Suddenly Summery
Working at Red Dog Farm and other organic vegetable farms has made me much more aware of the changing seasons than I ever was before. Even though I now spend so much of my time watching the skies and debating the relative merits of different weather-forecasting apps and websites, I’m still surprised and amazed by the commonplace magic of seasonal change. It seems like just yesterday that Charlie and I were joking about paddling a kayak out to the chard beds beyond our flooded lower field, but all of a sudden we have an irrigation schedule...
read moreApril Brings Newness to the Farm
April is such a joyful month, but don’t be fooled by the tomfoolery it plays on us. As someone who is excited and a little naive about growing flowers from seed at home, April has fooled me. Maybe this is the origin of April Fool’s Day! With lessons learned and some heartache over my lost little seedling, I will and must try again. So, if you’re like me, don’t give up on your garden just yet. There is still so much time to plant a summertime paradise.As we welcome new crew members, I can’t help but reminisce on the day I started at Red Dog...
read moreWelcome Back!
Welcome back, CSA members! I hope everyone is doing well and ready to eat some greens! We’ve been quite busy these last couple months; resting and recuperating from last year, making plans for this year, and cleaning, organizing and building various areas and projects on the farm.The cyclical nature of farming is such that every year we get a natural break to evaluate, reassess and try something new. This year is no exception! Every corner of the farm is in shipshape condition and ready to work hard. Some 3rd-year farm crew have been promoted...
read moreResilience and Hope
2020 was one for the record books here at Red Dog Farm. I remember the year beginning with such hope, and by spring, once the pandemic became a reality, thinking, “Oh no, this is no good.” All my carefully created plans suddenly seemed like they were founded on thin air as I struggled to make sense of what this year would actually bring. Should I take the time in April to re-think my entire crop and field plans? I speculated that I might do more harm than good trying to redo everything, especially given that I had zero new known parameters to...
read moreWalking Old Fields, Plowing New Fields
When I woke up this morning I realized that I only have 10 workdays left in my 2020 season at Red Dog. The end of a yearlong endeavor working on a vegetable farm has a way of sneaking up you. At times it can feel like someone is playing with life’s fast forward and pause buttons as June creeps at snail’s pace and September and October seemingly disappear without a trace. This year marks the completion of my fifth season here on the farm and my last as Farm Manager. Next year I will still be around driving tractors, mostly part time. I have...
read moreNerding Out on Radicchio
In your share this week is one of my favorite things to harvest on the farm. It adds vibrancy to the dull monotones of late fall, and a pop of color in our salad mix. It might startle you with its bitter taste but can be tempered with a sauté or a dressing. It’s a chicory from Italy, and it thrives in the winter months. I’ve heard it’s the new kale!!! You guessed it…..RADICCHIO. Let us not be scared of its bitter nature but find its sweeter parts, and tell all your friends how rad it is!This year we grew around 20 different radicchio...
read moreA Bit of Blue Skies
The rain has stopped for now, and the blue sky is back! In the morning, when the clouds clear, there is usually a stormy cloud horizon until the sun breaks through before lunch. This morning, the neighbor’s horses were contrasted on the dark horizon with beautiful lighting on the south part of the farm by Center Road. The farm’s property is separated from the neighbors’ by a fence. Trumpeter swans are migrating through Jefferson County right now, over that fence, heading south down the valley.Last week, one of the farm’s fields called Patsy...
read morePeace in the Rain
Today, I’m the lucky one who gets to be on the computer while my friends work outside in the rain. Lately, the rain, along with the cold and shorter days, has been the most obvious change for us on the farm. Since the field roads are starting to flood, we can only take out trucks with four wheel drive. While I’m on my way to harvest, sliding down the muddy road in Buster (the 1988 Ford) or Romeo (the 1994 Ford), I can see my coworkers picking something in the distance and am getting better at telling our green or orange PVC suits apart....
read moreBuoyed by Diversity
The red cabbages in your share this week are beautiful in the field. The dusty-lilac and rich violet colors of their leaves contrast with the various greens of their neighbors, which include other kinds of cabbages, several types of kales, sunchokes, lettuces, leeks, and more. This kind of diversity is one of the factors that kept the farm stable during this chaotic year. We grow many different crops, and multiple varieties of some crops, and offer them to lots of outlets. The strength of this diversity is that if one crop fails, or one...
read moreAppreciating the Food of the Season
As much as I love the abundance of summer and all its colorful offerings, I am ready to deepen into winter and eat some kale. Kale and squash. I am beginning to wonder what my capacity is for squash soup meals, and if I will ever surpass it. So far I think I could eat squash soup every night. And just when I’m over it, something new will come along, like purple sprouting broccoli or raab!That is the beauty of being a part of a growing season. You never feel tethered to one thing. There is room to be present in the season’s offerings...
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