Cane Creek left its banks last evening which means Robert spent the day making sure the ditches were all flowing at capacity and adding new ditches where necessary. Ditch Digging, in other words! We farm in the fertile, bottom lands of Cane Creek Valley. Water management is always a top priority. If we must have this much rain at one time, this month (or before) is when we want it. Certainly NOT once we have transplanted our precious plants into the gardens!
There are now over 9,000 plants in our greenhouse with more seedbeds started and hundreds more plants on the way. This is a very busy time of the year. Actually, all seasons of the year are busy for us! But this particular month comes after the December thru February “winter break” which adds more emphasis to the workload.
Our front yard grows strawberries as well as flowers. We started out with a neat six-foot circle a few years ago, but now strawberries are growing everywhere—like weeds. One would think with so many plants I would be able to have fresh berries on my salads and even for dessert. Unfortunately, the wildlife seem to get the majority of our berries! This year we are seriously attempting another “squirrel relocation” project. Robert is capturing the critters in have-a-heart traps and relocating them to another parcel of property with woods and a pond. Nearly twenty have been relocated thus far. They should be very happy at their new home; and hopefully, we will get some strawberries for our mouths this season. We saw the very first white strawberry blossom yesterday!
Speaking of strawberries, I understand Florida is growing a new strawberry variety which it hopes to harvest between December and April before the California strawberries are ready for market. The new berry is white with a pink blush when ripened. The “white berry” is said to be very sweet and have a dense texture and a unique taste with a hint of pineapple scent—which explains why it is sometimes called a “pineberry.”
Only a few trials are being marketed as of now—one by Wish Farms under the name of “Pink-A-Boo” berries. I seriously doubt any will make their way to Asheville this year, but keep your eyes open just the same! Europe and Japan have been commercially growing a related variety which commands “gourmet” prices. FYI: wild, white strawberries originated in Chile in the 1700’s. There is always something new under the sun!
We do have CSA farm share memberships available for the 2021 Harvest Season. You can find the sign up form on the Join Our CSA page. It is time to make Local Food commitments!
Cane Creek Asparagus & Company CSA 