Exploring Nutrition on the Farm
The past few months have been an awakening period in my life. Just short of two months ago, I moved from Iowa to Washington. I came to Red Dog Farm with no experience working on a vegetable farm, but my love for nutrition led me here. With arms wide open, everyone accepted me and showed me the ropes. Every day, I wake up excited to come harvest and enjoy being outside with nature. I feel privileged to watch the sun rise as I drive to work, the birds play in the afternoon, bees pollinate the flowers, and much more. The farm has not only taught...
read moreThe Joys of Peak Season
They say it’s peak season around here. The height of production, the coinciding of all the fruit harvests, the most crew we have all season, and usually this means the peak of tiredness. But still the energy of the summer carries us! Peak season is characterized by long harvest lists, multi-page packlists, and coolers that are full to the top with vegetables. It’s quite exciting to see the fruit of our labor expressed in many, many boxes that stack taller than Blake (the tallest member of our crew). So, since it seems that all we...
read moreA Summery Summary in Photos
When I think about a summery summary of the farm, I can’t quite find the words. Luckily, photos exist, and my coworkers are really good at capturing the perfect shots. There is so much humor, playfulness, and quiet moments that are never shared outside our big red barn. Below, you’ll find some of the “best photos” of the summer, with my own (somewhat interpreted) captions. Enjoy! -Britta “Yellow Bucket, Green Bucket” Photo by Flycatcher “Sweet Victory” Photo by Mermaid Man “Resting Souls” by Phoenix...
read moreDaydreams of Swimming Holes
Nearly two months have passed since the summer solstice, but it certainly could’ve fooled me. It’s felt like October half the time. But with the arrival of August, it feels like it’s truly summer now. And I don’t know about you, but I can’t get through the hotter months without swimming. It’s what I think about as I’m getting my arms and legs all scratched up by the raspberry bushes on a Friday afternoon: where should I go swimming after work? It’s all that gets me through harvesting tomatoes in almost 100 degree hoop houses on a bright and...
read moreImpressions of the Crew
As a part time employee here at Red Dog farm, my experience has been very impressionistic: long mornings in the raspberries, lunch naps under the plum tree, visions of Maggie chasing after Suzy in the tractor; Julia belting Rhianna in the farm truck, racing Lane through the potatoes; Amy chuckling at her own puns and making sure to laugh hard at Naomi’s; afternoon suns filling Chimacum valley like a green bowl; Frisbee in the parking lot; Rachel in the shade reading science fiction. It’s a partial vision, but a lovely one. Even my experience...
read moreThe Art of Farming
I’m relatively new to farming, but one thing I can say I’ve been involved with my whole life is art. I definitely wouldn’t consider myself an expert at any certain medium but at any given time there are at least three different crafty endeavors going on in every corner of my home. This year I’ve been a bit disappointed in myself for not finding the time to finish many projects, but I’ve just realized that it might have something to do with all the time and energy I’ve been investing in one very big, multifaceted art project… FARMING. A...
read moreVoices from the Field: Raspberries
Live from the field, I bring you an inside exclusive interview with the crew, all about everyone’s summer favorite… the RASPBERRY. Mermaid Man: My favorite raspberry memory is throwing them, to try to hit people on the head with overripe berries. Baba Yaga: The under-ripe ones would be a little too hard, right? Butternut: Ooh yeah. The splat is what you’re looking for. Mermaid Man: And there was that bird’s nest last year in the raspberries. I liked that. Minotaur: Roscoe (the other raspberry patch) has a bird’s nest this year! Me: Minotaur,...
read moreCompetition & Cooperation in the Pea Patch
Around the middle of June, we began harvesting sugar snap peas. Twice a week, as many of us as possible head out to the pea patch and together pick our way along the seemingly endless bright green walls. With the plants thickly massed five and six feet high on trellises, walking down the pea beds feels like walking down a hallway or through a maze. We tend to find ourselves in the peas late in the afternoon, already weary from the day’s work, but full of positive cooperative energy and excitement about completing the day’s last major task. We...
read moreCSA News 6/26: Celebrating Summer Joys
June has been a particularly eventful month at the farm for us – not just because it brings us long-awaited goods like aromatic basil and fresh cabbage – but because it has been full of BIRTHDAYS! Karyn and Ian both celebrated at the beginning of the month (on the same day!), and Lane is the final Gemini, right before the solstice. Usnea and I round out the few final days before July, as the days begin to get shorter again. And, of course, the official start of summer is always cause for celebration. With so many people beginning a new...
read moreFrom Spring to Summer: A Poem
Today’s article is a poem by Blake, our tractor specialist. Hungry for harvest Sick of spring greens Waiting for something new to fulfill my summer dreams What’s growing to be the next best thing? Perhaps corn, possibly cabbage potatoes soon and peppers too And if the crop does not grow I will have nowhere to go… nowhere to work, nowhere to play But worst of all: I will have to eat hay -Blake
read more