Community Supported Agriculture – Cane Creek Asparagus & Company CSA

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.

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!

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!

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!!

Two New Veggies?!

If you read the Blog and know what veggies were harvested last week, then you will notice there are two new “green” vegetables this week. CSA Member Families will find the following veggies in their boxes (bags) this week: Joi choi, the “second” choi (I still have not looked up the name!), Ching Chang, Black Summer, Tatsoi (some have longer stems than others as it depends on whether they were growing in an “open space” or more “crowded” which causes them to reach up for the sunlight and grow taller), Kale, Asian Delight (small choi with dark green leaves and an extremely white base), Green Romaine lettuce, and small Escarole and Endive! Here are a couple of pictures, but you can always go the Veggie IDs page on the website, too.

I always tell CSA Members to go back and read at least one Blog prior to the current posting as I may have said something of relevance. I know my website is not as sophisticated as some out there; however, I designed and built it myself. I am a CSA Farmer and not a software technician. I think I did a good enough job to get my points across! Locally grown, freshly harvested, nutrition heading your way . . .

CSA Starting

As of today every one of our CSA Members will have heard the date of their first veggie pick up. We are excited to get the 2024 Harvest Season started. The hail storm in early May is just a reminder that we are not in control of the weather. Also, a few “hail holes” do not change the delightful taste of our greens!

One of our sons brought over his drone and snapped some photos of Robert’s “works of art” from the sky. Above you can see the larger, first planted wave of crops at the top and the later, more recently planted waves toward the bottom of the photo. If you look carefully at the middle, more barren row, you can see the drip irrigation tape running down the middle. A drip tape runs down each row of veggies.

The potatoes are looking good! There is one bare spot at the far end where one variety did not grow well; but despite this, I think we will have enough to satisfy. Everything is so pretty this time of the year before the weeds begin to grow and start to take over like they always do. One just learns to love them, too.

CSA Member Families can look forward to eating Joi choi, the “second” choi, Ching Chang, Tatsoi, Kale, Asian Delight, and Green Romaine lettuce! We like the Tatsoi Fetta Pie and Quiche Cakes recipes which you can find under “T – Z” in the recipes. Everything else mixed together in a huge salad is our way of eating. If bitters are not your favorite, try drizzling a bit of local honey over your salad. Adding a handful of Craisins works, too. If you get tired of chewing, one inventive CSA Member tells me these greens make a delightful pesto! And in case you do not know it, pesto can be frozen in ice cube trays for later use as a sandwich spread or tossed into a soup for “greens” nutrition and seasoning.

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 April 30 Garden

So much is going on in our gardens! The second garden to be included in the fence is in the process of being laid out as you can see below. That metal post you see is the hose bib where we attach the drip irrigation which runs through the garden to the drilled well.

Meanwhile, thousands of plants have been moved to the main stage in the first garden where we trust they will flourish and grow to fill our CSA veggies in mid-to-late-May. WHEN we begin harvest all depends on the weather in the next two weeks. The chois, etc. will be smaller in the first two weeks of the CSA, but these crops grow every day and soon one will practically fill the entire box! Please remember this!

If you look closely in the photo below, you can see the seven-foot deer fence which surrounds this first garden and will be extended to surround the second garden as well. The fencing is barely visible to the human eye; but the deer can see it! Over the years we have determined what crops the deer like to eat, so we simply enclose them.

Sprouts are starting to come up through the soil in the potato garden. The fabric has been laid between the rows and the drip irrigation lines are waiting to be set up. Within thirty days, one will not be able to walk between these rows because the potatoes will have grown so large–we trust!

Many other crops have also been planted including carrots, beets, peas and some I am forgetting to be sure! I will send out an email to each and every CSA Member when it is time to arrive at your pick up location for your first box of farm fresh vegetables. It will take us two weeks to get the CSA up and running because we operate on the every-other-week delivery system. These early veggies like cool weather as in traditional spring weather. Cool weather will prevent them from bolting early. Pray for this!

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!

My Milieu & Soil Prep

Preliminary work has begun in the gardens with the first and second tilling accomplished. This will undoubtedly bring some weed seeds to the top, but it will remove others which have already sprouted. Weeds! Just learn to love them because they are ever present. Next the laying and staking of fabric begins. This step cannot begin until the winds die down as these strips of fabric are over 100 feet in length. Many eight-inch staples will be used to hold the fabrics in place.

Two of many gardens with fabric and stakes positioned awaiting layout and staked placement.

The re-usable, black fabric helps to hold in moisture and keeps down the weeds while providing a cleaner surface on which activities can be performed ie: planting and weeding and harvesting. There is still plenty of “dirt” to go around, but having this water-permeable fabric helps immensely in cutting down the volume of soil which gets embedded into pants and boots.

Country Antrim Ireland . . . our family milieu for many “greats” involves farmland

This weekend some of our children, who just arrived back in WNC from a visit to our restored Ancestral Heritage Home in Ireland, have traveled to Southern Illinois to our Centennial Family Farm of Origin to view the upcoming Solar Eclipse. Another will be arriving at the family farm on Sunday via Texas and the St. Louis Airport after meeting up with my Colorado sister’s family arriving back in the States from a visit to Peru. Still other family members are traveling from Chicago and Wisconsin and California(?) to go to the farm for the Total Eclipse Family Reunion. They planned all of this a year ago.

Centennial Family Farm of Origin in Southern Illinois

Robert and I were invited, but of course, this is not the time of year when we can head out! There is too much to be done in the field and too many seedlings and transplant babies in our greenhouse which require daily attention. I trust the clouds will clear enough that they can see something–or not–as it will be dark! My brother-in-law says we might possibly experience some of the event here in Fairview. Regardless, I do not think a few minutes of darkness on April 8, 2024 will affect our harvest season! I have taped a National Geographic television program as a backup to the out-of-doors viewing for our WNC location. Honestly, sometimes being tied to the land and the plants and the vegetables and home is very comforting for me–notice, I did not say relaxing as the CSA farming season is in progress! My Illinois farmer brother and nephew understand!!

Tag: Community Supported Agriculture