Blog

Anyone who reads my “Blog” knows by now that I am NOT a very frequent Blogger. It seems other projects always require more of my time and attention than sitting down to write. I trust that each time you pickup one of your CSA Boxes and delve into it, you realize that I spend the majority of my time managing seeds, plants, and produce!

The a fore mentioned groundhog has been vanquished, but not before doing damage to our storage area door. As I said before, he KNEW there was something inside that he wanted to eat and would stop at nothing to get at it! Wild animals are much smarter than we humans give them credit for being. Of course, this does not apply to those found flat on the road, but most are quite savvy.

Sweet potatoes are still coming up from the garden. Digging them is a laborious job which can only be accomplished with intermittent spurts of devoted energy. For the most part they grow vertically. Robert plants them on a mound, but you can see the length of some and I trust you understand why the potatoes sometimes are broken. The “wound” is not pretty, but it does no harm to the sweet potato flesh beyond the break. The largest thus far is just over four pounds! We have not measured lengths in inches. The bags of smaller ones are great for roasting–skin on or skin off as you please. They are even sweeter than the large ones because of the concentration of natural sugars.

Today a CSA Member questioned how to freeze spaghetti squash pulp. Our formula is to simply wash, cut in half, remove the seeds, and bake (skin side up) in a 350 degree oven until the skin begins to brown on top. By this time the flesh will be fork tender. Remove and let cool to the temperature where you can scrape out the spaghetti pulp. Go back to my September 4th Blog if you want to see photos of Robert doing this prep. I know this vegetable can be daunting to “get into.” But it is so worth the effort!

I let the pulp cool a bit longer before packaging it for the freezer. Use a quality freezer bag to get the full flavor when you defrost and eat the spaghetti squash later. If I use a “lessor quality, but still BPA free” bag for freezing, I then repackage into a vacuum sealed bag. TIP: This “double packing” means the vacuum seal bag stays clean and can be recycled. If you use them, you know they can be expensive. But if you “cut them long” and “double bag,” you can recycle many times as long as you cut it open in a straight line along the top.

I use spaghetti squash as a pasta substitute and put sauce and meatballs on top. Or sometimes I put sauteed green peppers and or eggplant on top. I have a spaghetti squash soup recipe on the web site under “W” for Winter Squash.” Recently I found an organic Sweet Carrot Ginger Miso salad dressing which is a delightful accompaniment to spaghetti squash. You can heat the squash or leave it cold and drizzle the dressing on top.

In the boxes look for sweet potatoes–some are beautiful specimens, some less so. Also, our specialty potatoes with the golden flesh which we think make the BEST mashed potatoes ever! (Yes, I even freeze dollops of them. Nothing goes to waste around here!) We still have plenty of spaghetti squash (they love our gardens and produce well). We have some acorn squash and carnivals left. Oh, and a few butternut which I have not even dispersed yet. There is still time before Thanksgiving Week! Our last boxes of the season will go out on Tuesday, November 26–the entire week in one day! I will email these details to each and every CSA Member in the near future so we can coordinate Thanksgiving Holiday schedules as needed.

 

Garden clean  up is in serious mode at this time. Each item which goes into the garden must be removed at the end of the season. However, by now the weeds have gotten the best of us which makes things sometime difficult.

Yesterday Robert and I encountered an extremely large groundhog who was ripping a hole in the window screen–two screens to be more precise. He apparently was  attempting to get at the winter squash stash which is spread out on racks for preservation awaiting upcoming CSA Box dispersal. We got out the trap and baited it with his favorite organic veggie treats. In the last 24-hours, he has pushed the trap all around the area, but not gone inside. This is not his first rodeo!

This particular critter has been on our radar for some time. This year he did not eat any of the zinnias or other flowers we planted which ingratiated this smelly beast with us. With all of the rains and heat which have contributed to crop failures, I suppose we have had enough wasted veggies in the compost pile to keep his tummy satisfied.  You see, he lives IN our compost pile! We do our best to live with the wildlife and consider our property to be a Wildlife Sanctuary. However, we need to take measures to remove this guy.  And I need to repair a couple of window screens before the heat returns to WNC.

In the boxes look for sweet potatoes–some are beautiful specimens, some less so. Also, either russet potatoes or our specialty potatoes with the golden flesh which are NOT Yukon Golds. (Please forgive me if I keep the name a secret!) We have a variety of winter squash and the last of the sweet bell peppers. If there is anything else, we shall all be surprised.

And surprised we are!  Robert found some eggplant and small, red cabbage for the CSA Boxes this week. When the weeds get tall, veggies can hide!

Someone asked me the other day how it was we were able to grow all of the veggies we put into our CSA Boxes. I replied, “Robert has a green thumb and a knack for planning and preparation. He is an extremely hard worker and plants twice the amount he thinks we will need so we have enough to share with the wildlife and deal with the inevitable losses from the rains and the drought and the insect pests which plague any garden anyone tries to grow. This is how we manage to have enough vegetables to fill our CSA Boxes.” The person replied, “But you have labor to help with the field work. Right?” I answered, “NO.  The only labor is what Robert and I provide. We are a small, family farm business!” I got the distinct feeling I was not believed. Thus, I feel the need to tell our story again–my and Robert’s story and that of Cane Creek Asparagus & Co.–our CSA and farm business.

First off, I must address the vegetable Asparagus in the name. As I say on our website, we no longer are growing asparagus for our CSA Boxes. This was the vegetable we got our start with by growing white asparagus for country clubs and the few restaurants willing  to pay the price we needed for this labor intensive crop. It was a unique product and we got some publicity over it and the purple asparagus we grew for over twenty years. But there is a reason asparagus typically comes from New Jersey or Michigan or Washington State–asparagus needs cold winters to grow well. We found ourselves replanting crowns far more often than we liked in order to have those delicious spears available. We did this for years until one day we said No MORE! Now we concentrate on the vegetables we can grow with less stress. Remember Cane Creek Asparagus & Co. CSA is just one man and one woman and a garden. Robert and I have been at this project for nearly twenty-five years now with no planned end in sight! We love growing and eating our veggies! We have families who appreciate what we are attempting to do with our CSA and so we “grow on.”

Yes, having gardens the size of our field is hard work, but there is something rejuvenating about planting a tiny seed and seeing it turn into a delicious fruit or veggie which one can eat. There is something satisfying about knowing how that crop was grown. And something one can only get from the feel of the soil under a deep blue, sunny sky with a breeze blowing on one’s face!

You will not see our farm or farm name when driving along Cane Creek Road in the WNC Fletcher/Fairview area of Buncombe County. But if you Google our name, you will find us. And you will find businesses willing to act as “hosts” for our CSA Box pickups. Family businesses like Troyer’s Country Amish Blatz in Fairview and Frugal Decor and More in South Asheville. And you will find families who appreciate the taste of local, seasonal produce grown by one man and one woman. Some of those families have been eating from our CSA Boxes for over fifteen years! And those people are the real heroes of our small, family farm business!

Now is the time to keep our neighbors in central North Carolina and the Outer Banks in our hearts! As your farmers, we are happy to hear the hurricane models show Dorian missing WNC. We are Blessed. There have been good crops and not so good this season, but right now we are getting pretty eggplant and colorful, sweet, bell peppers. These peppers have some of the thickest walls we have ever seen. Each one is loaded with Vitamin C and fiber! Saute or stuff them or eat them raw. They are delicious any way you decide to prepare them. Some years the hurricanes do come through and put an end to these late summer treats. We are grateful to be dodging this one.

Along with the eggplant and bell peppers and potatoes and carrots and cabbage and tomatoes and remaining corn and green beans, we have a variety of winter squash going into the CSA Boxes. The following photos will show you an easy way to get into the spaghetti squash which are the most plentiful this harvest season. First cut off the stem end to provide a stable cutting surface. Then cut the squash in half.

Next scoop out the seeds and place the spaghetti squash cut side down on a baking pan or dish. Bake at 350 degrees until the skin starts to brown and a fork pierces the skin–about 20 minutes should do the trick. Then you only have to rake out the flesh into spaghetti strands! Or you can eat right out of shell, if you prefer!! The pulp can be frozen at this stage, too, using a quality freezer bag.

Eat well. We certainly are!

 

 

In the CSA Boxes this week look for Yukon Gold potatoes–some are HUGE; savoy and ball head cabbages; perhaps the last of the cukes; tomatoes–Juliette variety and slicers; eggplant in traditional and/or Japanese; a sweet, green pepper and a long pepper variety which is also sweet; ears of tender sweet corn–with the corn worms removed thanks to Robert; and an individual spaghetti squash–this is a winter squash, so look there for recipes.

Oh, and lift the box using your legs since it will be heavy this week!

We got over two inches of rain recently–which we did not want or need. This is not good for the gardens–just so you know. The squash and zucchini are gone. The melons do not look good now even though they once did. This first wave of corn is as good as it gets–we are pleased. However, the second wave of corn was knocked down by the recent rains. Still the garden is providing a summertime bounty, despite it all.

In the CSA Boxes this week look for red potatoes–some are HUGE; savoy and ball head cabbages; cukes; carrots; green beans; the first tomatoes–depending on the day,  Juliette variety and/or slicers; eggplant in traditional and/or Japanese; a sweet, green pepper; and 6 ears of tender sweet corn–break them in half and you’ll have 12. Note: Steaming for only ten minutes suits us just fine!

 

Robert has been working really hard this summer in case you have not figured that out. And so I decided to pick enough blueberries last evening to make him a blueberry pie. I dressed to cover my entire body so I was protected from the thorns and mosquitoes. Then I sprayed a healthy dose of Deet just to be sure and made the trek to the garden. I scouted around looking a for a good place to start harvesting and making note of the hornets nest in the ground at the end of row three or four. It is a big nest and would be difficult to miss, in my opinion.

I settled in and began my task immediately being targeted by a mosquito who could not resist my uncovered hands and fingers. Gloves are not helpful for harvesting blue berries, so I took the hit. Next I was buzzed by a Blue Jay who practically took my hat off! They think this is their private domain and humans are not allowed! The Jay spent the remainder time caw-cawing at me from a nearby tree.

A bit later the turkey hens and their poults came wandering along. They love the blueberry bushes. It seems the mothers use this as a training ground to teach the poults to fly–and they will fly onto the bushes knowing sweet rewards await. However, when they saw me with my big hat and other garb, they detoured into the woods to wait for me to leave. The sight of Robert would not have concerned them, but the turkeys are wary of anyone else. Also, turkey hens with poults are not quite as aggressive as the local Blue Jays and Crows. The turkeys are protective of their young. I picked on knowing I needed two full cups for a decent pie.

Next on the scene came deer. They stayed in the nearby thickets and blew at me. A blow  is a kind of snort they give to let you know THEY KNOW you are present and not particularly welcomed. Still I picked on!

Just as I was reaching the amount of berries I desired, I heard a rustling and crashing sound in the distance. Did you ever read the Caldecott Award winning children’s story Blueberry Hill? It is about bears on Blueberry Hill. Okay, so this is Ploeger’s Garden and not Blueberry Hill, but I was taking no chances.  I headed for the house with my harvest–pronto–to make a blueberry pie. This just might call for a scoop of organic, French Vanilla ice cream!

The point of this story? We have blueberries for CSA Members–only if you dare. Send an email or call me at 828-628-1601, if you are interested.

In the CSA Boxes we have green beans and carrots to go with the cabbages, cucumbers, potatoes,  and the last of the patty pan summer squash, and zucchini. There may be the first eggplant by the end of the week! The plants are loaded with little ones. It is just a matter of how quickly they grow. We will have the traditional black eggplant and the deep purple Japanese eggplant, too, depending on the day.

These are the best carrots we have ever grown. What I mean is they are the biggest, straightest “one-legged” carrots! Robert has been removing from the best looking section of the 200 foot row, so the quality will no doubt differ as he gets into the not-as-good looking section of the row. There will not be a massive amount, but plenty for your cabbage salads and coleslaw.

In the CSA Box you will recognize summer vegetables. We are sending out the first new potatoes. They will be either Yukon Gold or Red, depending on the day. We have green beans to go with the cabbages, cucumbers, patty pan summer squash, and zucchini.

The sweet peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, winter squash, melons and corn are all growing and looking good. More good summertime eating is on the way! Wash, Prepare, Eat, Enjoy, and Repeat where the veggies are concerned.

The heat and the rain have been hard on the crops this season. We lost about one-half of our zucchini and patty pan squash. This is sad, but I believe we will still have enough to make everyone happy. Just to be safe, Robert did put a late planting into the ground.

Our heirloom apple trees are popular with the wildlife right now. We do not get any apples from these trees, but the critters certainly enjoy them. Apparently, they are tasty  enough to make a deer stand up tall in the early morning twilight!

 

This bear tore down one of our small apple trees. He has never been destructive before. We are not sure what his problem was that day. He has been caught climbing the big apple tree. Perhaps he was attempting to climb the small tree and this was an accident? We sure hope he does not like sweet corn because we do not think the deer fence will intimidate this guy or gal!

 

 

 

Farmers like to think they are in control, but the reality is uncertainty rules on the farm! Too much rain–this week it is TOO MUCH rain in case you are wondering. Too little rain. Too hot. Too cold. Not to mention the weeds, insect pests, and wildlife issues. There is only one way to deal with all of the uncertainty and that is to admit we are NOT in control. We have a sign which says Wildlife Sanctuary to remind us the animals were here first. However, we DO install around a large portion of our gardens a seven-foot Deer Fence each season! We know this works for the deer herd. We are praying this fence will keep the raccoons from tearing down the sweet corn we are attempting to grow in 2019. I can just imagine raccoons with little cell phones and an app which says “Fresh Corn at Ploeger’s Farm. Details to be posted!”

The potatoes are looking great at this point in time. You can see below the foliage is touching row to row! The beans are flowering. The tomatoes are staked. The cucumbers are getting a foothold. We grow some of the sweetest cukes you will ever taste! It might be the soil and it might be the seed we plant, but if you like cucumbers, you will love the ones we grow!

The sunflowers have been planted, idle fields mowed, the sweet potatoes weeded. The winter squash and melon patches are in order. We must always be looking toward the next crops while keeping an eye on and harvesting the current crops. Robert is very good when it comes to production management and understanding the garden needs. And gardens are quite needy!

Still in the process of juggling so many different balls, some things will slip past our watchful eyes. This is why we ask you to especially keep an eye out for green worms on the broccoli. We are not certified organic, but neither do we drench our crops in insecticides. Any worms will be the exact color of the broccoli stalk. If you miss them in the preparation, you will find them in the bottom of your steamer! Might not want to show them to the rest of the family. Keep that little secret to yourself, please. Consider any you find a protein bonus. BTW, the second wave of broccoli looks even worse than the first wave. Wet? Heat? Either way, just too much stress on the plants this season. Get creative by cutting the “heads” into florets!

If you want to visit the gardens, send me an email with a couple of dates and times that work for you and I will attempt to coordinate our schedules. BYO sunscreen and insect repellent and come in appropriate footwear.

One last thing: Thanks for returning those CSA Boxes! We need them for the next surprise veggie box we harvest for our families. Local, seasonal eating–as good as it gets!