Selling Plant Starts: Not Just for Springtime
Shopping for baby plants for your garden in springtime seems like a long way off during the wet, cool winter. But here on the farm, selling plant starts is nearly a year-round endeavor. As the farm office manager, I spend most of my time at a computer, and these days, that means entering data from this spring’s plant starts sales into a spreadsheet so we can better analyze our sales and plan for next season. Soon, Karyn will be meeting with the PT Food Co-op and Chimacum Corner Store to negotiate which of our nearly 100 varieties of...
read moreWorking in Weather
Today was one of the worst weather days we have had on the farm since I started here, almost six months ago. Rain, high winds, and an omnipresent cold combined to form inescapable, unpleasant conditions in the fields. Our roads have turned into muddy rivers, our fields into lakes. As we harvest, we are pelted by rain, we slip in the mud, and we feel the water soak through our outer layers into our inner ones. Yet, through it all, my friends keep their spirits high. Perhaps the joviality I notice comes from the relief of knowing that, after...
read moreBeet and Fennel Soup for Cool, Rainy Days
As the encroaching clouds of fall loom heavy over the heads of the field crew, who is harvesting our end-of-season veggies, we here at RDF turn up our collars and pull tight our hoods against the chill of the wind and the spackling of rain that seems to come almost daily these days. There is something deeply satisfying in seeing the full turn of the seasons: from the planting of the first seeds in early spring to our much anticipated, if not somewhat melancholy, chore of putting our beds to rest for the winter. There is much to do around the...
read moreWelcoming Winter
As we say goodbye to October, it’s becoming very clear that winter is upon us. The nights are getting colder, the days are getting shorter, and I’ve found myself opting to stay in my bed watching movies rather than getting out into the woods during my free time. Driving to the farm this morning, I was greeted by a beautiful sunrise over Mount Rainier followed by frost-covered fields here at Red Dog. The orange light reflecting on the icy fields made for a beautiful sight, especially after we had such a clear weekend. It’s moments like this...
read moreDelicious Fall Nutrition
I love Fall. The shorter days dictate more rest. The seasonal foods assure hardy comfort. The blustery weather encourages wool sweaters, book reading and craft projects. What’s not to love?! One food that most symbolizes fall to me is the pumpkin. One of my goals this fall is to make (and eat) more pumpkin pie! It’s the easiest pie to make and practically a health food with pumpkin, milk and eggs. Pumpkin soup is another favorite in our house. Sometimes we go with sweet spices like cinnamon and ginger, other times we take a more Thai turn...
read moreMeet the Farm Trucks
As much as I love my sweet red midsize SUV that gets me to work in the morning, takes me adventuring on the weekends, and brought me here all the way from the east coast, there’s nothing like a farm truck. I didn’t know what I had been missing out on until I met Red Dog’s beautiful fleet of multicolored trucks that are consistently muddy and worn, finicky yet reliable, and bouncy but cozy on the coldest, wettest fall days. Each truck has a name and each one most definitely has a personality to fit it. When I first started here, I didn’t think...
read moreThanks, Veggies!
Certain vegetables just have something special. Maybe I’m partial, but fall harvests have me giddy with all the ways they give freely to us. It’s easy to forget just how much time and effort we as farmers have put into a crop by the time it’s harvested and ready to eat! Take our winter squash, for example. It took a giant crew, huge fields and lots of planning to get those babies in the ground months ago. And maybe an even bigger push to get them all clipped off the plants and out of the fields for safe storage. Now we’ll have squash for...
read moreGo Team Winter Squash!
When life gives you a bad tulip year… you make it a standout squash year!!! I remember a few short months ago we were disappointed by an underwhelming spring tulip yield, a time of year where we are craving growth and bounty. But we shan’t dwell on that too much because luckily we don’t put all our eggs in one basket, we put our eggs in a hundred different baskets! By that I mean we plant over a hundred different varieties of plants. This year we planted 9 varieties of winter squash planted over 3 acres and 3 different fields. After prepping...
read moreSeasonal Changes Nurture Personal Growth
As this summer fades and fall and winter approach, I am filled with a melancholy. The days become ever shorter, the nights longer and colder, and the friends I have made on the farm begin to take their leaves for their winter lives. Some I plan to see again next season, some I never will. Change, ironically one of the only constants in life, has never sat well with me. I have always done my best to avoid it, and the reminder of it as seasons change has always pressed itself upon me like an unfortunate weight. But here, on the farm, change is...
read moreAutumnal Farewells
When you spend your time pulling carrots out of the ground during a heat wave, or cutting salad mix as the wind tries (and succeeds) to steal the leaves from your fingers like it did during last Friday’s storms, it’s impossible not to become close with the folks who are working alongside you. Since I moved across the country to work at Red Dog just four short months ago, I have been shocked by the community that this farm has given me. During that time I’ve made lifelong friendships here, getting to know each of my workmates—what makes them...
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