SM26 (WK5): Who’s In Blooms

Jun 29

Dear Farm Community,

We blinked and somehow it’s nearly July! The fields are in full summer swing, with our crew harvesting thousands of pounds of produce each week, transplanting successions of tomatoes, squash, beans, okra, and more, keeping up with the weeds, and, believe it or not, already starting fall crops in the seed house. This is about as busy as the farm gets y’all!!

In the middle of all that summer momentum, our crew is shifting and growing, too. Amidst all that, it felt like the right time to put faces to names and help you get to know the farmers behind the veggies on your tables and the flowers in your vases!

With Alex now living her life’s Italian chapters (ciao!), the flower crew is growing into its next season, too. Flower farmers Kalyn and Casey are stepping into new leadership roles, each helping carry this beautiful, ever-evolving flower program forward. Farmer Kalyn will be our new Flower Manager, tending to the big-picture planning and the daily field details that keep the blooms coming: field planning, planting, harvests, crop successions, and all the other moving pieces in between seed and stem. Farmer Casey will be taking the lead on flower wholesale, helping get our farm-grown blooms into the hands of florists, designers, and flower-loving folks in our community. We’re stoked to have this duo leading!

Some of y’all may remember our old Know Your Farmer segment from seasons past. Well, it seems like a pretty perfect time to bring it back! This week, we’re giving you a warm introduction to Farmer Kalyn, our new head of the flower team

What is your role on the farm?
I work on the farm’s Flower Team as the Flower Manager! I help lead our incredibly passionate and supportive flower crew through daily tasks, harvesting, bunching, planting, and caring for the flower beds throughout the season. I’m very excited to step into this role and help the flower program continue to grow. I also work our Peachtree Road Farmers Market stand, so I get to connect with customers and share the flowers directly with the community.

Kalyn’s Farming Journey
I’ve been farming for about 7 years. I sort of happened upon FFA my senior year of high school, but had no serious interest in farming until I was in college. I started working at the UC Davis Student Farm and really fell in love with growing food. I also saw how important it is that people keep working toward a world with more food access and food justice. After college, I worked for a few farms in Hawaii. I really loved working with bananas and other amazing fruits and veggies over there, but eventually moved to Georgia two and a half years ago to be closer to family. That’s when I began my journey into flower farming, which has opened up a whole new world of beauty and creativity for me. I joined onto the Diamond Hill Farm crew this past winter and recently became Flower Manager!

What do you like to do when you’re not at the farm?
I like to grow fruits and vegetables in my garden, listen to music, do crafty things, visit my family and hang out with my little nephew.

What is something you’ve done on the farm that you are proud of?
I took on pruning our blueberry bushes at the farm this past winter. I love having fruits around, and I was happy to get more experience taking care of them. The bushes are doing great and the berries have been delicious!

What is your favorite crop to eat?
Eating fresh, cold watermelon while sweat is dripping out of every pore on my body is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever tasted. Sweet potatoes and spinach are other favs of mine.

What is a small thing on the farm that you are grateful for?
I love watching the bees out harvesting pollen while I'm out harvesting flowers. I feel lucky that I’m surrounded by so much beauty in all the plants and insects that I get to work with. And I’m grateful for how much love is at the farm

What is your favorite season and why?
Spring or Summer - I like the warmth and the fruits!

What are your aspirations at the farm?
I want the weeds on the farm to fear me. I want to help grow really nice, quality, loved-on flowers, and keep learning and growing alongside this team of farmers.

We’re all in the pack shed finishing up a big market harvest and you’re in charge of music. What do you play?
I usually like to put on something funky, I like something kinda chill but upbeat too. Spanish Joint by D’angelo is a classic for me.

What do you want our community to know about Diamond Hill Farm?
My insider scoop on the farm: This team has been so welcoming and supportive since I joined. Carter, the farm owner and manager, prioritizes creating a work environment where employees can feel good, work sustainably, and support each other through the hard work we do. It brings together a lot of passionate people, all working toward the goal of growin high-quality produce and flowers with practices that support the ecosystems we’re part of.

We hope you enjoyed getting to know Kalyn this week :~) Be sure to read along as we introduce y’all to more of our crew in the coming weeks!

CSA Members!!! It’s officially BEAN SEASON !!!!!! While the all-day-long task of harvesting beans can often be likened to purgatory (or meditation, depending on our moods), the delight of eating beans is more like heaven Right now we’ve got lots of green beans and dragon’s tongue beans coming out of the fields. They are pretty much interchangeable in recipes, but dragons tongue are broad and flat (and have funky purple and white coloring!!) so offer a different vibe for your plate. Fear not, they’re delish ;-)

Cook them up with tomatoes, mint, and citrus in this recipe for Turkish-Style Braised Green Beans, where the beans simmer until silky and tender, soaking up all that bright, savory tomato goodness. For a more summery vibe, this Green Bean Salad with Toasted Almonds & Feta takes things in a crisp, refreshing direction with lemon, Dijon, basil, salty feta, and a little nutty crunch. You could also go classic and cozy with garlicky sautéed string beans, blistered in a hot pan until just charred and finished with butter, olive oil, lemon zest, or toasted breadcrumbs. Or take them in a picnic-y direction with a french green bean and potato salad, tossed with herbs, mustardy vinaigrette, and some eggs!

Just like Heaven,
Diamond Hill Farmers

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