Seasonal Harvests, Seasonal Costumes
Greetings, Red Dog Farm newsletter readers. Sean here, also known on the farm as Guava. I left you last time with a newsletter about the smoke, and how we were harvesting crops in the field we call Roscoe. Squash was the biggest harvest of crops from Roscoe, along with potatoes, and both made it safely to storage before the first hard frost. The smoke has since cleared, and in its wake, a thick fog has been flooding the valley in the cold mornings. Roscoe was also cleared of black plastic and drip tape after the harvest. As observed by Karyn,...
read moreLife by the Season, At Last
The first time I ever heard of a summer squash I was 18 years old. Growing up in the Midwest, vegetables to me were something mushy and grayish that came in a can, or if they didn’t come in a can, they were boiled extensively until transformed into a soggy paste. For most meals, vegetables materialized in the form of a bag of frozen peas and corn, microwaved and occupying a tiny corner of my plate. A token nod to health, largely ignored. Frozen pizzas and boxes of macaroni and cheese constituted the most substantial portion of my diet, and I...
read moreReflecting Back and Looking Forward While Tilling
I look forward to tilling on the tractor because it gives me a unique chance to reflect on the season.To start tilling, I line the tractor up with the bed ahead, drive forward over the bed, and drop the spinning tiller implement into the soil. To make a nice bed, you have to always be paying attention: looking forward to make sure you are straight, and backward to make sure you are tilling at the right depth.When I’m looking back and forth, I see the old crop in front of me and the colorful, mulched remains behind. It marks the end of that...
read moreMarvelous Squash!
Today is finally squash harvest day here at Red Dog Farm, one of the most exciting events on the farming calendar. There really is something so satisfying about harvesting a squash. It is the ultimate symbol the successful completion of another busy growing season, and proof that we have taken full advantage of the lush summer and are prepared for the long winter ahead. As I was harvesting squash this morning, I was so charmed by each variety’s unique character and distinctive beauty. Before coming to work at Red Dog, I was pitifully ignorant...
read moreFall is Fun
With summer coming to an end and fall setting in, I can’t help but think of all the things I love about fall. There is something quite magnificent about the way the sun glows – warm and low, how the cool breeze allows me to bundle up in a sweater without being too hot or too cold, and how the change in season creates a perfect balance for work and play. Every year when I see geese flying in formation and hear them call out from above, I feel some familiar peace about the changing of season.Food is warm, wholesome, and filling. I’ve already...
read moreThe Smoke is Gone, but the Veggies Remain
The smoke is gone! Big thanks to Paige, Lane, Naomi, and Julia for getting the CSA harvest to you last week. We are very fortunate that the crops were not harmed by the smoke, and it is good to be returning to a regular schedule. The plants have grown mightily in our absence, and our first harvest of the new week brought balance.This morning, Lane pointed out, from his tractor, a harrier returning to his post. Delivery driver and field crew member Frank uncovered reemay to let a bird, perhaps wary of any remaining smoke, return to the sky....
read moreRelentless Farmers
Like you and so many across the west coast, we are dealing with the challenging reality of forest fire season. The hazy days briefly trick my brain into thinking it’s just another beautiful foggy fall day on the Olympic Peninsula. Here on the farm we are doing our best to prioritize our employees’ health while providing food for our community.Although this time has brought many problems to be solved, I can’t help but to be inspired by farmers everywhere and their relentless drive to handle anything thrown at them. When unforeseen...
read moreKilldeer at Work
Lately I have really been appreciating the killdeer that grace our farm fields. Killdeer are a small brown and white bird with dark bands across its chest, long legs, and a long thin beak. Perhaps best known for their practice of performing a broken-wing charade to distract predators from their nest, their piercing call is also very distinctive. They seem to travel in small flocks, often working over a patch of the field.What I love the best about killdeer is that they eat soft-bodied insects. This summer and fall I have been noticing an...
read moreSummer Tomatoes Meet Autumn Squash
Happy September! Time to do all the summer things you wanted to do in the next couple weeks: eat a watermelon, go swimming, make jam, let your toes out of your boots, find a friend with a boat and get on it! Feels like the tomatoes just started to ripen and I thought, “Ah, summer is here.” Now I’m sitting by the wood stove wondering if it’s too early to make a fire.This is a very fun time of year to be a farmer, though: the beautiful fusion of the sweetness of summer fruits and the depths of a fall bounty. There is a very short moment in time...
read moreEasy Dip Ideas
Late summer is the perfect time to dip into the world of dips. With autumn seemingly in the air but temperatures still high, we’re all taking as many dips in our local swimming holes as we can. And upon returning from a long day of fun in the sun to a stuffy house and a fridge full of delicious Red Dog veggies, who would want to stand over their oven making a hot dinner? Heat and vegetable abundance combine to make dips, crudités, and handheld salads the ideal August meal. With a fresh bowl of your favorite dip in hand (or better yet, a...
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