Tag: Buncombe County

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!

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!

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.

Bean Fence Up

Robert got 100 feet of fence in place for the green beans and the yellow broad beans to climb. And this photo is outdated already because tonight he moved the deer fence over to cover the first two gardens with a grassy stretch running between the two of them!

I like to recommend these Jumbo Hefty bags for storing veggies in. They are large enough to handle anything we will be sending your way this season. The first layer of soil will be rinsed off of the veggies when they arrive. You will need to perform at least two more rinses to get the soil completely off. My preferred manner is to wash the entire box of greens and store them in the Jumbo Hefty bags. This way when I am ready to make salads, all I need to do is pull out the bag and start chopping. They will stay fresh for two weeks in this manner because they are harvest the morning you receive them!

Here is a current view of the first garden taken by looking through the seven-foot deer fencing. Humans have been known to walk right through it as it is almost invisible to us–but not to the deer, fortunately!

We are in a new phase of our CSA preparation! All plants have been removed from the greenhouse. The last of the transplants are hardening off in the driveway. Time passes so quickly! So much to do!!

Keep your eye on your Email Inbox and when you see your personal CSA Startup email for your day and your pickup location, please send me a reply. This way we know that you know we are harvesting your first box of veggies of the 2024 Harvest Season! Here’s praying it is a good one!

The Days Are Long

Typically on hears the phrase “the days are long, but the years are short” in regard to child rearing; however, it also applies to CSA farming. The greenhouse seedbed and transplanting stage is nearing an end as all of the spring crops are growing nicely and filling their individual peat pots. The nightshade veggies are the last to fill the seedbeds. Today those seeds are starting to break though the soil which means by the end of the week, I shall be transplanting the tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers into their individual peat pots. And then, except for monitoring and watering the plants located there, my daily greenhouse hours will have ended!

The last seedbeds are popping through the soil.

The first and now largest plants have left the greenhouse so they can get acclimated to the real world of direct sunshine, unregulated temperatures, wind, and rain. This means I must be careful when I back out of the garage! Robert put a small fence around this “nursery” to keep wandering animals from walking through and damaging the plants. These plants get watered every day. Once they have adjusted, they will go to the gardens to be transplanted for the final time into our field/garden soil.

This is our driveway “nursery” where plants harden up before going to the gardens.

At the same time, the garden soil must be turned and fluffed. This step is done with our tractors.  The remainder of the season is all really hard, manual labor.  The ground covers between which we plant must be laid down.  The drip irrigation lines must be laid as well.  Only then can we begin putting our plants into the gardens.  Robert is busy today preparing the gardens for the first joi choi, tatsoi, kale, lettuce, romaine, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and cabbage transplants. We trust each plant will mature into a lovely, tasty vegetable to fill our early CSA Boxes.

Robert is hooking up the drip irrigation which runs down each row.

Producing a veggie crop is a long and labor intensive process which begins the first of March. Each year when we start up our CSA Farmshare pick ups in mid-to late-May, we comment, “It will be the 4th of July before you know it!” And then it is!! Then the first of August arrives with its harvest of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Typically, by this time, we have “hit the wall” in terms of our energy levels and need to rest and re-group. This is when we say, “The harvest season is halfway over.” Turn around a few times and the end of September has arrived and our supply of fresh produce is dwindling. Then, if all goes well, by the end of October or mid-November, the gardens will all be cleaned up and put to sleep for the winter months. One fact remains–the days are long and the year is short!

The first spring garden is ready for its seven-foot deer fencing and plants!

2024 Season Underway

Our greenhouse is full of seedbeds and seedlings awaiting transplant.  Indeed, many, many hours are required in the greenhouse this time of the year. Broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, cabbages, lettuces, and all the Asian greens are crops which we start from seed in our greenhouse. This greenhouse work is ongoing into the month of May. Each seedling will grow into a head of broccoli or cabbage or lettuce, etc. YUM!!! Other crops such as carrots, beets, turnips, potatoes, peas, beans, squash, cucumbers, etc. will be direct seeded into the gardens later when the time is right and the gardens have been prepared.

We expect these plants to provide a crop of delicious and nutritious local vegetables. If you have been thinking about joining our CSA Community, but have not yet submitted your information, we strongly encourage you to do so now. We have openings at the Troyer and Frugal Decor pickup locations. We ask for your commitment to purchase your CSA Boxes every other week for as long as we have vegetables available from our farm. We trust the season will run from late-May through the end of September.

Seedbeds And Transplants

Daylight Savings Time Begins! We appreciate the extra hour of daylight as CSA Farmers. It has been too wet to do anything in the fields, so Robert has been helping me transplant seedlings from the seedbeds into their little, individual peat pots where they will grow safely in the controlled environment of our greenhouse until it is time for them to go outside to adjust to the “real world” of wind and rain and more direct sunlight.

In the last two plus weeks, we have filled the greenhouse with thousands of tiny plants! Time flies when is busy . . . We still have a few farm share openings in our CSA mostly for Thursday and Friday pickups. When these are filled, we will begin a Wait List for later in the summer if our crop exceeds our expectations. 2023 was a bountiful year. We are praying that 2024 will equal or surpass last season!!

The weather has been great for the first flowers of the season. We love looking out of our greenhouse and seeing this view. Welcome Spring! Sign up now if you want to receive our CSA Boxes.

Outcome Independence

There is a phrase we rather like here on our small, Fairview family CSA Farm. The phrase is Outcome Independence. It means Robert and I are able to feel successful regardless of the outcome of any given growing season. Another way to say this is the “doing” is more important than the “result.” This phrase applies so well to the many, many crops we attempt to grow each year on our CSA farm. 

Of course, we always “prefer” to have every crop reach its full potential because this results in an exceptionally bountiful harvest season. We plan and prepare and do everything within our power to make this happen from choosing seeds to digging drainage ditches to monitoring for insect pests. Still, sometimes the best laid plans go astray and our harvest “preferences” are not met due to some factor beyond our control. This is when our Outcome Independence allows us to understand we did all that we could and enables us to feel successful none-the-less. This really is an excellent way to deal with the stress of all of life’s worst-case scenarios.

One of our beautiful 2023 Gardens!

If you have ever attempted to grow a garden, you know exactly what I am talking about. Sometimes the multiple factors over which one has no control are simply too great–too much rain, not enough rain (fortunately we have drip irrigation), cloudy days, extreme heat waves, late frost, early frost, fungus and bacteria (which are ever present in the air and the soil), wildlife (thank goodness for the seven-foot deer fencing)–the list goes on and on. Fortunately, by growing a wide variety of crops planted in “waves” of time, total disasters are usually avoided. However, when we do lose a crop, we just have to say, “It is what it is!” as rely on our Outcome Independence to see us through any harvest disappointments.

For Robert and I, filling our CSA Boxes with the seasonal, organically-grown (but not certified) vegetables we are able to provide any given week is a delightful and empowering feeling. We love sharing the flavors, textures, and nutrition of the seasonal vegetables which are created on our small part of the Earth! CSA Shares are available for the 2024 Harvest Season. We would love to have you join us on our seasonal gourmet vegetable journey! I have attempted to answer all possible questions on the website; but if not, please send your query to me in an email.

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

By now all CSA Members should have received their End of Season email from me. We did a gradual close down of the CSA much like we did a gradual start up last May. Sometimes, it seems these last five months have flown by! And at other times, Robert and I know we have been planting, tending, and harvesting since early March.

It has been fun getting to know all of you these past few months! Most of you have already indicated you want to continue in our CSA for the 2024 Harvest Season. However, just because life changes, I will be asking everyone again–probably in February 2024.

It seems work on the farm is never completed. Robert will soon begin dismantling the deer fence with its poles, the bean fence, the tomato stakes, and the eggplant and pepper stakes, the rows of fabric and the many, many hundreds of staples which have been holding it in place since March. Every single item of our growing season infrastructure must be removed in other words!

Robert and I think this has been one of the most successful harvest seasons we have enjoyed. And just as we are always excited to begin the planting season, we are also equally excited to end the harvest season. Patience and persistence are necessary traits for any gardener. And some growing seasons are better than others; but, there are always some lessons to be gleaned from a garden!

Our gardens look very sad today . . . but they definitely had their Glory Days in 2023!

Eggplant Heaven

I received an email from one of our CSA Members telling me how she is dealing with all of the beautiful eggplants she has been finding in the CSA Box. I will admit to using a lazier version of Eggplant Parmesan precisely because of time constraints. However, I do lots of “batch cooking” and will try this in the future.

“We love eggplant Parmesan and the most time consuming part is breading/baking the eggplant before assembling. So I’m prepping big batches of the eggplant and freezing it for later in the fall/winter when I want to assemble the eggplant parms! (Have to make some homemade marinara to go with it!)”

If you want to try this, I suggest quick freezing the eggplant slices on parchment paper and then stacking in an airtight container or freezer bag. Putting a piece of parchment paper in between the layers of slices will prevent them from sticking to one another. This is a great time to Consider Stashing Away.

Next, I have a bean story to relate! One afternoon while Robert was harvesting beans, a dog appeared outside of the garden fence. He had a collar, but no name tag to call his family. He was friendly, so Robert petted him through the deer fence and then tossed a bean over the fence. The dog devoured the bean instantly, so Robert tossed another. This time the dog jumped to snatch the bean in mid-air! He was obviously hungry, so Robert continued tossing random beans over the fence as he continued harvesting. After about an hour, this “vegetarian” visitor went on his way with a full tummy. It has been a great season for beans and not a single one has been wasted. It seems all creatures love our Heavenly Beans!

In the box this week, you will find beans, tomatoes, eggplant, sweet bell peppers, cabbage, carrots and potatoes. The carrots keep growing larger! This is our last wave of cabbages.