SP25 (W1): Spring CSA 2025 Begins!

Mar 3

Dear Farm Community -

SPRING IS…… *checks calendar*….. only 17 days away! But for all intents and purposes, Spring CSA is here! Welcome to everybody hopping on board for the season - Spring is such an incredible time on the farm with flowers absolutely exploding, and a ton of veggie variety rolling through. Last year our Spring CSA saw super-seasonal favorites like strawberries, asparagus, green garlic, spring onions, dandelion greens, leeks, garlic scapes, and sugar snap peas! While nature is on her own timeline as far as exactly which week these delights come into season, there is truly so much uniquely spring to look forward to as the weather warms and the earth begins to wake up again. If you haven’t signed up for our CSA yet, our weekly-pay options are still available on our website and you can sign up at any time :)

Lately on the farm we’ve been deep in tulip-land! These suckers are blooming just as fast as we can keep up with, and last week was our first HUGE harvest marathon. Back in November we planted over 30,000 bulbs and we’re beginning to understand the “consequences of our actions,” so to speak. The flower crew is already starting to pick their favorites of the year, with Sanne, Apeldoorn, Columbus, and White Valley as early farmer faves. In the coming weeks you can expect lots of gorgeous tulips in your CSA bouquets!

While our Winter CSA members received it in their shares a few weeks ago, green garlic may be new to those just joining us! This hyper-seasonal springtime delicacy is an early-harvest of our annual garlic planting. By harvesting early we get young, tender bulbs that have the most divinely smooth and nuanced garlic flavor. Because of how tender it is, green garlic is quite versatile and can be swapped in for garlic cloves, onions, scallions, or leeks in recipes. They don’t require any peeling before chopping, and the tough leaves on the upper parts of the plant can be used to flavor broths and soups (save your kitchen scraps and check out this super-handy guide to “scrappy broth” - you can even throw in bones!)

I cannot recommend enough this Alison Roman recipe for “THE DIP” aka Labne with Green Garlic and Chile (you’ll note the actual title is Labne with Sizzled Scallions and Chile, but she writes that she much prefers to use green garlic when available!) Affectionately described as “high-brow ranch dressing,” it’ll be love at first dip. Also highly recommend her website and cookbook for incredible ways to use the produce in your shares throughout the year - she’s a farm favorite! For more recipe inspo, scroll on down to "green garlic” on our recipes page!

Our Know Your Farmer this week is Farmer Zack! Zack has spent many years doing field work on the farm, but these days, you can find them cruising around Atlanta in our big green delivery van - and we couldn’t ask for a better ambassador to our favorite restaurants and florists! We’re so grateful to have Zack on our team—their kindness, unhinged humor, and love for the richness of nature bring such a warm presence to our crew. We hope you’ll enjoy getting to know Zack as much as we love having them on the team! :)

Know Your Farmer:
Zack

What is your role on the farm?
I’m the delivery driver for wholesale produce and flowers going to Atlanta. I show up shortly after everybody else, help finish packing orders, load the van (usually with the help of Averi, Alex, or one of the other wonderful flower farmers), and hit the road. I deliver to an array of upscale restaurants, markets, and florists, including Gigi’s, Little Bear, Gunshow, French Market Flowers, and many others. I love getting to see what becomes of the plants we grow!

Please share your farming journey!
I started gardening on my own in 2021. At the time, I was delivery driving after leaving the restaurant I had been working at for the last few years. My partner saw a post from a friend, that Diamond Hill was looking for field workers, and it seemed like a good opportunity to learn a lot about a newfound interest as well as getting to work outside. I worked full time in the fields for roughly a year, learning a ton along the way, and forming friendships that have lasted years. After a short stint away from the farm spent working at a local record pressing plant, I returned as a delivery driver, and have enjoyed this role for the last year and a half!

What makes you passionate about organic farming?
I grew up thinking there was no way that farm fresh veggies could be THAT good, and I was amazed to find out how wrong I was. I have always loved cooking, and discovering the difference made by quality ingredients was life changing. I also believe that building community support systems is crucial, and that home food production is an important part of those systems. I am also a lover of natural beauty, and the variety and abundance of it on the farm cannot be overstated. From blooming okra flowers, to the stripes of a patty pan squash, to the call of a hawk flying by, there’s always something to remind the senses of the life we share with the land.

What do you like to do when you're not at the farm?
I enjoy painting and playing music, and spend a lot of time hanging out with my partner, Froggie, and our pets. We live with Froggie’s grandma, and I spend a fair amount of time working around the house, and keeping up with the garden as well. You can generally find me with a sitcom, audiobook, or favorite song on in the background as I go about my day.

Fun facts about Zack
I once hitchhiked from Florida to California and, according to 23andMe, I am in the upper 80th percentile of Neanderthal DNA-havers.

What’s something you’ve done on the farm that you are proud of?
Working in the fields—the daily pride of turning around and seeing your day’s work laid out behind you was always deeply satisfying. As a delivery driver, when I tell people I spend my days driving a van through Atlanta, they sometimes look at me like I just said, “I’m a lion tamer” or something. I don’t think much of it because I enjoy the work, but now and then, it’s nice to be reminded that the abilities we take for granted are something to be treasured.

What’s your favorite crop to grow?
Watermelon!

What’s your favorite crop to eat?
My favorite crop to eat raw on the farm has to be a fresh, juicy carrot—or a good watermelon on a hot day. If we’re talking cooked food, simple roasted brussel sprouts or butternut squash would probably be my favorite.

What is a small thing on the farm that you are grateful for?
It’s kind of hard to say, because even small things on the farm end up feeling huge—but the sound of the wind from a hawk’s wings as it flies right past me always stood out. And it happened far more often than you might think. Aside from that, it would have to be the hours spent working closely with some of the most interesting, talented, and caring people I’ve ever met.

If you were any farm tool, vegetable, or flower what would you be and why?
If I were a farm tool, I would be an irrigation line. As a vegetable, I’d be a Corno di Toro pepper. If I were a flower, I’d be an orange marigold.

What do you think about when you’re harvesting?
*Baby Elephant March by Henry Mancini plays*

In your opinion, what is the best season and why?
Spring/early summer. It’s so full of hope, and growth, and warmth.

What are your aspirations at the farm?
To deliver the sh*t out of that produce.

We’re all in the pack shed finishing up a big market harvest and you’re handed the AUX. What do you play?
My haunted, carnival music playlist.

What is your favorite Diamond Hill Farm memory?
I know this is a lame answer, but there are far too many to choose from. Every time I try to pick one, something else comes to mind. One that stands out is probably Carter busting out a flamethrower to get the bonfire lit at one of our equinox parties. (editor’s note: technically, it’s a flame-weeder we use for weeding on occasion, but it’s basically a flamethrower)

What is your favorite thing about Diamond Hill Farm?
Working here

What is something you want people to know about our farm?
No one does it like us, and we are the best.

Enjoy this beautiful weather,
Diamond Hill Farmers

We love to share!

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