Though these farmers may be a little sick of all the rain over the past several weeks, if you look around the farm this time of year it’s clear that water really is the source of life. Yesterday, while checking on the brimming irrigation pond in the upper fields, a mallard mama duck proudly launched across the water with 8 ducklings in tow. Her movement sparked a chorus of chatter from the red-wing blackbirds bobbing on their cattail-mounted nests around the edges of the pond, each with a just hatched collection of babies peeking over the side. Wading in to rake pond weed from the grate over the downspout, I avoided several clusters of translucent frog eggs, but didn’t manage to avoid the hidden muskrat channel cut in the bank. And farther up the field, where the pond proper transitions to marshy grassland, bobolinks sang their complicated spring song.
In total, our farm has four irrigation ponds that collect spring snowmelt and rain and store the water for summer dry spells. While we haven’t needed to tap into this source yet this season, each year brings different weather patterns and the ponds provide an insurance policy for our crops, guarding against late frosts and summer drought. In 2023 we saved a field full of onions, garlic, and greens from a late-May freeze by irrigating all night long, and we’ve endured weeks-long heat waves by metering out the water half an inch at a time. It’s a powerful feeling to switch on the electric pump and watch dozens of micro sprinklers fire up to place water exactly when and where we need it on our crops.
While this spring’s rains have delayed our hay baling season a bit longer than desired, the good news is that the hay fields (which don’t have an irrigation source) are growing great and should yield a good crop when we are able to mow. The two fields that we managed to cut last week are already carpeted in 4 inches of soft green regrowth. And where the grass is still thick the mama deer are happy to find a hiding spot for their fawns while they graze at the field edges. Between the ponds, the fields, and the forest, there’s a lot of life on this farm, and it is all so dependent on the water that sustains us all. And now, I’m going out to practice my sun dance because one cannot live on rain alone!
Cheers
Norah and the Sweetland Crew
Week 4 Harvest Arugula Mesclun Lettuce Baby Pac Choi Kale Carrots Potatoes Parsnips Scallions Radishes Beets Asparagus Cucumbers
What’s Cooking This Week
You can find ingredients for all of these recipes in our farm store! We source meats, dairy, grains, beans, sweets, and more from local and sustainable producers. Don’t forget to use your CSA member discount by entering your account phone number in our POS (member discounts are automatically applied to LocalLine purchases for off-farm delivery).
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Grill up some VT Bean Crafters Falafel burgers and top them with arugula or lettuce, cucumber, and tahini sauce
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Pac Choi in Ginger Sauce with rice and crispy baked tofu
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Scallion Mashed Potato Pancakes with Pan Seared Sweetland Pork Chops
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Colcannon (Potato and Kale) Soup with Cheddar Scallion Biscuits