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The plants are growing in the safety of our greenhouse. The gardens are being prepared and soon the trays of plants will be moved out of doors so they can acclimate to the real world. At first they will still being close enough to be pulled inside the garage if a truly cold snap makes it way to the Cane Creek Valley.

At this point we have all stages of growth from seedbeds to nearly six-inch tall plants. This is all part of the “process” on our CSA Farm to provide the vegetables which will go into our weekly CSA Boxes.

If you have not yet committed to a local farm for the 2017 Harvest Season, we would love to have you join us. CSA Farm Shares are available at Cane Creek Asparagus & Company CSA!

 

The warm temperatures of February and early March caused us all to begin spring-like behaviors.  Many flowers and the Bradford Pear trees bloomed three weeks early, however, that quick snowfall the first weekend in March reminded us that winter was still present. And as CSA Farmers we understand snow and cold temperatures can occur into early May so we shall plan accordingly. Here is a view of the greenhouse covered in snow.

But, today is the first day of spring 2017! Our tiny seedlings are growing into beautiful plants! When looking at each seedbed of over 500 seedlings, I have learned to think about each one as a broccoli head or cauliflower head or whatever vegetable the seedling will someday become. And I have learned to not look far beyond the next seedling–otherwise, the job would appear too overwhelming!

We have spent hour upon hour playing (aka working) in the greenhouse. Also since the first of March, our family has celebrated three birthdays. Time MARCHES on and future  photos will show “plants” which are larger in size.

We do have CSA Farm Shares available. Please call or simply fill out the Membership Commitment form on the web site. We will get back with you right away so  you know you are in our family of Veggie Lovers for the 2017 Harvest Season.

Are your getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet? For starters you want at least half of your plate at each meal to consist of fruits and veggies. Here is an easy calculator which might help your choices. After you spend three minutes filling it in, you will be given results and recommendations. There is also a button where you can modify your selections and see the modified results instantly. I think it is a FUN and educational tool.

http://www.ewg.org/cancer/nutrition-calculator-for-cancer-prevention?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=Cancernews&utm_medium=email

I think the flowers and trees are two to three weeks ahead of schedule in Nature. I guess we will have to get used to “low-country” winters in WNC–not sure how this affects our growing season yet. As a rule of thumb we can expect snow in April and a frost up until May 15. The daffodils are usually okay, but not the blueberries!

Last Sunday Robert started the first seedbeds in the greenhouse, so the show is on the road for the 2017 Harvest Season. And we are accepting CSA Members now . . .

 

I am starting to think about fresh greens—no doubt, because this is the month we begin to start seedlings in our greenhouse—but more on farming another time. Today I want to relate the best and most comprehensive article I have ever seen on juicing. I found it on the Food Safety News web site which I follow.  Here is the link in case you are interested in the detailed and lengthy article. http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2017/02/juicing-is-healthy-but-easily-contaminated-by-pathogens/#.WKdBUn_CfaI

I want to say right up front that our CSA Members should not expect to get enough vegetables in their CSA Boxes for the type of dedicated juicing described in this article. This being said, I know we have members who juice their greens instead of eating them as salads or side dishes as we intend. And we do have Members who say that juicing is the only way they can keep up with the volume of vegetables they receive every-other week.

I simply want to point out some highlights of the news story. “According to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fruits and vegetables contaminated with harmful bacteria cause 46 percent of food poisonings. However, the agency also points out that much of this contamination comes from the way the produce is handled, which includes packing, storing and preparing it  — not from the produce itself.”

Washing produce in running water, scrubbing and peeling and blanching some vegetables is recommended before jucing. NOT recommended is washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash. “A tip from JustJuice recommends giving leafy greens a bath. Fill up a thoroughly cleaned basin with cold water and pour in a half a cup of vinegar. Soak the greens in the mixture for 5 to 10 minutes, swirling them around to loosen dirt and insects caught in the leaves. Then put the greens in a colander and rinse under cold water. Make sure the water hits every part of the leaf.” I recommend repeating this step until you see clean water in the sink after removing the greens. They do not recommend batch washing because of cross contamination; but I do it with greens and plan  to continue the practice to conserve precious water.

Adding vinegar to the soak water is something I have not tried before. I may try this in the future as there is always something new to learn. We do rinse most all of the vegetables we deliver in our CSA Boxes with potable water, but we do not attempt to remove all of the silt—just the worst of the soil so we can keep as much of our Fairview farm here as possible! On our website I recommend putting on ones favorite music so make the job of washing greens more tolerable. This advice still stands!

The greenhouse and gardens are ready and awaiting the next adventure. Each year is different providing new challenges for the Farmer. Last fall brought us exceptionally, warm temperatures causing the white and red potato varieties to sprout five months early—poor things, they thought it was spring and went to work growing as Nature dictates. We will buy new seed for a timely spring planting. The sweet potatoes fared better and the winter squash crop was exceptional. Our family continues to eat from the culls which we did not sell in 2016. They are delicious!

Western North Carolina is still under drought conditions. This is not ideal for our purple asparagus which is a member of the Lilly Family. As always, more crowns were planted to replace those devastated by the continued drought. The beds are prepared and our fingers are crossed. We are eternal optimists.

I understand it is easy to “irritate” and difficult to “influence.” On our website and Blog, I prefer to “educate” in the sense I want to explain what it is we attempt to do on our small, family vegetable farm in eastern Buncombe County. I want to explain how we do what we do, and why we do it. I want to explain the benefits of eating fresh, local vegetables. I want to explain how we prepare them and enjoy the nutrition they provide. We want our CSA Members to take ownership of the bounty of our seasonal harvest and create their own works of culinary art. If you are interesting in expanding your boundaries, perhaps you would like to join our Veggie Lovin’ CSA Family. Now is the time! CSA Shares are available for the 2017 Harvest Season.

After watching the local news each evening, Robert and I stay tuned to the first couple of puzzles on Wheel of Fortune. Actually, the news is DVR’d and we only get the first couple of puzzles. We easily guessed a recent one under the title of “people” . . . the answer was “Family Farmers.” It says a great deal about the popularity of the Local Food Movement when it enters pop culture.

Robert is officially finished cleaning up the 2016 gardens and is ordering seeds. Once I complete the greenhouse, we will be ready to start planting the first seedbeds. There is not much downtime in our extended vegetable season.

Yesterday I noticed the first miniature daffodils blooming in our front yard. This is just a reminder of how crazy warm the weather has been this January. This comes on the tail of being unseasonably warm in September, October, and November of 2016. You may have noticed this in the white potatoes—the weather was so warm they were starting to grow. We usually do not see that behavior until March!

Past CSA Members can expect an email from me in the next couple of weeks regarding your desire to continue in our CSA for the 2017 Harvest Season. We do not like to assume your commitment, but rather prefer to ask anew each season.

Santa brought a new, hybrid, heat pump, hot water heater to our home via Blue Planet Plumbing. This purchase was not a surprise—which is a good thing when one is talking about a hot water heater. Dealing with Blue Planet Plumbing was a truly wonderful experience! We can highly recommend this local, family-owned business.

Robert and I trust everyone is having a Merry Christmas and we wish a prosperous New Year to one and all—with just enough and not too much rainfall.

Winter is not a time for resting on one’s laurels, but rather a time for planning and preparing for the year to come—that is after cleanup has been completed from the previous harvest! Robert is making great progress on the 2016 garden cleanup. I need to finish up in the packing ‘shed’ and greenhouse. It will be February in the blink of an eye and we will be starting seedbeds once again. Farming really is a 365-day a year occupation and not for the faint of heart.

Blessings,

On our small CSA Farm we put our efforts into the change we want to see! We are just one of the many family farmers attempting to change the trajectory of the food system.

This has been a hard year for farmers in the Carolinas. The east had a devastating tropical weather system. WNC is dealing with an extreme drought. We are most fortunate to have an underground drip irrigation system in place on our family farm as it helped us survive in 2016. The year we were installing it, however, Buncombe County experienced more rainfall than any recent year on record! Often it seems even when things are going smoothly, the weather conditions are the opposite of what is needed for growing successful crops.

One must be an optimist to be a successful sustainable farmer. One must believe if you plant it, the buyers will come! We are most fortunate that the buyers do come and have for over eighteen years. Our buyers are families who care about healthy food, a healthy environment, and vibrant communities. These families who make up our CSA Members share our vision of a food system that is good for the consumer, good for the farmer, and good for the land.

We are entering into the last two weeks of CSA Box delivery in the 2016 Calendar Year. We have attempted to grow over ninety different vegetable varieties this year. Some crops were more successful than others as always. Overall, we feel it was a good year.

We trust you enjoyed your experience and told others. If ever you had a bad experience, we trust you told us. Robert and I want to thank each and every Veggie Lovin’ Family who counted on Cane Creek Asparagus & Company CSA to provide them with nutritious food this harvest season!

 

 

We know what our most prolific variety of winter squash was in 2016. Individual-sized spaghetti squash! Don’t forget the easiest of all recipes: topping your spaghetti squash with homemade or store bought pasta sauces. Here are some more ideas.

What we call Italian Wanton Soup: Spaghetti squash soup with homemade meatball.

Spaghetti squash topped with sauteed sweet bell pepper and fried egg–sweet & salty.

Spaghetti Squash Gratin–in a dish or in a shell.

We don’t believe you will find these individual-sized spaghetti squash any where but Cane Creek Asparagus & Company CSA–unless you find our surplus sold to the French Broad Food Coop in Asheville or Trout Lily Market in Fairview!  All recipes are on the website under “W” for Winter Squashes.

We trust everyone had a good Thanksgiving and suspect spaghetti squash and butternut squash and sweet potatoes were on most menus in some form. We traveled to my family farm of origin where they just completed their annual harvest.

We will be preparing CSA Boxes until December 22 this year. Depending on how the calendar falls, you can expect one or two deliveries in December. If you know for certain that you want to be included in the CSA for the 2017 Season, you can tell us at any time and I will make a note. Otherwise, I will be sending out emails asking for commitments in late January. We don’t like to ASSUME you will continue your membership from year to year like some farms. We prefer to ask you anew each season.

If your potatoes start to sprout, just rub the shoots off. These potatoes have not been sprayed with growth retardant, therefore, sprouting is to be expected this time of the year.

Soon I will be sending out emails to each CSA Member to verify your last CSA Box date. Until then we are looking forward to some drenching rains to put out these WNC wildfires. Cleaning up the gardens is strenuous work and excellent air quality is preferred! This photo was taken at 2:00 p.m.