Celebrating Equinox
We passed the autumnal equinox last weekend, and just like that, summer has moved into fall! The word “equinox” is derived from the Latin meaning “equal” and “night,” referring to the roughly 12-hour days and 12-hour nights that occur twice each year. The fall equinox is a time of cultural significance around the world. In the United States, many communities host harvest festivals that feature corn mazes, apple bobbing, hayrides, and pumpkin patches. Here are some traditions from other parts of the world: – In...
read moreEquinox Harvests
At the halfway point between the solstices, just past the Autumnal Equinox, the farm is reflecting the time of year quite nicely. The days start after sunrise and some of the crops that were exploding in July are still stocked in the farmstand, but yielding less in the field. It’s a good time to stop by and check out what is available. Perhaps making a sauce or preserving some of those veggies would keep the summer feeling alive in the pantry, or maybe one could read up on recipes for the all-year crops and winter offerings, or of course one...
read moreWinter Squash, in Three Haiku
Broad, dark, empty field; Prepared for more in sweet June;Strangers, small green hopes; Together we walk;August fog lifts from morning vine; Where there was nothing; Mid-September rains;Cradle these fruit, wash the mud; Friends, suddenly here. ~Solomon
read moreMisty Mornings in Chimacum Valley
Thanks to David Conklin for the photo! Happy September! It feels like August flew by here on the farm. Each new month brings new vegetables into season, and as we say hello to our fall crops, we say goodbye to some of our summer fruits and veggies. In August we said goodbye to two of my favorites: raspberries and basil. And as Flynn wrote about last week, all of our onions are now out of the ground and curing in our greenhouses. As the month passed too quickly, it seems it took summer with it. I’m not originally from Washington. I moved...
read moreThe Great Onion Harvest of 2024
Weather dictates so much of farming, especially harvests. Last week was one of those weeks where, despite other pressing harvests on the docket, the weather forced our hand and we needed to switch gears and get all hands on deck for the onion harvest before the rains came. Our onion crop this year is pretty hefty – we had about 13 beds of onions including sweet, yellow, and red onions as well as shallots. These beauties were all seeded in February and transplanted in April, and after 7 long months of life, they were large and...
read moreGazpacho with Friends
Gazpacho with Friends Originating in Andalusia, Spain, gazpacho is a cold soup that is traditionally tomato-based and eaten during the summertime. The fun part about gazpacho is that you don’t need to cook anything – you simply cut up your desired produce and blend it all up! I was able to try this recipe recently amongst friends. Gathered around a living room coffee table, we sat and ate this fruitful dish discussing philosophical ethics, talking of our weekends, and laughing during a game of fish bowl. Whether enjoying this meal alone or...
read moreLearning to Cultivate
Thanks to David Conklin for the photo of Paige on the tractor! This year has been my first year cultivating, and during this time I have had a lot of ups and downs while learning – as you do with most new things. My body has had to adjust and build specific muscles for dragging and changing out tractor implements, and sitting on and driving tractors all day. My eyes have had to learn to be hyper focused on the task at hand, being sure I don’t plow plants out of their place, don’t hit irrigation risers (which are annoying to replace) or...
read moreWelcome to the Tomato Jungle
August is a busy month on the farm. If you’ve been to the Red Dog Farmstand or seen the booth at market recently you’ve probably already gathered this. Each week exciting new crops enter our harvest rotation as the summer heat encourages our plants to mature. This might seem like self-evident thing to say as a farmer, but my favorite part of gardening ever since I was a little kid has always been getting to watch plants grow. To see something that you place into the ground as just a seed, or as a baby plant start, turn into chard leaves...
read moreFarm-Sized Salad Spinners
Thanks to David Conklin for the photo of Veronica and Viv! Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings are an exciting time in the Packshed. As soon as everyone has clocked in, it’s all hands on deck to harvest loose greens, which means dozens of crates and hundreds of pounds on a typical day. One lucky person takes the first truckload back to the Packshed and has the honor of being our “spinner” (and Packshed DJ) for the day. It is important to us that our customers receive their greens rinsed and crisp, so that they will last several...
read moreGrandfather Beans
More gnarled fingers than my own turned the pages then In a smaller woodland garden Under the late afternoon web-shadow of a high electric fenceBattling to keep the darn deer out My grandfather never swore, except when the temple was breached He would ask me to watch how he found the greenest beans Never rushing on his bucket-throneI would reach past emerald treasures, daring myself to touch the fenceChoosing a fleeting shock over focusI was small then, and I threw up dust when I fell back giggling My grandfather’s...
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