Phew, we are happy to get some rain. There's something about a good soaking that really brings it all together and it's almost like you can hear the plants breathing a sigh of relief (or is that from the farmers?).
Ever wondered what we do when it doesn't rain and the crops need moisture? At the farm, we have a gravity fed irrigation system that keeps our fields well-watered. It's a sturdy 8-inch pipe that runs from the farm, under the river, up the adjacent hillside, and ends a few hundred feet in a creek where it pools. Every spring, a few of us paddle a canoe across the river, bushwack up the hill (there's a good deer trail to follow), and move some rocks into place to make a spot in the pool for the opening of the pipe to sit. The line fills up, and we have hydrants around the farm that we can open and close as needed to run a sprinkler line.
In the fall, we canoe across the river again to take the line out over the winter, and drain it out to avoid water freezing in the pipes. A few years ago we had a close encounter with a black bear. He was not phased by our presence, and simply made it clear that he was having a perfectly mellow day in his spot and didn't feel like moving...we bushwacked a new route to give him lots of space. Usually, however, it goes pretty smoothly. There isn't much human activity on that side of the Lillooet River, but plenty of wildlife tracks that are fun to see.
Pretty neat, no? Nature is incredible, and there's something about fresh water coming off of the mountain that gives the plants an extra sparkle in the field.
We hope you enjoy this week's veggies!
