Uncategorized – Cane Creek CSA

Red + Near-Infrared Light Detoxification

For complete detoxification of your body, spend some time each day relaxing with SaunaSpace FireLight® technology which is now available at the lowest price ever. My body is addicted to these comforting, sun-mimicking, incandescent lights.

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There are many photobiomodulation devices, but for instant heat and EMF free, with no flickering red lights, no UV, no Blue Light, and an average of only five cents an hour per bulb to operate, Saunaspace is the brand you want. These red lights provide healing and cellular repair with mitochondrial support and nervous system regulation via blood circulation, lymphatic movement, and even dissolve blood clots.

Over a decade has been invested in getting this product just right for complete detoxification. Saunaspace is hand-made in Missouri. There is absolutely no dangerous off-gassing from the stainless steel, bass wood, organic cotton and bamboo components.

As a reminder, your mitochondria respond strongly to two biological signals:

Heat (mitohormesis) – Stimulates mitochondrial adaptation and resilience
Red + Near-Infrared Light (photobiomodulation) – Activates enzymes to increase ATP production and optimize cellular energy

The SaunaSpace FireLight® technology delivers both simultaneously using full-spectrum incandescent bulbs, giving your mitochondria the signals they actually evolved to respond to. This means your cells can adapt, multiply, and produce energy more efficiently, making your sauna practice a true daily ritual for vitality.

Email me at canecreekcsa@gmail.com if you have any questions. I would love to talk with you about this portable plug and play (no electrician or remodeling required) sauna.

Cane Creek CSA, Ceaselessly Seeking Awareness

CaneCreekCSA Changes

There is something about living through a 100-year geological event that changes a person. On September 27th 2024, Tropical Storm Helene hit Western North Carolina and was just such an event. We’d seen terrible scenarios like this on the television before happening in other parts of the United States or happening in far away parts of the world, but we’d never experienced it here–not at our home! And we still didn’t experience it at our home per se because we are located on top of the mountain. We didn’t get a landslide. We had trees block the road, but didn’t have a tree fall on our house. We were Blessed! Robert and I came out of this relatively unscathed except for the fact that there was 8 – 10 feet of water covering all of our bottom land which parallels Cane Creek. Obviously, that much water is not good for tractors or any other farming infrastructure; but in addition to the water there was the shipping containers and vehicles and buildings and other debris that washed onto the land. Once again, we were Blessed because the Army Corps of Engineers via FEMA came to our rescue. The Army Corps of Engineers built a berm on this property in the 1960s which is what allowed us to farm this bottom-land along the creek. I suppose, but will never really know for sure, if this is why we were the location where the Corps began their clean up in the Fletcher/Fairview area of Buncombe County.

Robert I approached the 2025 harvest season with the same enthusiasm that we had in the past 30 years, but something was different. There were more ruts and rocks and sandbars in the soil. Still we found a good enough gardening site, but the weather in 2025 was not the best for a vegetable growing season. Of course, no year is ever perfect, but some years are much worse and this was one of them. Additionally, the deer who have been continually on our property got much more aggressive. They began tearing down our 8-foot deer fencing on a regular basis and eating whatever they chose including lettuce, romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, and cantaloupe. They have a wide and varied gourmet diet! It wasn’t until the early winter months of 2026 that we decided it was time to totally retire from the CSA farming business.

2026 has been a change with Robert growing a much smaller garden. It is still large by comparison to most home gardens, but small for him. He provided the family (plus) with a plentiful harvest. Next year’s garden will be even smaller as he adjusts. I have rather enjoyed retirement. It seems I have plenty to do with little time to sit around and read all of those books I’ve been buying and stacking over the years; perhaps this winter. I will say our flower garden has gotten much more attention this year. It has been beautiful with just enough rain at just the right times. The one thing I am unwilling to let go of at this time is my CaneCreekCSA.com website. Since we are no longer in the “Community Supported Agriculture” farming business, I will somewhat change directions. I am not totally sure what I am going to do with this site, so please check back in! If you are interested in staying in touch, the email will be the same; however, “CSA” will stand for something different eventually. I would love to hear from you if you are of the mind to communicate.

Blessings to all who experienced and followed the 100-year geological event of Tropical Storm Helene as we celebrate two years this September 27. Western North Carolina has come a long way since that fateful day. Part of this journey has been a “community seeking attention” from the State and the Federal Governments. And part of this journey has been the community coming together from the very first hours until this very minute with neighbor helping neighbor which is as it should be in a functional Society!

Mitochondria And Food

Mitochondria are the power houses of your cells. You learned this in your science class along with how important it was to eat fresh vegetables! But have you forgotten? Mitochondria respond strongly to two biological signals:

Heat (mitohormesis) – Stimulates mitochondrial adaptation and resilience
Red + Near-Infrared Light (photobiomodulation) – Activates enzymes to increase ATP production and optimize cellular energy

The SaunaSpace comforting, sun-mimicking, incandescent lights provide instant heat and are EMF free, with no flickering red lights, no UV, no Blue Light, and average only five cents an hour per bulb to operate. These red lights provide healing and cellular repair with mitochondrial support and nervous system regulation via blood circulation, lymphatic movement, and even dissolve blood clots! Not only is this sauna plug and play (no electrician or remodeling), it is portable. One can get (or add later) a silver liner upgrade for the sauna enclosure which blocks out all environmental EMFs for complete detoxification. Over a decade has been invested in getting this product just right for today’s world. Hand-made in Missouri, there is absolutely no dangerous off-gassing from the stainless steel, bass wood, or organic cotton and bamboo components. Furthermore, SaunaSpace offers a 100-day trial. There are many options out there, so do your research before investing in a photobiomodulation device.

Here is the referral link for 10% off the price: https://sauna.space?sca_ref=10004467.7BhK9J6ESR and if the company happens to be running a sale or gift promotion, this link gives you an extra 10% off.

And while feeding your body support your local farmers! Flying Cloud is located here in Fairview. They sell through a CSA, two tailgate markets, and via a roadside stand located at the farm at 1860 Charlotte Hwy, Fairview, NC 28730.

WNC is fortunate to be blessed with a community supplying easy access to an abundance of healthy food produced in our region.

Feed your precious body with what it wants and needs to be healthy!

Mid-August Eggplants

I cannot believe we are already at the middle of August. Obviously, I have not Blogged recently. Quite honestly, it has been simply too depressing to write about not having any veggies for our CSA Members. The rains and the heat together caused most all of the plants to wither and die except for the cucumbers and cantaloupe and eggplant which were in a drier section of the garden. However, the deer got in and ate all of the cucumbers and cantaloupe and then the plants turned yellow. The eggplant remain and we do have beautiful globe eggplants this year! The one bright spot!! We also have potatoes. The okra plants are less than two feet high; thus, there is no need to use a ladder to harvest them this season. LOL You just gotta laugh at the craziness of it all . . . it is as if we live in Florida!

I have posted two new easy eggplant recipes to the website. Both are delicious and freeze well. This is the only vegetable I have to process, so we shall be eating lots of eggplant this winter in our household. Eggplant is naturally bitter; but as long as they are growing quickly, we never remove the skin when we prepare them. Also, we much prefer to roast our eggplant as this method brings out the sweetness. I simply brush the slices with EVOO rather than frying in it.

Eggplants are nutrient-rich, antioxidant-packed fruits that may benefit your heart, blood sugar, weight, and cancer risk. Their hearty texture is a good stand-in for meat. You can roast, bake, steam, or sauté eggplant. When it’s cut up, it makes a good addition to curries and soups or even as a basil substitute for pesto which can be used for dips, pizza, or sandwich spread.

We will offer a limited number of CSA Boxes. If you really love eggplant and potatoes, please send me an email at canecreekcsa@gmail.com and I will prepare a box for you. There may be some offerings over the next few weeks. Unfortunately, we will not be able to resume the entire CSA schedule again as we had planned at the end of June.

Triplets Tree Tag

Passing by a second-story window the other day, I noticed this shaggy tree-bush (on the right behind the bird feeder) violently shaking. My mind raced! What is the cause? An impending storm? A possible landslide? A Brevard Fault earthquake? I took a deep breath and then noticed no other trees on the mountainside shaking. Averting my eyes downward, I observed our Resident Mama Bear lying on the ground with the bird feeder tipped into her opened mouth! One of her three (yes, she has triplets) cubs lingered nearby looking upward into the shaking tree-bush before joining his two siblings playing a game of Tree Tag! Just another day on our small, family farm Wildlife Sanctuary along Cane Creek.

Tree-bush on the right–once a bush, shaped into a tree allowing for easy climbing access!

We received measurable rainfall almost every day during the month of June. Actually, this began in May. What a year! Robert and I think it is the worst year for gardening we have ever experienced. Just to show how much rain we are getting in this part of Fletcher/Fairview, check out the photo below. The crane in the picture is frequently seen in Cane Creek. This day she seems to think she might find a fish in the “lake” at the end of the road which leads into our gardens! Perhaps she is correct? Maybe I should put a worm on a hook and drop a line into this “puddle” to see what I can catch!

Crane confuses our constant road puddle for a lake!

I went back into my farm notes and records to see if in the last thirty years we had ever experienced a season as wet as this one. LOL, as it turns out we have twice before found it necessary to skip one or two weeks of CSA Boxes. This time we are facing an entire month! Still even in those bad years, we were able to pull off some reasonable vegetable boxes. This is exactly why we collect payments in the unusual manner in which we do! We are grateful to be able to do so. And we are grateful for your understanding.

Now we are are past the July 4th Holiday. I trust you were able to see some fireworks celebrating the Freedom for which our ancestors risked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor! There has been no rain in the last few days. Robert says the soil is actually getting dry! However, this does not negate the excessive rains of May and June. Our CSA box deliveries remain on pause until the recently replanted summer vegetables can grow. All of our CSA Members should have received a personal email from us regarding this break. We trust we will have veggies again by August. Stay tuned, watch your emails, and enjoy the heat and Vitamin D-3 from the summer sun as best you can!

Kohlrabi

This week we are putting kohlrabi into the CSA Boxes. If you have never tried kohlrabi, I think you are in for a treat. In the field it presents like little alien space ships. We have some purple, but mostly green this year. All must be peeled before eating. Once peeled, both will be white and they will taste the same! The stems are also edible. The stems will need to be cooked like collard greens. I like raw kohlrabi. Robert prefers it sauteed. It also makes good “french” fries if one wants to go to the trouble. When it is peeled like an apple, the kohlrabi will not turn brown as an apple will do. This makes sliced kohlrabi a healthy, nutritious “prepare in advance” snack.

There will also be new potatoes in the box. They will arrive in a BPA free, clear bag, but I suggest putting them into a paper bag. If they are exposed to the sunlight, they will turn green because the skin is so tender! Potatoes which have been exposed to enough sunlight to turn green should never be consumed.

The Potato Patch–summer squash are planted in the left rows.

Escarole and a bit of ugly broccoli will be in the box. The escarole is a more bitter salad additive. The broccoli and cauliflower heads are having a particularly rough time with all of the daily rainfall we have been getting. Also, you will find the last of the romaine, lettuce, and joi choi. Some boxes may have Asian Delight instead of joi choi as we are getting to the end of the spring garden contents.

In The CSA Box

We are so glad you have joined us for this 2025 Harvest Season. We are having a challenging start. Last year we grew sweet bell peppers which weighed one pound each! This year the plants are doing so poorly in the field soil that we planted new seeds in the greenhouse on Friday. The soil tests and ph are good, but the texture of it is off. No doubt our soil is suffering from Helene Trauma.

Speaking of Helene, during the extensive cleanup process, Robert found a piece of engraved metal which was given as a “reward for distinguished service with the Farm Bureau.” With the help of the Fairview Town Crier Editor we tracked down the son of the man whose name was on the plaque. We returned it to the family this weekend. It turns out his father started the Farm Bureau in Buncombe County decades ago. How ironic that this little part of the award washed up onto a family farm during the raging waters of Cane Creek last September!

Curtis Wright (holding our Helene Find) and Robert Ploeger (on the right)

Robert has a new toy to mow the fields with this season. The lay of the land is extremely rough after all of the heavy equipment that was required for Helene debris removal. I would take a video of him mowing, but it might make one nauseous to watch as he bounces up and down!

Your choice to eat local, organic foods is a commitment to consuming nutritious, energetic foods! By joining our CSA, you are engaging in conscious eating just as we are engaged in conscious farming. Our choices make us all rebels who believe that all food should be local–or as local as possible!

This week we will add romaine, escarole, and possibly lettuce and kale to the Joi Choi, Ching Chang, and Asian Delight. The Tatsoi is over as it is a very finicky plant growing only under the best of conditions.

CSA Up and Running

By now everyone should have received an email indicating their first CSA Box harvest of the 2025 season. The first few boxes will contain Spring Greens: Joi Choi, Black Summer, Ching Chang, Asian Delight, Tatsoi, and red and green kale. We love everything chopped and mixed together for giant raw salads. I add a drizzle of honey to my EVOO to counteract the “bitterness.” Bitter is one of the flavors GOOD for us! Toss in some cranberries, walnuts, and fetta cheese and you have possibly the best salad you have ever eaten!

Here is a more desirable section of the Spring Garden.

If you are new to the CSA, I recommend purchasing some Giant Hefty Ziplock bags for storing your greens. Robert rinses off the first layer of soil, but you will need at least two more washings, in my opinion. Then I bag–draining off as much water as possible by tipping the bag. Now my greens are ready to chop for meal prep! Or bag now and wash later–your choice. The Photo ID pages on our website will help you to identify each particular veggie. Recipes are on the website if you want to saute.

This garden section is TOO wet resulting in yellowing leaves and stunted plant growth!

2025 has been a slow start due to the rain. In the above photo you can see the challenge we face farming in bottom lands during a wet season! We have drip irrigation from drilled wells for a drought scenario, but there is nothing we can do about excessive rainfall. The crops in this photo are probably a loss.

Subscribe to this Blog if you want some idea of what is coming in your CSA Box. I will update it as the contents change with the seasons.

Rain, Hail, Heat

We did get some hail on May 8 which dinged and tore the leaves of our Asian greens. It was pea to marble-sized hail and did not last too long, fortunately. The greens will be chopped for salads so it should not be much of a problem–just not pretty. We were again blessed to not be under the type of clouds which covered the Henderson County apple orchard areas.

We are getting too much rain! The bottom lands, of course, collect all of the water running off the mountain. Too much rain stresses the roots of the plants which stresses the crops we are attempting to grow! The weatherman says sunshine is coming and 80 degree temps. Of course, this is way too hot for Spring Greens, but the sun and heat will help to dry out the soil.

The potatoes are growing. If you look closely, you can see two places where the deer walked through the “potato patch.” We do not fence this garden area as potatoes are one crop the deer do not seem to be interested in. They did step over the plants at least!

Robert and I do what we can! There is still no start date for our CSA. Each CSA Member will get a direct email from me when we are harvesting their first box of veggies. I will ask for a response to the email so we know that you know when to expect veggies. The chois, romaines, etc. start out small and grow rapidly in size under reasonable growing conditions. Whether or not the 2025 Harvest Season will be reasonable remains to be seen. Still, over the last 25 + years we have been blessed with a pretty good track record!

Now THIS Is Seasonal

On the last day of April, Robert began transplanting our plants to the gardens! We are a couple of weeks behind, but our “greenhouse babies” have developed strong root systems and will grow quickly. We are pleased to see the cooler temperatures return. We are experiencing seasonal weather when one needs to wear a hooded jacket to transplant into the Spring Garden. Only cool weather crops are transplanted to the gardens now.

One of our four beautifully cleaned up tree lines in the background.

From this photo, you can see our 2003 farm truck had to be replaced. Not what was in our plans for 2025, but life happens and we adapt! If you look carefully at the white truck backdrop, you can see the fine, black netting from the deer fence which is already up and in place. Standing in front of the fence, one might walk right into it as this fencing is difficult for humans to see, but deer eyes see it just fine! We need this fence to protect the romaine and other choice deer vittles. Robert did incorporate pieces of white ribbon along three sides of the fence for human eyes to detect!

Underground drip irrigation from deep, drilled water wells up and running.

We are so blessed to be able to offer our CSA to the community in this 2025 Harvest Season. Here’s to a beautiful, green Spring and a bountiful growing season!

Category: Uncategorized