fresh-produce – 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.

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.

Keep Trying

We have daffodils beginning to bloom in our front yard. It is way too early and I fear they will be destroyed next week when the cold weather returns. In the event of nice days in February, however, they always try to grow! I pray some will survive to March which is a more realistic time for their arrival.

We have started two seed beds and another will be processed today!! It will not take long for the seeds to germinate into seedlings. When transplanting the seedlings into their small peat pots, I love looking out of my greenhouse windows and seeing a field of yellow daffodils.

We know many of our CSA Members are also trying to grow gardens of their own. We love this! Gardening and working with the soil is good for the Soul. If you want to have a garden, you must keep trying. Do not give up! There are many variables to growing a successful garden. So set realistic goals, and if one crop does not grow, try another. If that crop fails, try another. True farmers/gardeners never give up. They understand each day is an adventure into the unknown.

Our small, Fairview CSA Farm is our adventure! We never know from year to year or from day to day what will happen, what challenges we will meet (and trust we are able to overcome) and who we may meet. If growing your own garden is not your life plans, or if you just want to supplement what you are able to produce, join our CSA.

Farm shares are available for the 2024 Harvest Season from mid-May through September. We recommend every-other-week boxes for new members. Currently, we are planning for the upcoming adventure, so join now by submitting the registration and prepare for new, nutritional taste sensations!

See more photos of our past CSA Box contents at Our Farm Share Photos page!

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.

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.

Tag: fresh-produce