Dear Farm Community -

Happy (belated) Equinox to everybody!! :-)

What an absolutely magical time of year ~ the point at which the scales tip from darkness, cold, and rest, to a time of light, warmth, and activity. After even a few years of farming, something inside of you reverts back to a lizard-brain type way of being… this sense of cycles, connection with the seasons, the wisdom of nature, and the sacred meaning of each time of year. It can be easy to fall into habits and favorites, preferring the blossoms of spring over the struggles of winter. But it’s that long stretch of winter that carries us to this shifting of the tides ~ the rest of our emptier fields that lets us recoup from last year’s hard work, the cold that readies flowers to bloom, the quiet months spent coaxing seeds into seedlings that makes planting days possible, the darkness that primes us to greet the first sunrise of spring with such reverence. For us, this is what really feels like the new year. With the last frost behind us (knock on wood), we’re packing up our frost cloths and beginning our spring work.

As our farm continues to grow, the dance of our work becomes more interwoven and complex. Our farmers move like busy bees across the land, weaving in and out of each other’s tasks and spaces—one team seeding in the seedhouse, others turning beds or planting out babies, others tinkering with the farm truck or rigging irrigation, while just down the road another crew harvests or works on projects. It’s tempting to call us a well-oiled machine, but we’re something more alive than that ~ an organism, each of us part of a living, breathing system we’ve built together. And when everything moves in sync, it’s truly a sight to behold. Last week felt like one of those times, with so much energy in the air and everyone in such cheerful spirits with the sunshine kissing our shoulders once again.

Read on for a blitz of all the activity and hijinx on the farm lately:

𖤓 If you remember those seed potatoes we prepped for planting a few weeks back, the Morton Rd crew made quick work of getting them in the ground this week, and by the looks of these eagerly sprouting potatoes, they’ll be off to the races in no time! We also planted out summer squash in the field nextdoor ~ only a matter of time now till we’re hauling around hundreds of pounds of zucchini 😱

𖤓 The Beaverdam Rd crew also “took a trip to Tuber Town” and planted out this year’s dahlias! After all the fall work of digging these out of the ground, sorting them, and dividing them, it’s a huge feeling of success having the cycle start anew. Shoutout to the veggie crew for helping flower team get these in the ground! We’re so excited for all the varieties we have planned this year.

𖤓 The sunshine also welcomed some unexpected visitors….. (Farmer Reid safely relocated this misguided gentleman)

𖤓 We had some amazing sunrises at our weekend markets in both Athens and Atlanta ❤️

𖤓 And of course nothing like a beautiful day on the farm to give us a case of the sillies (Farmer Adrian, specifically)

𖤓 Maybe this week you’re feeling the pull to get in on some of this beauty and joy. Take your love of local farming to the next level by joining our CSA!!! With this incredible weather and the fields filling up with fresh vegetables and flowers, it’s a pretty magical time to jump in.

join our csa

CSA shares this week contain…. CARROTS!!!!! Grocery stores couldnever match the flavor of a homegrown carrot. Our overwintered carrots are so divinely sweet because of their cold weather endurance, where starches are converted to natural sugars resulting in a delicious delectable incredibly sweet flavor. While the nights are still a little crisp, fire up your oven and roast up a batch of these honey roasted carrots. Toss them into a Tik-Tok-viral Carrot Ribbon Salad with an asian-inspired flavor profile, or keep it simple and whip up some hummus ~ perfect for dipping those sweet roasted carrots! Need more inspo? Head to the recipes section on our website for some more faves :-)

Wearing extra sunscreen already,
Diamond Hill Farmers

perhaps a taste of springtime?

join our CSA