Dear Farm Community -

Is spring early? Is winter late? These are the questions we are asking ourselves as our ranunculus, anemones, and poppies begin to put out more and more blooms and our tulips peek their heads out of the soil. Perhaps La Niña graced the Southeast with a mild winter, perhaps the winter is saving up its wrath for February and March, perhaps it’s some other mystery we will never be privy to. But even barely having seen winter, all the signs of spring are here, complete with a spring cleaning blitz at the farm. Last week Farmer Alex and Farmer Casey re-organized our outdoor tool shed/farmer kitchen area and we are LOVING the new setup. Farmer Emma took it a step beyond and scrubbed the exterior of our veggie walk-in free of years of algae and grime and it’s looking so clean that we need to wear sunglasses to make direct eye contact with it.

In flower land we also had a big week prepping for — believe it or not — fall blooms! If you remember, not too long ago we dug up all of our dahlia tubers - our annual chore to protect them from the winter freezes and divide them to plant again the following season. After some weeks in the cooler, it was finally time to get our snips and knives out, get dividing, and take stock of some numbers! It took our whole flower crew several days to wash them, divide them, and record counts but we’re feeling ready to get the ball rolling on dahlias 2026!

When we divide our clumps of dahlia tubers, we have to take great care - do it right and you’ll see your dahlia potential multiply! Do it wrong and you’ll be looking at empty fields. What is a dahlia tuber anyways? A dahlia tuber is a fleshy storage root cluster (not a true bulb like daffodils or tulips) that holds energy and needs an "eye" (a small bump on the crown/neck) attached to a piece of the main crown to grow, and separating them involves cleaning the clump, cutting it into smaller sections (each with an eye and crown piece), trimming excess roots, and letting cuts callous before storing in a cool, dry, dark place before planting in the warmer weather. We’re looking forward to sharing more of our 2026 dahlia journey through the year!

Want to support our dahlia habit? Sign up for a Three Season Flower CSA and we’ll share with you the fruits of our labor!

three season flower share

Your CSA shares this week contain daikon radish! This absolute gem of a winter root veggie comes in many colors and is suuuper versatile due to its mild spice level and bright, crunchy texture. One of my favorite ways to enjoy daikon is cutting into rounds for dipping. While you’re at it, cut up some of those carrots in your share, too! Golden idea of the week: Get some of your friends over (who are probably also CSA members since you definitely have told them all about our awesome CSA…..) and have a gathering of the dips! Imagine sitting around a table full of your friends AND bowls filled with hummus, egyptian fava been dip, baba ganoush, sour cream and onion dip, Lebanese garlic sauce, olive tapenade, Thai pork-and-tomato dip, and more! Daikon also makes up half of the recipe for the most delicious breakfast/hours d’evoures - just slice it into rounds and top with smoked salmon. Magnifique!

If you want to cook up your radish and carrots, get your sharpest knife out and prepare to chop! Bibimbap is a delicious weeknight meal that cooks up fast once you get all your veggies prepped (kitchen gadgets come in handy here if you have ‘em). Add some beef bulgogi to your bibimbap bowl if you’re a meat eater. Chefs Kiss.

Embrace the daikon!
Diamond Hill Farmers

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