Welcome 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...
read moreFun With Peas & Broccolini!
Thanks to David Conklin for the photo of Eddy! We hope you are relishing in the abundance of summer and enjoying the fresh produce that our farm has to offer. As the summer sun shines upon us, our fields are flourishing with a variety of vibrant produce. Here are some fun facts about two delicious items coming your way this week – sugar snap peas and broccolini! Fun Facts About Snap PeasSnap peas, also known as sugar snap peas, are a delightful and nutritious addition to any meal. Here are some fun facts about these crunchy and sweet...
read moreStrawberry Moon
Thanks to David Conklin for the photo of Paige, Marina, and Hannah talking strawberry harvest! To me, Red Dog Farm’s June seemed marked by alignments. Our season’s first strawberry harvest fell upon the Summer Solstice; the Sun paid us its longest visit as our crew laughed and filled pints with red berries. Then, an unusually full moon followed the longest day. I’m sure many readers glimpsed its pink-red curve low over the Salish Sea. While the so-called Strawberry Moon visits us each Spring, this particular moon’s closeness to the longest...
read moreSummer and the Growth of Fruits, Veggies and People
Summer is here and there is no better time to be on a farm than now! Personally, I find June to be a very exciting month. The weather teases us of what’s to come in July and the crops’ growth seems to accelerate by the day. The snap peas are plump and the strawberries a vibrant red. Cilantro and dill have sprouted from the soil. Cauliflower heads are on the verge of emerging from their wrapped leaves and broccoli crowns are swelling up. The corn is small but quickly growing. Zucchini and cucumbers are around the corner and green beans...
read moreThe Roads We Drive On
According to the Federal Highway Administration, the oldest constructed road dated back to about 4000 B.C. in the Mesopotamian cities of Ur and Babylon using mud bricks and bitumen (a natural sticky black substance used in asphalt). In Glastonbury, the Ancient Isle of Avalon in Somerset, England, they discovered that timber roads were used in a swampy area. Interesting enough, this reminds me of a story I heard about how Peat Plank Road here in Chimacum was made. You must be wondering why I’m writing about roads. Here’s a few thoughts I had...
read moreJune is for Dreaming
The other day, my coworker Veronica caught me smiling to myself while tenderly tucking a teenage tomato plant into his new spot for the season. I was pretty embarrassed to be caught looking like a ding-dong, but I couldn’t help it – it had a sunny little yellow flower already! That tiny bloom sucked me into a dreamy state filled with thoughts of fresh salsas, tomato sauces and summer canning. June is a transplant-heavy time and, I think, a very exciting month because there are so many veggies and fruits to look forward to and fantasize...
read moreReminiscent Times at Red Dog
As I’ve returned to farming, my time so far has felt serendipitous. Although today marks just the two week anniversary of my beginnings at Red Dog, I’ve been quick to remember why farming is such a holistic practice. Each day I arrive at the farm with my comfy clothes and rain gear, ready to indulge in nature for the next eight hours. I’ll be harvesting produce in the fields, getting dirty with mud, and it feels like a healing of my inner child, not caring about being encased in mud. As I plant tomatoes in the greenhouse, I can only be...
read moreWinter Roots, Spring Roots
I began my time at Red Dog on a frigid, misty February morning and was amazed to learn my first task would be harvesting carrots. Coming here after a few seasons of farming in Vermont, I’m still not used to the abundance that comes out of our fields even in the colder months. This particular winter harvest was a huge one and the whole crew spent two days dragging muddy crates out of the field. Afterwards, I got to experience the joys of barrel washing and watched as glowing orange carrots appeared as the layers of dirt were sprayed down the...
read more