Fall is Fun
With summer coming to an end and fall setting in, I can’t help but think of all the things I love about fall. There is something quite magnificent about the way the sun glows – warm and low, how the cool breeze allows me to bundle up in a sweater without being too hot or too cold, and how the change in season creates a perfect balance for work and play. Every year when I see geese flying in formation and hear them call out from above, I feel some familiar peace about the changing of season.Food is warm, wholesome, and filling. I’ve already...
read moreThe Smoke is Gone, but the Veggies Remain
The smoke is gone! Big thanks to Paige, Lane, Naomi, and Julia for getting the CSA harvest to you last week. We are very fortunate that the crops were not harmed by the smoke, and it is good to be returning to a regular schedule. The plants have grown mightily in our absence, and our first harvest of the new week brought balance.This morning, Lane pointed out, from his tractor, a harrier returning to his post. Delivery driver and field crew member Frank uncovered reemay to let a bird, perhaps wary of any remaining smoke, return to the sky....
read moreRelentless Farmers
Like you and so many across the west coast, we are dealing with the challenging reality of forest fire season. The hazy days briefly trick my brain into thinking it’s just another beautiful foggy fall day on the Olympic Peninsula. Here on the farm we are doing our best to prioritize our employees’ health while providing food for our community.Although this time has brought many problems to be solved, I can’t help but to be inspired by farmers everywhere and their relentless drive to handle anything thrown at them. When unforeseen...
read moreKilldeer at Work
Lately I have really been appreciating the killdeer that grace our farm fields. Killdeer are a small brown and white bird with dark bands across its chest, long legs, and a long thin beak. Perhaps best known for their practice of performing a broken-wing charade to distract predators from their nest, their piercing call is also very distinctive. They seem to travel in small flocks, often working over a patch of the field.What I love the best about killdeer is that they eat soft-bodied insects. This summer and fall I have been noticing an...
read moreSummer Tomatoes Meet Autumn Squash
Happy September! Time to do all the summer things you wanted to do in the next couple weeks: eat a watermelon, go swimming, make jam, let your toes out of your boots, find a friend with a boat and get on it! Feels like the tomatoes just started to ripen and I thought, “Ah, summer is here.” Now I’m sitting by the wood stove wondering if it’s too early to make a fire.This is a very fun time of year to be a farmer, though: the beautiful fusion of the sweetness of summer fruits and the depths of a fall bounty. There is a very short moment in time...
read moreEasy Dip Ideas
Late summer is the perfect time to dip into the world of dips. With autumn seemingly in the air but temperatures still high, we’re all taking as many dips in our local swimming holes as we can. And upon returning from a long day of fun in the sun to a stuffy house and a fridge full of delicious Red Dog veggies, who would want to stand over their oven making a hot dinner? Heat and vegetable abundance combine to make dips, crudités, and handheld salads the ideal August meal. With a fresh bowl of your favorite dip in hand (or better yet, a...
read moreMoving Pipes and Packing Produce
Hello, readers! My name is Sean. I worked at Red Dog Farm in 2016 and 2017, and I am happy to be back!The farm day starts a little differently for me than it did before. Usually a drive down the dusty farm road settles me in before I walk to the pack shed, where I might see farm dog Maggie waiting for Karyn, looking forward to seeing what they will do that day. When the crew has all arrived, farm manager Lane and crew lead Julia give us a morning briefing and we begin our day.But now, to keep everyone healthy, instead of gathering for a...
read moreSummer, Tomatoes, and an Easy Balsamic Reduction
Normally here, I’d like to write about goings on out in the field, and include some amusing anecdote followed by a recipe. Unfortunately, I’ve been out of the field for a time, nursing a torn tendon in my ankle. Chances are, however, that the tender and juicy green beans you are receiving this week were bagged by yours truly. The crew wanders in and out of the packing shed throughout the day as I bag various veggies, and I get to know these folks. Among them are some truly hilarious storytellers, gifted athletes, sailors, plant nerds, and at...
read moreThe Vibrant Wildlife of Organic Farms
Summer mornings on the farm are misty and cool. Usually we spend them in the field closest to Chimacum creek, harvesting greens like spinach and arugula in the crisp morning air so they stay fresh before the sun burns away the fog and the day really begins. Quiet mornings like these are some of my favorite times at Red Dog Farm. We work steadily in the gentle light, to the tune of the lively morning chorus of birds cheerfully carrying on in the hedge rows, flitting among the fruit trees, foraging for insects in the fields, and flocking in...
read moreThe Flavors of Summer
As we come to the end of July, the farm is getting deeper into the harvest of more and more varieties of produce. For example, for carrots, we’re harvesting orange carrots, purple carrots, and rainbow carrots, which come in colors from pink to pale yellow to orangey-red to deep purple. I’d love to see everyone taste the different flavors offered in each of the carrots grown at Red Dog, as well as the colorful assortment of other tasty veggies. Each one has its own unique flavor. For anyone looking for a recipe on the decadent side and...
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