Dear Farm Community -

PHEW! We’re pooped after a banner year for Mother’s Day flowers!!

If you’re not in flower farming or floral design, you may not know this, but Mother’s Day is basically the flower-industry equivalent of the Olympics. Cue montage: flower farmers in sweatbands bench pressing buckets of water, harvesting gigantic armfuls of flowers, pounding energy drinks, bunching blooms at lightning speed. You plan for it all year, you train for it, you harvest and bunch until your hands stop feeling like hands, and at a certain point, you leave a little bit up to the flower gods.

It’s a whirlwind, it’s grueling, it challenges the spirit, it absolutely pushes our bodies to their limits, and it’s also one of the biggest, most energetic, and most gratifying weeks of the year. Every May, the flower team gets low key addicted to energy drinks, 2:00pm morale snacks become absolutely essential, and time becomes a little wobbly. But today, the Monday after the marathon, lightheartedness, deep breaths, and regulated nervous systems return again.

Our flower crew truly deserves a huge round of applause for absolutely crushing it. The weekend weather cooperated and we sold out of bouquets at nearly all of our markets, and so many mamas, grandmas, and beloveds got to be celebrated with flowers grown on our farm. And if you’re still looking for a slightly belated Mother’s Day gift, it’s not too late to gift a Flower CSA subscription: one beautiful bouquet every week, with delivery available!

The success of our flower program is in no small part thanks to our flower manager, Alex, whose birthday cruelly falls right before Mother’s Day every year. A harsh fate for a flower farmer. But we celebrated last week as best we could with party hats, music, desserts, and, naturally, more flower bunching. Happy birthday, Alex! Another Mother’s Day in the books.

This week in your CSA shares we’ve got just the most gorgeous leeks we’ve ever grown. I am not being dramatic ~ this is the best crop of leeks we’ve seen come out of our fields to date. Leeks are allium luxury: mellow, savory, a little sweet, and very good at making simple food feel fancy. They serve as the main attraction in this Alison Roman elevated side dish of Spicy Caramelized Leeks with Fresh Lemon, and play an essential supporting role in this NYT recipe for Roasted Asparagus with Crispy Leeks and Capers. And while the weather is heating up and a hearty bean dish may not be what you’re looking for, I implore you to try this “greatest hits” recipe for Miso Leeks with White Beans. It’s a tried and true standout. If you’re feeling really fancy, try your hand at this Leek and Potato Galette with Pistachio Crust. Absolutely wild. Whatever way you eat them… enjoy!

First you take a Leek ………….
Diamond Hill Farmers

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