Summer CSA Newsletter: June 11th, 2024 (Week 3)

The water pump brings water from the Mahoning Creek up to the irrigation pond!

Hi Folks,

Week III.  

The strawberries are in full effect!  Rain has been little so the strawberries are happy, but the farmers are running around a lot making sure everyone has their fair share of drink in order to grow.  It’s early in the season to be low on water.  We usually expect about 3- 6” of rain each month, and so far we have just gotten less than ½ ”.  So when folks ask us about climate change, this is one of the things we do bring up.  We have noticed less snow pack and more rain in the winters therefore less charge to the water table. Traditionally we were not seeing these dryer times until August and September, vs, June and July.

This week, the water pump has been brought down to the Mahoning Creek that surrounds our farm in a horseshoe curve.  It feels a bit early to already be pumping from the river, but the plants need water and our good ol 'spring only has so much. We depend on our spring water for washing produce, and greenhouse watering as well as water for our home. We have always used the river water, each season it becomes necessary.  It’s where all the spring water around here ends up, so it makes sense.   We pump water from the creek up to our pond.  The pond is our holding tank, so we aren’t constantly pumping.  We tried to drill a well back in 2019, but our water came up super high in Iron and Magnesium, so it was going to be too hard to work with being so HARD and mineral rich, so we resorted to the creek.  We feel blessed to have it right here.  It not only holds a life force for the farm, but it is also an amazingly soothing resting place to pass the time.  We enjoy wading, swimming, fishing and kayaking here.  Just upstream there is the Mahoning Dam.  It was built in the 50’s for flood control for Pittsburgh and within the last decade they have added hydroelectric power to it. 

Friendly reminder that we are hosting an open farm day on June 21st, from 3-6pm. We won’t have catering so we recommend eating beforehand, or grabbing dinner afterward! If you want to make a weekend out of visiting the area, here are some recommendations:

Your Farmers, 

Chris, Aeros & The Who Crew