Shifting Seasons
As August turns to September, and September carries on swift and chilled, each gilded evening alludes to a shifting. Shifting of the seasons, the cycles, of the land’s slowing and preparation for rest. The trees seem to be quieting, and the animals preparing. The sun has migrated its long-stretched rays to another slice of the world, leaving us with rich evening light to glitter the world gold. Misty morning fog rolls out like a familiar carpet into this stretched valley, gifting each day’s beginning with a thin layer of dew. Crops hold the...
read moreSummer Chats
Hannah (right) and the field crew are jumping back into mud season during radicchio harvest. This week marks my last week on the farm for this season. This is my sixth season of farming and my current iteration of farm work has been as a part time farmer for the summer. I joke that I have retired to this from being a full-time, full-season farmer. When I first started farming, I began in June right as the harvest was picking up and the momentum of the season was following suit. I love this summer energy on farms, of being fully immersed in...
read moreMotivation from the Fields
Morning meeting on the farm is a time for the Red Dog crew to gather and share announcements, discuss logistics for the day, and also provide comradery and encouragement. Once in a while, farm owner Karyn or another member of the management team will give a farmer talk and teach the crew about things like Jefferson Land Trust, tractor cultivation, organic certification, and more. This keeps us learning and helps build our understanding of farming in its entirety, rather than only knowing our immediate reality of harvesting produce from the...
read moreMelon-Time Reflections
Solomon weeds on one of our “classic” tractors.Thanks to Rod Just Realtor for the photo! It’s almost September, and as the peak season of farming in the Quimper Peninsula progresses, it’s important to indulge in the treats of summer while you still can. One treat that you might not consider in our area is melons! Growing up, freshly cubed melons with a dash of sugar on them was a classic treat for me. Although melon is great to eat as is, I’ve been wondering how it could be “dressed up” a bit. One idea is to pair a melon...
read moreAbundance at the Farmers Market
As you have already been told, CSA members get a discount at our Red Dog farmers market booths. That in itself is a great incentive to visit us in Port Townsend or Chimacum, but as one of the folks working markets this season, I can vouch for all the other reasons that adding a market visit to your Saturday or Sunday will vitalize your weekend, expand your palate, and deepen your connection to our community.First off, we put a lot of effort into making your CSA share a beautiful and bountiful selection of our farm goods, but it’s also very...
read moreAn Ode to Farm Dog Angus
Angus O AngusBig black dogWhen he crossesYour pathHarvest will beMost plentiful ~Sky
read moreReflections
When I arrived in Port Townsend in December 2022, I planned to spend five weeks here before moving to Oregon. In a serendipitous exchange at the Madrona dance on New Year’s Day, a community member told me, verbatim, “Oh, you’re a farmer? You should apply for a job at Red Dog Farm.” And I thought, “Okay Universe, I know how to listen.” The very next day I applied for a job here, then interviewed later that week, and I’ve been working as the greenhouse manager and on field crew ever since. But as I write this, my last day at Red Dog is just...
read moreGift Economies on the Farm
It’s full-on fruit time on the farm! Alongside harvesting, eating and sharing berries, I have also been listening to a book called The Service Berry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World written by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The author is a mother, scientist, professor and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. This book invites the reader/ listener into the gift economy. In this book, “serviceberries show us another model, one based on reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships.” Gift...
read moreShare-ing the Inspiration
I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for cooking inspiration during the week to keep my meals fresh and interesting. It’s easy to get in a rut and feel intimidated by all the produce in the fridge, staring you down while you struggle to know what to do with it. The beauty of a weekly veggie share is that it can inspire us to try new dishes, cooking techniques and flavor combos! Here’s how this week’s share inspires me: Raspberries are obviously prime for snacking, but with three half-pints, why not transform those tasty...
read moreFruits of Summer
Fruit season is upon us! Although most of our produce is referred to as vegetables, a lot of the bounty of this time of year comes from the fruiting part of the plant. In fact, “vegetable” isn’t a biological term – biologists say that plants have roots, shoots, flowers, and fruits. The fruit is the mature, ripened ovary of a plant that develops from the flower after being pollinated. The seeds develop within the fruit after fertilization. In your share this week you’ll find some surprising fruits – zucchini, beans, and raspberries. We harvest...
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