W25 (W6): SOWTH-Bound

Feb 10, 2025

Dear Farm Community -

What happens when over 1,000 farmers get together in the big city? You have the SOWTH conference! Three of our farmers, Alex, Carolyn, and Averi, headed to Georgia Organics’ SOWTH: Small Farms Big Communities conference in Atlanta last week for two days of learning, connecting, and pollinating a network of small growers in the Southeast committed to sustainable farming! Though you wouldn’t know it from the miles and miles of patterned carpet, for a few days the convention center was fertile soil for small-scale farmers to grow and connect. We are so grateful for the abundance of knowledge shared - incredible talks from the folks at 3 porch farm, wild hope farm, broadfork farm, woodland gardens, wholesome wave georgia, grow where you are, UJAMMA, utopian seed project, the appalachian seed growers collective, crystal organic farm, rag and frass farm, mermaid city flowers, and more.

There are so many metaphors that we could use to describe the conference - the fertile ground for growth, our farm as part of this greater ecosystem reliant upon cooperation to thrive, or harvesting such an abundance of knowledge that will help our farm become an even more viable place - and they’re all true. The conference was inspiring, an experience that sparked a deep appreciation for the vitality of our farm, and generated exciting ideas about how we can make it even better. From new perspectives on soil health to more engaging ways to connect with our community, we’re excited for all the opportunity that the future holds!

Back at the farm we saw flowers really beginning to pop! The first tulip bloomed in our seed house on Thursday, and to our surprise when we checked again at 5am Saturday morning, more had arrived! We quickly harvested them before making the drive to our Atlanta markets, and folks were so happy to see them! Check out Farmer Alex with our 5am flowers:

As we sit in anticipation of our Spring CSA to begin (see: flower shares to start!!) we’re still reveling in the winter veggie abundance! Your veggie shares this week contain lots of options and you’ll have the opportunity to choose between beets or turnips. While beets are a beloved favorite, let me make the case for turnips! Our Hakurei sweet turnips are a Japanese variety that are so mild and sweet that they’re barely what you think of as a turnip! Tender and crisp, they can be eaten raw (they make a killer crudité), or cooked up into so many fabulous recipes. Have them simply sautéed with their greens or if you’d like something more decadent, try some parmesan crusted smashed turnips with allll the cheese. For a healthy breakfast to start your day right, cook up a little root veggie hash skillet - and if you end up opting for beets, you can still use this recipe and swap in those ruby red roots :)

This week’s Know Your Farmer spotlight shines on Bekah! It’s no wonder she feels such an affinity for the sweet pea - she is one! Bekah has been with us for over a year now, and her intuition for all things floral has been a tremendous asset in upping our flower game. Bekah’s eye for design is behind the CSA bouquets of 2024 and she’ll be bringing even more inspiration and artistry to our flower CSA in 2025. Read on to love Bekah even more!

Know Your Farmer:
Bekah

What is your role on the farm?
I am a flower farmer at the our Beaverdam rd property! That role includes lots of weeding our flower plantings, keeping an eye on plant health, harvesting flowers, and other odd jobs, as well as bunching flowers for market. I also work two Atlanta markets each month, and arrange the bouquets for our CSA. Hi dad!

Please share your farming journey!
I graduated from UGA in the fall of 2019 and was planning on moving to Seattle in 2020, but then COVID happened. I lost someone dearly close to me, and my perspective and priorities changed. Then I met someone who worked on a farm in town, and I've been farming ever since!

What makes you passionate about organic farming?
Organic farming is the most important thing I've probably ever been a part of. I love cultivating a safe haven for us and the animals and insects; being a positive part of the fabric of our world.

What do you like to do when you're not at the farm?
I'm very much a home body. I'm usually hanging out with my mans Thomas, and our three cats and geriatric rabbit. I'm also typically hand sewing five things at once and consuming too much media.

Fun fact about Bekah
I play piano sometimes. I've been playing since I was five!

What’s something on the farm that you are proud of?
I am proud of my design experience, (shout out to Paula and Ashley!!) and I try to use what they taught me as much as possible when putting together our bouquets. I am also proud of the foraged flowers and foliage we have incorporated into our designs, and the native perennials we added to the farm.

What’s your favorite crop to grow?
My favorite crop to grow is probably ranunculus. They aren't my favorite flower by any means, but I think that the amount of time and energy that goes into a healthy ranunculus crop really demonstrates our abilities as cut flower growers. I knew I wanted to work with DHF when I saw two full houses of them!

My favorite flower overall is definitely delphinium, though! It’s so magical and I feel very drawn to it.

What’s your favorite crop to eat?
Radish! And parsley is my rabbit's fav :)

What is a small thing on the farm that you are grateful for?
I am grateful for jumping spiders. They are the cutest things I have ever seen in my entire life. I will always go out of my way for a jumping spider.

If you were a flower, what would you be and why?
If I were a flower, I'd probably be a sweet pea. Sweet peas require a lot of support to grow, they don't do well in Georgia heat, and they are fragile! The untamable, curly tendrils are finicky, but when they are blooming they are sweeter than anything.

What do you think about when you’re harvesting?
Breathing! Sometimes it can be overwhelming to hit certain numbers, and I like getting into what I call "turbo mode." So it is important to make sure I am breathing steadily while harvesting.

What’s your favorite way to pass the time weeding with other farmers?
I love listening to my coworkers talk about their own gardens and personal experiences. There is so much to learn from each of them.

What are your aspirations at the farm?
I hope to keep adding more successful flower varieties and native perennials! Flowers that take our designs to the next level.

We’re all in the pack shed finishing up a big market harvest and you’re handed the AUX. What do you play?
K-pop

What is your favorite Diamond Hill Farm memory?
Throwing up in the van on my way to my first Atlanta market, and getting dropped off at a Waffle House by the highway so that I could call an uber home.

What is something you want people to know about our farm?
How hard everyone works! The farm is in constant motion and always operating at 100%.

Growing more every day!
Diamond Hill Farmers

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