Dear Farm Community -

Our berries are ripening on the bushes and cherry tomatoes are rolling in! Our plants are continuing to thrive in this super wet, super warm, off-and-on again sunny weather (truthfully we could use a break from some of these flash rainstorms!) We’re still waiting on melons but we’re not far now - our super yummy sun jewel Korean melons are the first ones looking ready and close to harvest! We planted out some more beds of melons to keep the party going through the whole summer season. Our crew also harvested over 2,000lbs of potatoes last week - a literal ton! No wonder they're looking so exhausted!

In flower land, most of our dahlia plants have sprouted which is heartening to see, and quells our fears of a repeat of last year’s mistakes. Now we just need to keep these babies well-weeded and nurture them to their late-summer early-fall blooms. Our snapdragon plantings grew some beautiful flowers this spring, but it was time to say goodbye and we spent an afternoon last week pulling up a bed of plants and flipping it into a planting of some additional chrysanthemums! While we planted out most of our mums a month or so back, we just couldn’t resist adding a few more extra-special varieties. These incredibly beautiful heirloom varieties come from 3-porch farm, friends just down the road from us in Comer, GA who specialize in heirloom chrysanthemums. Last year was our first experiment with mums and we’re so excited to expand and build on our knowledge of these incredibly versatile flowers this year. Take a look some of the extra special heirloom varieties we’ll be harvesting this fall - SO much to look forward to!

On to the food! Your CSA shares this week include CUCUMBERS! Now, we know y’all had free range to grab as many cucumbers as you wanted last week (one of the perks of being a CSA member - if we have an overabundance of something, we’re happy to share!)… so you may be asking yourself, “What the heck am I going to do with more cucumbers??” Well, friends. If you’re not already there, let me show you to the world of pickling

Pickling is an age-old method of preserving fruits, veggies, and other foods that has been practiced for thousands of years across so many cultures! Your grandma and your great grandma would probably know her way around a pickling recipe or two ;) Pickling uses salt and acid to prevent food spoilage, and in the process creates a tangy, sour, savory flavor depending on the technique and ingredients used. You can experiment to your hearts content and craft your own recipes - it’s really more of an art than a science - but here are a few baselines to get you started with the cucumbers in your share (we’ll share a pickled okra recipe later in the summer!)

For the classic dill pickle: Classic Dill Pickles
For when you need pickles - NOW!: Quick-Pickled Cucumbers with Rice Vinegar
For the spicy pickle lover: Killer Spicy Garlic Dill Pickle Recipe
For you bread and butter pickle weirdos: Bread and Butter Pickles

If you’re looking at these wondering if you have the kitchen skills to make pickles - I promise, you do! It’s one of those things that seems daunting until you do it and realize it’s really ridiculously easy and why did nobody tell me??? It’s going to be great. You’re great.

To expanding culinary horizons and connecting deeper to the earth we share - happy pickling!
Diamond Hill Farmers

be cool as a cucumber…..

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