*Our hardest-working employee, Chicken, inspects our stringing and pruning*

Dear Farm Community -

It’s hard to believe we’re nearly in August already! We’re so grateful the summer rains have finally paid us a visit - the rain was sorely needed and the resulting soft soil provided us a great opportunity to get some serious weeding done! Pigweed continues to terrorize us in every corner of the farm, but we ripped a ton of it our of our okra field which is going to make harvesting sooooo much more pleasant (however, anybody who’s been around an okra plant knows that “pleasant” may not be the right word!) We also gave our cucumber seedlings some more breathing room, weeding out the grasses that were choking out the plants. The soil really was perfect conditions for this. Around these parts, the satisfaction that comes from uprooting a weed and easily shaking off the soil from its roots is unmatched. Check out a little satisfying before and after of one of our new tomato plantings:

While not the most compelling or exciting farm news, weeding is an ongoing reality during the warm months that is such a fundamentally crucial component of organic farming. Keeping the weeds at bay with elbow grease means we can reduce competition between crops and the weeds for water, light, and space, enhance airflow around the plants to reduce the chance for diseases like harmful fungus and rot, and reduce the habitat and breeding grounds for the pests that damage our crops. Doing all of this by hand and hand-tool means the food we grow is healthier for you and healthier for the planet. Weeding really is a big deal!

For those of you who were as stumped as we were about our wrathful crows/sunflower field situation, we have updates! We figured out a solution that seems to be working so far. Perhaps y’all recall the sheets of row cover we deploy in the winter to help keep crops from freezing - a few weeks back when we re-seeded the sunflowers and beans we pulled one of those out of storage and covered the entire field in hopes that this light- and water-permeable barrier would allow the seeds to germinate without being poached by crows. Last week we peeked under the sheet to see how our seeds were coming along and found awesome germination rates for the bean half of the field. The germinated sunflower seeds are just beginning to come up, so we’re giving those a bit more time “under the covers” but expect this to be a successful solution! Take that, crows!

We do all of this work to grow you the best produce and flowers we can - and your CSA’s are full of it! This week in your shares y’all will be seeing my favorite hot-weather leafy green - SWEET POTATO GREENS! While this Georgia summer heat is too much for any lettuce, spinach, or kale to thrive, we can still get our leafy green fix this time of year with sweet potato greens. Edible stems and all, this green has a flavor and texture similar to spinach when cooked. It’s also jam-packed with nutrients and antioxidants, rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Riboflavin, and Fiber. One of my favorite ways to cook them up is with this recipe for Sweet Potato Greens in Coconut Cream. The recipe calls for specialty ingredients lemongrass and Thai chili, but I have found the recipe works just as well without them if you want to omit! You can also try out this Maple-Sauteed Sweet Potato Greens recipe for a sweeter rendition, or this Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Leaves recipe that brings asian flavors to the plate with garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and Shaoxing wine. I sincerely hope you enjoy this unsung vegetable hero as much as I do!

Happy Eating :)
Diamond Hill Farmers

yummy yummy yummy…

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