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Stay Tuned

We are almost one month into 2025. Not much has changed with respect to our farming situation except that one tractor is back for the second time from the repair shop. Robert has continued to removed what debris he can from the tree lines. All three tree lines plus 1100 feet of trees parallel to Cane Creek were collection sites for debris meaning there has been no shortage of places to work! One big difference is our view from the fields. Prior to Helene, it was impossible to see our gardening area. Now we can see lots and lots of neighbors–more than we ever realized existed!

We have spoken with the people who are going to repair our irrigation system. However, that work as well as the heavy debris removal will require soil which is dry and not frozen. All of this is to say, we are still uncertain as to what the 2025 Growing Season holds for Cane Creek Asparagus & Co CSA. Certainly, we will not be starting early in the season with spring veggies as these seeds need to be started in the greenhouse by the end of February or first of March. Perhaps a late summer garden is in the cards? We hate disappointing our CSA Members–some of you have been with us for twenty years or more! All we can say at this point is to “Stay Tuned” for future progress on our CSA farming situation!

Twenty years ago someone labeled Robert and I as “businessmen” and not ” farmers.”  We say we are “business people who farm.”  Bearing this in mind, it is necessary to increase our CSA Box price to $70 to continue being successful CSA Farmers. With our typical every-other-week CSA pickup, this would be $140 per month.

A reminder of the past and of the future we are visualizing!

A Christmas Miracle

The debris from Helene is still in our fields as it has been too wet to bring in heavy equipment to move it out. Our tractors have not yet been successfully repaired from the flood damage.  Our irrigation system still must be rebuilt.  We do not want to incorporate Helene mud into our gardens and plan to remove it. So much yet to do here and everywhere in our joint recovery. Robert is spending some time almost daily removing bits and pieces where he can in hopes of making the job easier and quicker for the heavy equipment operators. Drip irrigation tape and great lengths of fabric are twisted into what upon first look appear to be wires or cables.

Then, on December 8 Robert found this golden Christmas tree ornament stuck in a tree in the field! It is as if it were hung there by the Hand of God.  His way of telling us that He is in control and all will be okay. Once a part of someone’s life, this perfect, fragile ornament was carried away in the raging waters and miraculously deposited on a branch in a tree in our field. Now it is hanging on our Christmas “memory tree” with a tag noting the date of September 27, 2024.

Helene took and Helene gave. Things taken for granted are now viewed from a different perspective. The community near and far has come together to offer comfort and render aid to complete strangers who become friends. I heard that only point .5% of people ever experience a map changing Geological Event such as Helene. WNC has experienced this and WNC will survive.

Wishing you tidings of peace and joy as we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Update On Soil Testing

Today we got the analysis results for the sediments sampled on our farm by the NC State University, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Nutrient Management and Animal Waste Specialist. Two samples were submitted. The bacterial report was negative for salmonella, and E. coli 0157:h7 and generic E. coli counts were extremely low within natural limits. All samples were screened for heavy metals. Testing shows no evidence of heavy metals contamination. This means we are good to move forward with planting cover crops once debris is removed. So, good news on this!

Grateful to be one of the first farms to have our soil tested! Our beautiful Bald Cypress in its fall glory!!

Robert does not want to incorporate this sediment into our existing garden plots, however. He plans on moving these deposits to another location in the field. For the most part, our soil is a beautiful, rich, fluffy mixture which one can run one’s fingers through! As CSA Members, you know the kinds of nutritious veggies we are able to produce in this soil. There are some clay pack sections in the gardens, of course, and we know where those areas are. The vegetables never grow well in a clay pack area. The sediment left behind by Helene looks like clay pack, so we will find another place for it outside of our designated gardens.

Robert plans on moving this undesirable sediment to another area of the field.

I met with the USDA Farm Service Agency Project Technician for Buncombe County on Wednesday, November 20 to discuss debris removal from the property. Slowly some progress is being made on this front as well. Now it is time to locate the “big boy” toys and operating personnel necessary for de-tangling the remnants of Helene from our once beautiful (and private) tree lines. One tree line ran parallel to Cane Creek. Three more tree lines divided our fields and ran perpendicular to Cane Creek. Down the middle tree line runs Spring Creek which is a very small tributary to Cane Creek. Helene left a mess in all four.

Our tree lines were a “catch all” for the devastation wrought by Cane Creek and Garren Creek.

As we approach this first Thanksgiving Season post-Helene in WNC, we are counting our Blessings.

Last Garden Pic of 2024–We would have had those gorgeous peppers and eggplant until the first frost!

Our Current Situation

On Tuesday, October 29, I went to the meeting of farmers with all of the various agencies involved in attempting to help. A representative from one of the agencies reported it could be five years before some “programs” to assist farmers would be implemented.  Despite this, I will say I left that meeting feeling relieved that we no longer have to deal with animals and their feeding and housing as so many other farmers do.  Strange where one can find positive feelings!

Never realized how many houses were on the other side of that beautiful tree line we lost!

We did get the internet back on Wednesday, October 30.  And my very first phone call that came was from the USDA asking if they could come out and test our soil. Three people in three vehicles arrived on Thursday, October 31 at 9:00 a.m. and did just that!  We were told not to incorporate the MUD into our soil until we got the results back just in case further testing is needed. We still do not have the results of those November 5 soil tests.  One tractor has come back from repair and the second has been towed in.

The deposited layer is dense and cracked. This is what they are testing.

We do have a major rock field in a couple of the garden areas parallel to the creek (and water flow). We were told our planting methods allowed most of our top soil to be retained which is a very good thing! The fabric held soil in gardens perpendicular to the creek. Also, the dense staking of our peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes seems to have help retain the soil. Our deep-rooted cover crops did a good job of holding ground in our areas not tilled and those sections are “greening up” nicely which is a sign of healthy soil. Once again we are relieved, as apparently, it could have been worse.

Drip line and fabric are tangled within. The power pole and line has been replaced.

We and our neighbor have been concentrating on rebuilding our road to our houses. Robert has been doing some work in the gardens each day.  Interestingly, it was still quite wet and muddy even five weeks after!  We are going to need heavy equipment to remove debris and big trucks to haul that debris away. I will update as I know more.

More pieces of someone’s life; but in the distance, see how green the front field is!

This weekend we found this in one of our blueberry rows. Perhaps we can locate the owner! The 500-gallon LP tank which landed in the front field was claimed after three weeks, so there is hope.

I will send this photo to Milwaukee as a testament to the durability of their products!

Thank you for all of your well wishes. We realize Helene has been a stressful time for everyone and we are not alone. We all must look for the Blessings we do have during this upcoming Thanksgiving Season and be grateful for them.

Our spring garden at harvest time . . .

Life Is A Journey

Life is a journey and the path we are currently on in WNC, Buncombe County to be specific, is a most challenging one. Patience is a MUST. Prayers are being made without ceasing. Robert and I have heard from many of our CSA Members asking how we are. None of our phones are in service at this time, but spotty texts do come in–often days after they were sent. Obviously, I have managed to find a location with power and internet service as I write this Blog! Robert and I are fine and our sons and their families, located in Buncombe County, are both fine.

Unfortunately, our entire farming infrastructure was washed away in this 500-year? 1,000-year? flood. The waters covered both tractors and destroyed the electrical system which operates the wells which we use for underground drip irrigation. Indeed, the power pole is laying flat in the middle of the field with the wires still attached to it, but also tangled up in a very, very, tall debris pile. The blueberry bushes are standing, but most all of the ground fabric, poles, fences, etc. and gone. Any fabric left is covered with many inches of mud–we think. Once the mud is removed, we will know for sure! Some very large rocks washed into the field and with tires, etc. What was once the outer garden and became a sand bar in the 2021 Hurricane Fred is now a gravel/rock bar. That area will never be a garden again. As I drove out today, I saw Dalton’s Fairview 66 Towing attempting to remove the second ten-foot container which was stuck in Cane Creek under the bridge at the edge of our property. I trust they will get the 1950 +- pickup truck next! What an adventure!!

We did harvest beautiful peppers and eggplant in the rain on the Thursday, September 26 before the flood. On Tuesday, October 1 we took CSA Boxes to Filmon Process Corp (which amazingly also escaped damage except for fallen trees). Understandably, no CSA Members ventured out; but if they had, they would have found their boxes! Thursday, October 3 was our last CSA Box pick up day at Troyer’s Country Amish Blatz off Old Fort Road in Fairview. I did attempt to notify all members who had a box for which they had paid in advance. Four or five families were able to show up; many more were unable to get there and asked that we donate the vegetables. This was easy as Troyer’s is a Mennonite Disaster Service site! Workers with travel trailers and tents and big equipment were there from PA and when that group left a crew from MI took their place!! Many mouths to feed after a hard day of labor repairing roofs and sawing up fallen trees in the community. By the way, water and miscellaneous supplies are available at Troyer’s if anyone is in need.

I am not sure what the future holds for Cane Creek Asparagus & Company CSA. Robert and I have always been able to do our own clean up after any “seasonal flooding.” However, this unprecedented disaster brought to WNC by Hurricane Helene is one of an entirely different nature. The cleaning up will take professionals with the appropriate “big boy toys.” We are grateful for the Blessings we have received. We know so many who are much worse off. For now, Over And Out.

A DANGEROUS GAME

The unnamed cyclone is bringing some rain to the farm today. It should not be a problem because the soil is quite dry. Indeed, we are still irrigating the peppers which explains the fact they are nearly one pound each and full of Vitamin C.

Yesterday I noticed Robert sitting still on the running tractor, so I walked out to see what he was doing. As I approached, he shouted, “Don’t come any closer!” He apparently had disturbed some sort of ground hive with his mowing. Once alerted, I could clearly see from the distance that he was surrounded by wasps or yellow jackets or some such dangerous insect. He was attempting to determine their point of origin so as to avoid it on the next pass–and praying that if he remained still enough, they would not sting him! He eventually backed out of the area without finding their nest which was quickly relocated by the angry mob. Later in the evening, he was able to finish mowing while being always aware they are lurking about elsewhere in the fields! Farming is a dangerous game!!

We are winding down the 2024 CSA Season. Expect an email from me in the near future with more details! In the remainder of the boxes expect butternut squash, those sweet bell peppers, a variety of potatoes, smaller eggplant due to the cool nights, probably some green beans, and perhaps a random cabbage or tomato or okra or individual-sized spaghetti squash.

Something I like to do with these smaller eggplants is to roast them and then make them into Eggplant Pesto which I can then spread onto crackers or bagels. If you want to try this, just use any Basil Pesto recipe and substitute the pulp of the eggplant after you have scraped it from the skin. It also freezes well in ice-cube tray blocks for later enjoyment!

On a final note, we have a acquired a very pretty little red rooster! He just appeared about two weeks ago in our field and seems to be living on the nearby mountain side. I am amazed no “critter” has enjoyed him for an evening meal. This little guy is either quite lucky or very wise and able to conceal himself when danger is present. And he likes our neighborhood which is a Wildlife (and fowl) Sanctuary!

Happy Labor Day

Labor Day means backyard barbecues and the end of summer. Some families even make a final trip to the lake or beach or mountains to relax. Actually, it appears many families traveled based on the traffic conditions! I trust wherever you are your family landed you are enjoying fresh, local vegetables with that barbecued beast!

The origins of the National Labor Day Holiday reflect a darker time for workers and include unrest over oppressive working conditions. During the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century workers toiled for at least 12 hours a day, six days a week. I suspect some people can still identify with this work schedule! Anyone working two jobs? I do believe parenting and domestic engineering count as jobs. Or are you attempting to grow a garden? LOL . . . Fortunately, today we have many improvements over late 19th century workers. At the end of our toils, we retire to comfortable air-conditioned homes with electricity and indoor plumbing. And petrol-fueled vehicles of all types beat oxen, mules, and horses for getting around and getting things done!

We continue to use our underground, drip-irrigation in the gardens (another miracle which did not exist in the the late 19th century). As a result, our bell peppers are magnificent this season! They are loaded with Vitamin C and other nutrients. Enjoy them raw, roasted, sauteed, stuffed and if you are getting too many (as if this is possible), fill a freezer bag and enjoy them next winter in soups and stews!

The beans keep producing and the eggplant and tomatoes! The cabbage and potatoes are stunted in size due to the one big rain we did get in June at exactly the wrong time–such is the life of a farmer! Still, they are tasty and there is no need to wrap half of the cabbage head for later use! The first “individual” spaghetti squash had some dark spots on the outside so I had to use these first. They were solid when I packed them into the boxes, but use them immediately!

Left to right: beans, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and once upon a time cukes!

This photo was taken about one month ago. You can see the early spring garden on the right where the weeds have taken over for the most part–except for the cabbage. Today various plants are much larger with little of the fabric even showing!

5-Minute Meal

Certainly, I am not the only one who is crunched for time when it comes to preparing meals! Today, I am including a photo of my 5-Minute Meal. I actually timed myself this evening! I might have been able to cut the time had my kitchen knife been sharper. I first made this dish when my Grandson was three-years old. He loved helping me in the kitchen. He could assemble the tomatoes and peppers between the eggplant after I had cut all of the veggies into pieces! By the age of five years, he had his own cooking show on YouTube (with a little help from his Daddy, my son). In my opinion, it is never too young to start cooking and helping in the kitchen!

Assembled for the oven in five minutes flat . . .

This particular version has only three ingredients: eggplant (sliced in half long-wise and then sliced again, tomatoes, and sweet bell pepper cut into strips. I drizzled with EVOO and sprinkled with Italian Seasoning, garlic, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes until the eggplant is fork tender. This gives one enough time to make a cabbage salad to go along as a side dish! I have been known to also toss in whole green beans when they are available! Sprinkle the dish with crumbled feta cheese when serving. This recipe is good either hot or cold, too.

Out of the oven . . . sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese before serving!

The sweet bell peppers are enormous this season with luscious thick walls! Peppers are loaded with Vitamin C and nutrients. And if you can wait a few days before consuming, you will discover that a green sweet bell pepper sitting on the counter will turn into a RED sweet bell pepper!

Here is the proof!

In the upcoming veggie boxes you can expect potatoes, three different types of tomatoes, eggplant, green bell peppers, yellow-broad beans and perhaps a bit of okra or a green cabbage, depending on the day’s harvest.

And just to prove that Robert can grow more than veggies . . . here is a photo from our front yard!

Zinnia and Marigold Season–A Delight For The Eyes!!

Twin Fawns

I have not posted in the last couple of weeks. I guess I was just a bit disheartened! After we got the deer fenced out, the rain affected the cucumbers. Our last couple of waves of cabbage are rotting due to this being one of the wettest July’s on record. Some cabbages have survived, but they are small because the rain stunted their growth. Just the way it is in 2024! But the sweet bell peppers are enormous as are the beautiful eggplant. The tomatoes are starting to ripen! And the cucumber plants are still alive, so perhaps they will be more later if the deer allow?

Look closely and you can see the twin fawns and their mischievous mother!

And a doe broke in again today! We are running out of repair footage!! And this one has twins. When added to the other single, that’s a lot of new offspring being taught the “joys of eating” in the Ploeger Garden. Wildlife is a constant problem for us, but they also provide so many memorable moments of joy, so . . . gotta love ’em!

In the box you can expect potatoes, small green cabbage, orange carrots, string-less, green beans, small red beets, huge sweet, green bell peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, and perhaps a bit of okra or yellow broad-beans. We trust we will have a cantaloupe for everyone this week, too. It will be ripe and ready to eat! So cut it up right away, put it into an airtight container, and refrigerate until you are ready to consume it!

Sunflowers stand guard over the eggplant and bell peppers!

The sunflowers area constant source of joy as well. They attract singing birds and buzzing bees to perform a musical backdrop while performing the duties of the garden.

Praising The Bear

It is pouring rain at the farm right now. The farmer is going back to the field to harvest some beets in the mud for Tuesday’s CSA. There will also be some green beans or some yellow, broad beans in your box–but not both There would have been both, but it is raining too hard to be picking more beans! We really do not need this rain. Daily rainfall, even if small amounts let alone this deluge, is not good for our garden. The squash, zucchini, and patty pans in particular will begin to drop off from excessive dampness.

We had a serious problem solved last week! There was a huge hive of something (bees? wasps? hornets?) attached to the underside of the bucket of one of our tractors. This tractor had not been used recently as it is used for maintaining our gravel road–although with this rainfall, we might need to use it tomorrow! We have another tractor for mowing which is in “seasonal” use right now. Back to the problem . . . Robert has been watching this hive and considering how to safely remove it. The fantastic news is that one day last week, one of our bears tore off the hive and carried it off into the woods–much as he did our trash can one time! Problem solved without needing to use an epie pen! Praise for the bear THIS WEEK . . .

This is the small bear and one of the two which frequent our property and perhaps live on it somewhere!

One of our CSA Members was telling me how she is making muffins for her freezer from the patty pans and summer squash. What a great idea; particularly if your family needs to have the zucchini hidden! I am surprised I have not thought of this; although, Robert and I tend to be purist when it comes to our vegetables. As little sugar and as close to raw as possible is our preferred method of consuming,

In the box you can expect green cabbage, red beets, a variety of patty pan squash, long summer squash, yellow or green zucchini , orange carrots, yellow broad-beans and/or string-less, green beans (depending on the day), a couple of sweet, green bell peppers, and a bit of okra.