Spring Turnips Become Summer Tomatoes
The times are a changin’ here at Red Dog – such is the nature of farming! Our crew is expanding while our fields continue to fill up. As spring trickles on leading into summer, we’ve seen a huge transformation in two of our greenhouses. It seems like just yesterday Greenhouse Three was full of spring favorites like hakurei turnips, bok choi, mizuna, and baby carrots! Now, it’s home to rows and rows of beefsteak tomato plants. Next door, in Greenhouse Two, lettuces and green onions have been harvested and replaced with another summer favorite...
read moreWatering the Whole Farm
I grew up in a beach town, and maybe that’s the origin of my love of the water. I’ve been swimming for as long as I can remember, first with a patient instructor, then as a part of my local children’s swim team, and later as a sure-fire way to relax and let my cares float away from me whenever I can get the chance. When I’m in the water, I feel truly in my element.It’s no surprise, then, that I find myself deeply involved with the wet and wonderful world of water in my farming career. I had already taken a particular interest in irrigation...
read moreEssential Workers in a Healthy Landscape
I started farming at Red Dog when covid hit and I was looking for something meaningful to do with my time. Farming is the kind of “essential work” that makes me feel like I’m making a positive contribution to my community. And, with a CSA over 200 families strong, Red Dog is a major supplier of quality, organic food in our region, and that makes me feel essential indeed!But working at Red Dog is about more than the meaningful impact I can make. Working here is also a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend my days! On a regular basis, I am...
read moreTurn Up for Hakurei Turnips
Now is a great time to introduce you to the hakurei turnip, a unique, early-season turnip varietal. This hybrid Japanese turnip (Brassica rapa) contains high levels of iron, calcium, and thiamine. Its mild, tender and sweet flavors often see comparisons to some of our favorite apple varieties. The hakurei is best planted in late spring, growing more optimally in cooler weather when the soil keeps above the mid-40s.Here’s a crunchy recipe as unique as the hakurei’s flavors:Turnip & Apple Slaw4 ounces cruciferous veggies ( such...
read moreMay Flowers Brighten Spring Days
May is here – tulips and plant starts are the talk of the town! They sure do brighten up a rainy spring day. For a brief and joyous period in spring, CSA members, Farmstand shoppers, and market goers delight in all the tulip varieties. Working at the Farmers Market as well as on the farm allows me to interact with the community and our produce in a rewarding way. I love seeing the excitement on customer’s faces at the beauty of the spring harvest. A sweet couple told me a story at the market about their tradition of getting Red Dog tulips...
read moreA Perfect Blending of the Seasons
Springtime, really April, is my favorite time to be a farmer. Maybe because it’s my birthday month or the reappearance of sunshine that makes me think we might have made it out of the dark season, but I really just feel like a spring chicken. I feel energized, optimistic about the season, and ready to pick kale until my hands fall off. Bring it on, 2021! We have already welcomed three new people into our ever-growing crew – all making a seamless transition into the hustle and bustle of farm work. We have new plants growing in the...
read moreSuddenly 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...
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