The end of April marks the end of my first month as a member of the Red Dog Farm field crew, and my first month farming in Washington. As a recent transplant from western Montana, this spring has been a time of discovery and learning for me. I find myself in several new communities at once: the Red Dog community, the larger local community of Port Townsend and the Quimper Peninsula, and the even larger natural community of plant and animal life that makes up the local ecosystem.

I’ve been introduced to new crops I’ve never worked with before, like the delicious and beautiful French Breakfast Radish, and to the local markers of seasonal change, like the return last week of the swallows who nest under the protection of roof lines here at the farm. Working our booth at the Saturday farmers’ markets in Port Townsend, I’ve had the privilege to meet many of my new neighbors and fellow citizens, and to trade observations about springtime and favorite spring recipe ideas with them, forging connections through a shared respect for nature and the inexhaustible wonders of plant life.

These new community connections seem to grow stronger and more vibrant in parallel to the emergence of the spring flowers all around us. As the spring rolls on into summer, I look forward to learning even more from my new communities, to strengthening my local ties and sense of place, and to the growing feeling that this is home.

-Naomi