Newsletters

June is for Dreaming 

The other day, my coworker Veronica caught me smiling to myself while tenderly tucking a teenage tomato plant into his new spot for the season. I was pretty embarrassed to be caught looking like a ding-dong, but I couldn’t help it – it had a sunny little yellow flower already! That tiny bloom sucked me into a dreamy state filled with thoughts of fresh salsas,...

Reminiscent Times at Red Dog

As I’ve returned to farming, my time so far has felt serendipitous. Although today marks just the two week anniversary of my beginnings at Red Dog, I’ve been quick to remember why farming is such a holistic practice.  Each day I arrive at the farm with my comfy clothes and rain gear, ready to indulge in nature for the next eight hours. I’ll be harvesting...

Winter Roots, Spring Roots

I began my time at Red Dog on a frigid, misty February morning and was amazed to learn my first task would be harvesting carrots. Coming here after a few seasons of farming in Vermont, I’m still not used to the abundance that comes out of our fields even in the colder months. This particular winter harvest was a huge one and the whole crew spent two days dragging...

The Transplanter

The tractor crawls along, the transplanter rolling behind it – creeping, really, slow and steady. Long, green, metal arms reach out, supporting three seats for three riders. All aboard! We plop down, settling into our positions. The transplanter sways with us, bouncing slightly under our bodies.  In front of us are shelves, holding 25 or 30 trays. Each tray...

For the Appreciation of Hands

As I sit here, thinking of what to write about, I notice my hands and how they have changed through the years. They are currently becoming rougher, tougher, and quickly tanning from this spring’s sun! They show scars of previous times in my life. To me, hands can silently but loudly tell a story of someone. They are very becoming of our current time and place, job,...

Mother’s Day

I have been nurtured by many in my life—by my mother, by her mother, even by her mother too. Many, many guided me so that I could grow and thrive. When I think of the care given to me in my childhood, how it felt, I remember the curvature of my favorite tree against my back. I remember laying in tall grass, listening to it whisper in the wind, watching the clouds...