The Smaller Side of Things
It’s the little things, right? It’s that time of year in the season where our crops reach heights in which we can hide in. But, we are too busy to be caught napping under plants. Our days are filled with bountiful harvests, planting, and tending those luscious crops soon to be gobbled up by the souls who keep this farm tractorin’ along…you! Alongside a bustling crew, hawks glide through the skies peering down for a tasty treat, parasitic wasps weave through crops, laying eggs inside pests who will then be devoured from within,...
read moreBroccolini for Mayor
Even though we are already half-way into July (crazy how time flies!), it finally feels summer has arrived at the farm. While our days get busier and sometimes longer, this also means we get to start enjoying some of my favorite crops. Not only is it a joy be providing fan favorites like raspberries and beans, bountiful summer crops like these also create opportunities for the crew to spend time together harvesting. Imagine two tall rows of raspberries, the length of football fields. Daunting. That’s a lot of berries! But it also means that...
read moreSoil is Good for the Sole
During my first few months here at Red Dog Farm, I’ve been reminded every day why I chose to become a farmer. First and foremost, providing food for our community is its own reward. It fills me with purpose to know that we are responsible for getting fresh, tasty produce to so many people in the area. With that said, there are so many other benefits to a job that gets your hands dirty. Spending time outside with your skin in the soil can have tangible impacts on health and wellbeing. Sunlight helps regulate our natural cortisol levels...
read moreFauna Haikus: Six Tributes to Three Friends
Should we return hereWhen you arrive, through the archEarly, late, striking Frog mouthed infantsWait, offered perch or trespassGenerations fly And storm, dust or rainBlue-fire, old tornado, liftFinally away ~ There, an eye, a shapePowerful silhouette, noFocus to spare Then, our strange allyAt the line, head over wire Asking suddenly Do not watch the teethTrust is eye contact, meetingNo exchange; presence ~ You were smaller thenHeavy-light feet rushing dareWe are braver...
read moreA Farm in Harmony
The wind rushes by us as the hawks and vultures fly overhead. The farm rings with life, growing from the soil reaching towards the sun and bustling with conversation, gleaming with laughter. Our hands painted with the dirt and grit, darkened by the UV rays beating down on us relentlessly. Personally, I cannot help but hear the ensemble of the farm and feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in the work we are doing.Like an orchestra, the farm has so many moving parts that meld into one. Our salad greens are the main melody as our...
read moreFruit Season has Struck!
The past few weeks have marked a huge shift on the farm as the hot weather has brought us out of spring’s preparations and into the thick of summer farming. At Red Dog, summer is marked by our big fruit harvests, which require all hands on deck to keep up with abundant and generous plants. Here, we consider plants to be “fruits” when they produce a product that needs to be harvested within a certain window of ripeness. This includes plants such as zucchini, cauliflower, and beans, to the confusion of new farm crew. Tuesdays and Fridays...
read moreAs The Baby Birds Learn to Fly, I Learn How to Prune Tomatoes
I’ve spent the early days of my first season at Red Dog learning the flow of the greenhouse and all that this micro season within the farm entails, all while knowing that this fleeting experience will end after a few months of hard work and daily routines I’ve come to cherish. While tending to the various needs of these plants, I’ve come to recognize the ways I too have been nurtured and tended to in just a short time here. One morning after delivering plant starts to our neighbors at the Chimacum Corner Farmstand, I returned to the...
read moreAuster’s Start at Red Dog Farm
My eyes open onto another day in Chimacum. I roll out of bed and gather my clothing for the day to come, as the birds chirp and the horses graze next door. I step out of my humble trailer onto the dewy grass and wet my shoes walking towards my bike. As I near the storage container, I reflect on my past couple of years and I keep coming back to a similar conclusion. I am fueled by the sun and the outdoors, and I should not deny myself this energy in my life! With these affirmations swirling through my thoughts, I put my best foot forward and...
read moreGadgets in the Greenhouse
I’ve been lucky enough to spend my spring in one of my favorite areas on the farm, the propagation greenhouses! As a greenhouse helper, I get to watch plants grow from seed and care for them until they are strong enough to be planted outside. All of the plant starts you see at our farmstand and market booth have been lovingly tended by our team for many months, and it makes us so happy to imagine them in your gardens. We’ve got some nifty tools that help us speed up our greenhouses processes. New to the farm this year is the flat filler!...
read moreMaintaining the Farm
Thanks to Mae Wolfe for the photo of Jon! No two days are ever the same when you’re working as a Maintenance Manager of Red Dog Farm. Each morning starts with a hot cup of coffee and a list of things that need attention. Around here, the equipment works just as hard as the people do: the tractors get up early, the irrigation timers don’t clock out, and even the most reliable pipe can crack under pressure. Just last week, I investigated a brake leak on Pumpkin, the orange ’77 flatbed Dodge that’s responsible for transporting bountiful...
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