Dear Farm Community -

Hot enough for ya last week? The heat must've summoned some serious Murphy’s Law magic from the soil, because during that sweaty fever dream of our first 90-degree week of the year, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Okay maybe that’s a little dramatic, but we sure felt the drama when our main walk-in cooler stopped cooling on Thursday morning. As the day went on and temps crept upwards we made phone calls and shuffled veggies and flowers from cooler to cooler, property to property, to keep everything the right temperature. The HVAC techs took a look at the cooling unit and gave us the news: on a farm full of abundance, squirrels had chosen to eat wires. The unit was totally busted and needed replacing.

The situation still wasn’t resolved Friday as we began our weekend market harvest. With enormous loads of veggies and flowers coming in from the fields, we were sweating a little wondering when the HVAC techs were going to get us up and running again (to be clear, we were also sweating because it was a sticky humid 90F out…) Fortunately they were able to replace the unit and have us cool as cucumbers again by the day’s end.

Some days, it really feels like we’ve got this whole farming thing down. With a core crew that’s been together for years and land we know like the back of our hands, things often run smoothly and predictably. But last week was a good reminder: farming means working with a whole lot of variables. Sure, we expect the usual suspects - weather, germination rates, rainfall - but sometimes it’s the wild cards, like a rogue nest of squirrels, that really keep us on our toes.

Beyond the logistical puzzle of working around a dead cooler, it’s also an unexpected and hefty bill we’re faced with, setting us back on the budget we had hoped to use to replace one of our dead farm trucks. So hey ~ if you’ve got an old pickup you’re looking to lovingly retire to the good life, give us a holler! We’ll give it a second act in the veggie fields.

How about them veggie fields anyways! We’re busy out there harvesting potatoes and melons, the first trickles of okra, the oncoming flood of tomatoes, and beautiful cucumbers that are sights to behold. We also planted out a whole field of sweet potato slips this week - so close to those yummy greens and we’ll be swimming in sweet potatoes this fall! Have a peek at what we’re up to out there:

Your CSA shares this week include BEANS! Quintessentially summer, beans can be cooked up in so many ways. Use those fresh potatoes in your share too with this summery recipe for Green Bean and Potato Salad (it calls for purple potatoes but any color works!) With the heat wave this week you might be doing some cooking outdoors… if you want to cook green beans on the grill look no further than this recipe for grilled green beans which calls for some tamari and garlic powder for that good umami flavor. If you have exceptional air conditioning and plan on cooking stovetop, this Blistered Green Beans with Walnut Sauce recipe is chefs kiss…. I’ve personally been enjoying them lately frizzled in a cast iron with a generous (very generous) serving of garlic thrown in right at the end, finished with a spoonful of capers and a lil squeeze of lemon juice. Something to think about

it’s so fun “bean” your farmers
Diamond Hill Farmers

who knew squirrels could be so expensive!

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