Peace in the Rain
Today, I’m the lucky one who gets to be on the computer while my friends work outside in the rain. Lately, the rain, along with the cold and shorter days, has been the most obvious change for us on the farm. Since the field roads are starting to flood, we can only take out trucks with four wheel drive. While I’m on my way to harvest, sliding down the muddy road in Buster (the 1988 Ford) or Romeo (the 1994 Ford), I can see my coworkers picking something in the distance and am getting better at telling our green or orange PVC suits apart....
read moreBuoyed by Diversity
The red cabbages in your share this week are beautiful in the field. The dusty-lilac and rich violet colors of their leaves contrast with the various greens of their neighbors, which include other kinds of cabbages, several types of kales, sunchokes, lettuces, leeks, and more. This kind of diversity is one of the factors that kept the farm stable during this chaotic year. We grow many different crops, and multiple varieties of some crops, and offer them to lots of outlets. The strength of this diversity is that if one crop fails, or one...
read moreAppreciating the Food of the Season
As much as I love the abundance of summer and all its colorful offerings, I am ready to deepen into winter and eat some kale. Kale and squash. I am beginning to wonder what my capacity is for squash soup meals, and if I will ever surpass it. So far I think I could eat squash soup every night. And just when I’m over it, something new will come along, like purple sprouting broccoli or raab!That is the beauty of being a part of a growing season. You never feel tethered to one thing. There is room to be present in the season’s offerings...
read moreSeasonal Harvests, Seasonal Costumes
Greetings, Red Dog Farm newsletter readers. Sean here, also known on the farm as Guava. I left you last time with a newsletter about the smoke, and how we were harvesting crops in the field we call Roscoe. Squash was the biggest harvest of crops from Roscoe, along with potatoes, and both made it safely to storage before the first hard frost. The smoke has since cleared, and in its wake, a thick fog has been flooding the valley in the cold mornings. Roscoe was also cleared of black plastic and drip tape after the harvest. As observed by Karyn,...
read moreLife by the Season, At Last
The first time I ever heard of a summer squash I was 18 years old. Growing up in the Midwest, vegetables to me were something mushy and grayish that came in a can, or if they didn’t come in a can, they were boiled extensively until transformed into a soggy paste. For most meals, vegetables materialized in the form of a bag of frozen peas and corn, microwaved and occupying a tiny corner of my plate. A token nod to health, largely ignored. Frozen pizzas and boxes of macaroni and cheese constituted the most substantial portion of my diet, and I...
read moreReflecting Back and Looking Forward While Tilling
I look forward to tilling on the tractor because it gives me a unique chance to reflect on the season.To start tilling, I line the tractor up with the bed ahead, drive forward over the bed, and drop the spinning tiller implement into the soil. To make a nice bed, you have to always be paying attention: looking forward to make sure you are straight, and backward to make sure you are tilling at the right depth.When I’m looking back and forth, I see the old crop in front of me and the colorful, mulched remains behind. It marks the end of that...
read moreMarvelous Squash!
Today is finally squash harvest day here at Red Dog Farm, one of the most exciting events on the farming calendar. There really is something so satisfying about harvesting a squash. It is the ultimate symbol the successful completion of another busy growing season, and proof that we have taken full advantage of the lush summer and are prepared for the long winter ahead. As I was harvesting squash this morning, I was so charmed by each variety’s unique character and distinctive beauty. Before coming to work at Red Dog, I was pitifully ignorant...
read moreFall 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...
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