’s, and Charles counties whose traditions in southern Maryland go back generations with generations welcoming new families into southern Maryland living.
The St Jude Bear wearing his mask and social distancing – staying safer at home.
Don’t forget your local charities. Calvert’s own Smile Thrift Shop and Food Pantry has worked to keep the food pantry open throughout this pandemic. They need our help, like we need theirs.
https://www.facebook.com/SMILE-Thrift-Shop-664027130614100/
Our favorite ~ No-slice pie. You take it home and get a fork. You can start in the middle or the sides. Silly fun.
The Lotus Kitchen featuring Kim’s Key Lime Pies
https://www.lotuskitchensolomons.com/
And later this year you will have to look for the end-of-year annual small business Saturday.
I love that someone came up with the idea of having a Small Business Day to remember our community companies and the people who work and even volunteer in the places we call home. I try to remember each business and service provider in our community. I encourage all my readers, countywide and worldwide, to look for your own small and local service providers and businesses and support them. If you know of some special ones in your community, add to the comments and share.
Use Google Search to find your local businesses. And start following local community pages on Facebook. We learned about companies we never dreamed were here.
Search for local farmers’ associations and markets and local meat and dairy. Which roadside shops carry local goods. And who provides community and local work. Like our company for local and regional research (when time slots are available for particular places) from Richmond to the District of Columbia, from Charlottesville to Annapolis, it is family and local history that gives ancestry its color, flavor and harmony. Oh yes – music too.
SBS every year the Saturday after Thanksgiving
Save some of that shopping money to visit your local places on Saturday for Small Business Saturday!
Here are a few of our favorite places to support community people and events. Some are on websites and some are only linked through Facebook
Chesapeake’s Bounty
Locations in St. Leonard and North Beach. But of course you will want to visit them before and after Thanksgiving since much of dinner can come from them. They also they have beautiful flower arrangements in pumpkins and cornucopias, and Christmas trees of every size and shape and lots of wreaths and evergreen decorations.
Local, Farm-Fresh Foods from the Chesapeake Bay Region
and also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ChesapeakesBounty/
You can find harvest holiday fun and delicious items at Chesapeake’s Bounty. The sign of welcome to all is at the St Leonard location; I must get some photos for the holidays of their many Christmas trees! The photos of the produce are from the North Beach location!
As I wrote in the DNA of Dinner and other stories – we want to get our DNA sequenced and you can do this via the link to join our DNA project and get advice and help to decide which test. But then with your DNA results you will want to use my blog pages for your learning experience. See all about us below and here Cherie Lynn’s French Broad River Families DNA Project.
https://www.familytreedna.com/group-join.aspx?Group=FrenchBroadRiverFamilies
DNACentral
But we also know one of the most wonderful places to “go” for lessons on DNA is with DNACentral. They are also an online small business – that is not so small anymore. But home owned and operated by Blaine T Bettinger – and all accessible right from your computer or IOS device.
They also have this page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/geneticgenealogytipsandtechniques/
MKONO FARM
https://www.mkonofarm.com/?fbclid=IwAR3CECDkGpUaNC_RFc6eWAeLoSqhfVfQzq7-qS7qkw-ug1BzeFvBDQwQCYE
and also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MKONOFARM/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARB0qbprBHbVg_OtsdTXcG87mbsQ-o03m_aCHCMm0b6g1E0ZeCzm_6O76ijGhpVB6QrFovtIblIfIQJ6
13372 HG Trueman Rd
Solomons, Maryland 20688-1060 (410) 326-4006
Pepper’s Pet Pantry
Cannot forget to shop for the 4-legged creatures and Pepper’s has so much to choose from. The dogs can bathe and many can get coats and of course loads of food and everything you need to give the pets their holiday fun as well.
https://www.pepperspetpantry.com/
and also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PeppersPetPantrysomd/
The world of today depends on the wheel or your wheels. The wheel might have been late in history but it is none the less as important as dinner. And finding mechanic’s is like searing for a doctor. Some might even spend more time researching a doctor for their wheels than they do in a doctor for themselves.
Four Ts Garage in California, (Lexington Park), Maryland has many fans besides myself. One poster on their Facebook page wrote: “They did some custom exhaust on my ____ Totally exceeded my expectations, and I’m a picky …person)” 🙂
I feel the same way in the sense that I want to understand what they do and why. But they work on cars and trucks and they know the ins and outs of making them “run real fine” 🙂 as the saying goes.
Shockwave Disc Dogs LLC.
You must visit their page and see all the wonderful feats with the Shockwave Disc Dogs!
Broomes Island Produce Farm
https://www.facebook.com/bipfarm/
Vintage Treasures and Nused Furniture
https://www.facebook.com/Vintage-Treasures-Nused-Furniture-304200919602799/
4 all of Southern Maryland Four Ts Garage
4 Ts garage just south of Walmart off Three Notch Road on the right. They are right after this car wash that I keep hoping to use before I drop it off.
on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Four-Ts-Garage-142492122429026/
and:
California, Maryland 20619
SMAWL St Mary’s Animal Welfare league
Cardinal Creek Plant Farm
and also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CardinalCreekPlantFarm/
Calvert County Farmer’s Market Association
http://www.calvertag.com/?fbclid=IwAR2pwuCY_9Oy1RxAfEKayhexgzX-bY0mmZrVRYNAV8I-v3YfRqQsOjQNnKk
7th State Builders
There are times you just start hearing about a company that you had never heard of before and then you hear about them from many directions and even see them! They drove by in one of their trucks one day at an intersection – name so pronounced on the truck and I thought, I just heard about them!
With genealogy you think about thing like your ancestors location. The first county in Southern Maryland was Charles County – it had every where. Then one after another our home state’s counties came to be. This is a company I have not used yet! But maybe learning about them has spurred me to get some of these home jobs sorted out! And being they are from our 7th state of the union… a business to support!
Search your local associations on Facebook and often they will list their websites on those pages, making it easier to find them. Search for your county. Here is Calvert County with also wonderful family history and several DNA studies. The y-DNA haplogroup for The Calvert men of Calvert County is an R1b!
Our page is not monetized. We have supported local buying from previous years of Buy Local and Small Business events. This year has been no different and we have supported the local businesses this year all. This was a previous campaign, earlier this year.
Previously: Our community leaders have organized a buy local campaign which I think is wonderful. This begins July 18th and runs for the week.
“…Don’t miss the 2020 Maryland Buy Local Challenge Week, July 18th through July 26th! Take the pledge and post your fun finds with the #BuyLocalChallenge on Facebook or Instagram for a chance to win a prize…”
Cherie Lynn’s Herstory
https://cherielynnsherstory.com/
Heirs And Heirlooms, Genealogy & Heirloom Replacement
We are also a small business 🙂
We as in me, myself and I, and all others who are recruited from my network – which is a state secret. We provide information to help you make decisions about DNA-for-genealogy and anthropology testing. We also do some genealogy and help each other to learn about our families’ pasts.
All too often, folks accept online trees with no documentation, then just add names and more names back in time. It is such a shame that we do not fill in the generations with personal and local history, and each generation’s vital record documentation. We use DNA to verify every line, using multiple relatives to identify every family group. We identify biological families and/or help to find information about our ancient ancestors.
You can discover and confirm some of the heritage of today’s farmers and yesteryear’s farmers and even the ancient farmers of long ago.
In DNA haplogroups, many see the y-DNA signature of G, who moved from the Fertile Crescent through Central Asia and eventually to Europe.
Our Dai’s grandfather grew up in Southwest Wales. His family were farmers then and before and now. And their ancient haplogroup and genetic signature tells us they descend from farmers who arrived maybe as early as 10,000 years before the present to farm the Gower and beyond.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llanfihangel_Aberbythych
Note the photo of this farm in Carmarthenshire, the photographer is herself 🙂
The Thanksgiving sale is on now but there will be other specials on Black Friday – I bet! So keep the link and wait for better sales – I think. There are sales all year long. All American holidays, DNA Day and so on, and different items all year long – so there will always be another sale. This site is my project but NOT monetized.
https://www.familytreedna.com/group-join.aspx?Group=FrenchBroadRiverFamilies
And, we can not only learn what our peoples ate, where and how they lived, we can also learn 🙂 what music they loved!
Aretha Franklin and Eurythmics – Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves (Remastered)
And for our beloved farmers – nothing like Extreme Sheep Herding with Lights!
Music for food growers!
Old McDonald Had a Farm – Ella Fitzgerald
Sheep – The Strawbs
Click Go the Shears – Lionel Long
Pastures of Plenty – Woody Guthrie
Now I’m a Farmer – the Who
Patches – Clarence Carter
Plow to the End of the Row – Adrienne Young
The Rain Came Down – Steve Earle
Next Year People – Colin Hay
A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop – Neil Young
Thirty Years of Farming – Fred Eaglesmith
My Oklahoma Home – Bruce Springsteen
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/aug/06/readers-recommend-songs-about-farming-results
Another of my blogs on food and DNA
None of my pages are monetized
Cherie Lynn's Herstory 