Dear Farm Community -

Last week on the farm was a whole lotta just regular nothin-special-to-report farm work for us (which, after the previous week’s cooler fiasco, we’re plenty satisfied with). We’re getting into that time of the year where every day’s a harvest. There are melons to check for ripeness, squash to pick before they grow too big, okra to git before they git big & woody, beans to pluck by the thousands, and tomatoes springing forth from the vines in miraculous numbers. It’s a lot to stay on top of! But it’s also a spectacular display of abundance ~ just check out the picture-perfect harvest above!! Have you ever seen such a masterpiece?

In the in-between harvesting veggies and flowers and prepping for our markets we managed to get a good bit of weeding done (the neverending summer task…. if we’re not tired of doin it you better not be tired of hearin about it!) This past week’s efforts got us all caught up on tending to our next succession of summer flowers. Zinnias, cosmos, celosia, and marigolds for days and days!

Farmer Isaac and Farmer Tommy did some more work on the new insulated cool-room too ~ we’re so close to making use of that extra storage space!

Your CSA shares this week include blueberries and tomatoes - we are truly in the swell of summer goodness! If you want a simple way to zhuzh up some roasted or grillled chicken, check out this this blueberry mostarda (a.k.a. “fancy italian berry sauce”) recipe from one of our fave Atlanta chefs, Steven Satterfield, in his cookbook Root to Leaf: A Southern Chef Cooks Through the Seasons. (Check out this cookbook & his newer one, Vegetable Revelations!)

Blueberry Mostarda
1/2 cup Champagne vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 shallot, minced
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
pinch kosher salt
1 pint blueberries
In a small saucepan, combine the Champagne vinegar, sugar, shallot, mustard seeds, ginger, bay leaf, thyme, and salt, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the mixture is reduced by half, then add half the blueberries. Cook until the sauce starts to thicken and the blueberries have burst, then add the remaining blueberries and immediately turn off the heat. Let cool to room temperature. Serve with skin-on chicken thighs, sauteed quail, or on a cheese plate.

Now, those tomatoes in your share - there are a billion ways to use them and I’m sure you have a few you’ve got your mind set on, but what is more simple or more satisfying than the quintessential tomato and mayo sandwich? What you gotta do is…. get yourself some good bread from the farmers market on Wednesday (Creature Comforts 5-8pm - be there or be square!) or pop by our local fave Independent Baking Co.. Slice that juicy perfectly ripe tomato with the sharpest knife you own, to a thickness that makes your heart sing . You’re welcome to whip out your Duke’s mayo (or brand-loyal equivalent), but maybe this week consider making your own. It’s another one of those things that you don’t realize is really so easy until you do it! Once you make your first batch you’ll be hooked. This might be the first recipe shared in our newsletter that doesn’t include a single vegetable, but you GOTTA try it out and see for yourself. This Homemade Mayo recipe from Downshiftology is tried and true, and produces the most delicious mayo in probably the whole world - use good eggs and use avocado oil if you’ve got it!

Mayo week be full of delish food
Diamond Hill Farmers

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