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 made up of 72 or 128 cells, each of these containing a baby plant. We pull trays down from the shelf and into our laps. The tractor hums loudly. The pitch heightens as the tractor...
read moreFor 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, hobby, etc. It’s amazing how much our hands do for us and the people around us! Today, my hands have ground my coffee, pet my dog, driven me to work, cut a lovely slice of bread...
read moreMother’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 swirl behind the dancing canopy of trees. I see puffs of dandelion seed floating, gently settling nearby. I remember the feeling of sticky, sweet cherry juice on my lips, the smell...
read moreFrom Seed to Salad
This is the first season we’ve grown oakleaf lettuce as a head lettuce. We source organic Bauer pelleted seeds from Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Maine. This particular variety of seed is named after one of Johnny’s employees, John Bauer. The green Bauer oakleaf lettuce, one of many lactuca sativa (lettuce) varieties, is a type of butter lettuce with distinctly lobed leaves. Being a butter lettuce, it has tender, sweet leaves and a mild flavor. The lettuce heads grow in loose, round-shaped heads. It is an open-pollinated seed, which means...
read moreFrom Romeo to Roscoe: Names on the Farm
When I first started working at Red Dog, one thing I did not expect was all of the names I would have to learn. Now, I’m not just talking about the names of my coworkers (though there were about 15 folks working on my first day, and learning their names was definitely a challenge), I’m talking about their radio handles, the names of different crop varieties, field names, greenhouse names and truck names. To say I was overwhelmed on day one would be an understatement. How on earth was I supposed to learn all these different names?! I started...
read moreFarm Clothes
There’s a painting called American Gothic by Grant Wood that depicts a man and woman in practical clothing on a farm. It has been inspirational as a slice of life, a piece of art that makes life look pretty predictable in the setting of a farm. Now, I am not sure where the artist was from, but out on the Olympic Peninsula, the weather demands a lot of the clothes that the Red Dog crew wears. Let’s talk about it. In the spring, the crew can go in and out of the greenhouses, along with facing the outdoor changing weather...
read morePoems Grown in the Fields
RaabAs daylight stretchesin comes an awakeningerupting new growth A flower’s missionsending bright stalks to the skyand just before bloomWe free them from timesweet, tender from stem to leafa farmer’s haven Crane Wings spread wide and liftover a vast flooded fieldsunlight reflectingOff water, blindingthe farmer driving the trucktoward distant cornersShe doesn’t see ittwo loose feet floating belowthe bird as it lands Tulips Bright green trianglesrippling and stretching skywardescape the earth first Leading the way forheaven’s...
read moreAn Exciting Start to the Season!
Welcome to Red Dog Farm’s 2024 CSA Program! Thank you for your support this season and trust in us to grow you some stellar vegetables, tulips and berries to nourish you, your family and friends. Here on the farm, we are so excited about this season. As the crew harvested today, we all commented that this is one of nicest first shares we can remember. Lucky you! Thanks to our greenhouses and hard-working crew, we are so pleased to have so many fresh greens for you so early. This past winter brought us the second-lowest temperature I’ve...
read moreThank You for a Wonderful Farming Year!
It’s hard to believe another season has come to an end already! This year concludes Red Dog Farm’s 16th season. You’d think that after 16 years, we would have figured out just about everything there is to know about growing and selling produce, but alas there are always more lessons to learn, trials to undertake and new projects to begin!This year felt like a big learning year for me and the farm. I’m tired and ready for rest now, but already there is a spark of energy to take the lessons learned this season and apply them to making...
read moreGear for a More Pleasant December
The crew comes from a diverse background with varied amounts of experience working outdoors. With the winter rain in the forecast, we should all remember the motto of “no bad weather, just bad gear.”To start from the ground up, one would be wise to get a pair of rubber boots and a couple layers of socks. Hiking boots don’t usually come up high enough, and they can be hard to clean. A basic rubber boot can get a daily or weekly washing, and won’t cost too much either. As for socks, I prefer wool under a cheap cotton sock. Cotton...
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