Welcoming Back the Barn Swallows
Barn Swallows are back! Did you know that they fly up to 600 miles per day? Unbelievable. It’s well known that these metallic-backed birds assist farmers with controlling troublesome insects while taking refuge in the eves of buildings, but the story of their tail shape is lesser known. As legend has it, a Barn Swallow stole fire from the gods to bring it to the Earth people. As a result, one particularly angry god threw fire arrows at the swallow as it fled, singeing the middle of its tail. This explains the Barn Swallow’s...
read moreAn Ode to Raab
Maybe you thought I would write about the bursting beauty of the tulips in April, or the explosion of little plants in the greenhouse that make me feel all giddy about another season of vegetables. Or perhaps you imagined I would write about the longer days, the sunnier skies, the drier fields, the hopefulness that is spring. Oh we just got pigs! Maybe you wanted to hear about the cutest little pigs we just got that are nesting into their new home in out fields. Or maybe you thought I would write about “farming in the time of a pandemic.” But...
read moreLooking Forward to the Fun of Farming
The long winter lull is quickly forgotten with the arrival of spring. A small crew of hardy harvesters that kept the wheels of Red Dog Farm turning over the dark months has now blossomed into group of folks that can handle just about anything. We’re doing just about everything farmers do at the moment. Tractors are hastily turning in cover crop to make way for spring vegetables, and the crew is busy seeding in the greenhouse, planting out in the fields, and packing orders. This spring in particular I have spent a lot of time on the tractor...
read morePaige’s Poetry
Happy CSA week #2, all! I truly hope you all had some tasty meals from last week’s share. After all, a bouquet of kale raab is an edible arrangement – and it can even bloom into happy yellow edible flowers. Over the past few months, we’ve been working away at harvesting over-wintered veggies, getting the fields ready for seeding/transplanting, and growing tiny plants we hope will fill your gardens and one day feed the community. We’ve had rain and we’ve had shine and everything in-between, but what is even more fun is all the...
read moreThe Beauty of Springtime
Another winter has gone by and here we are at the beginning of a brand new season. The world sure looks a lot different than it did before, but the farm and its cycles have a certainty that can be relied on. The sun always rises, the birds undoubtedly begin their morning chorus, the rain and clouds come, sometimes hail and snow too, but then it passes. Everything alive knows spring and behaves accordingly. The soil warms, grass greens up, crops sprout, animals give birth, bulbs bloom. As farmers we also know what to do- order seeds, hire...
read moreGratitude for Your Support
As 2019 draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on this momentous year with so much gratitude, appreciation and love. In May of this year, my daughter was born and life as I know it changed forever! The farm has always been “my baby” but being a mom to a real baby was a new adventure, and one in which I found I loved. The farm took a serious backseat in my life this year and the crew stepped up in every way imaginable to take on the load of filling in for me. They did a wonderful job! Everyone who has worked here more than a year will tell...
read moreEveryone Eats
Today’s farmers are more societally important than ever, as we navigate food production in a changing climate. Vegetable varieties must be bred for greater resiliency to drought, pests, and extremes of temperature. Farming techniques must grow more nuanced to prepare for these changes. Fortunately, today’s farmers are more educated and sophisticated than ever, as we develop more nuanced farming techniques to prepare for these changes. And consumers have an important, possibly the most important, role to play too. After all, everyone eats!...
read morePreserving and Sharing the Harvest
As I packed for my annual trip to celebrate Thanksgiving with far-flung urban friends (this year’s week in sleepy Chicago was a welcome change from last year’s hectic visit to Brooklyn), I found myself with extra carry-on space, and wondered what produce to bring. The availability of slightly irregular food in staggering quantities is one of my favorite perks of farming, and it makes it easier to plan both dinner and thoughtful holiday gifts for food-lovers. At the last minute before leaving for the airport, I stuffed a pair of five-pound...
read moreLooking Forward to Winter Plans
I’m sure y’all are thinking about holiday food. But we’re over here thinking about WINTER PLANS! And Projects! During “The Season,” one of our classic topics of conversation is “What Projects We Hope To Do When We Have Time and Energy.” For us, this happens when the farm work decreases and we have more extracurricular time – meaning, Winter! Darker hours mean less time outside and more rest, resulting in more mental and physical capacity to try new things or return to beloved hobbies. Right now, those dreamed-of projects are...
read moreSquash is the Star of Thanksgiving
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I’d like to talk about one of the shining stars of Thanksgiving: squash. Squash, in my opinion, is one of the most fun and communal crops here at Red Dog. This year we planted something like 20 beds of squash of 8 different varieties. That’s A LOT of squash. And when it’s harvest time, it’s all hands on deck. The entire crew works together to clip the stems off the vines, and then we play a frantic game of catch as some people throw squash to others who place them in macro bins. (Read more...
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