Growing Local

To certify or not to certify organic? Balsam Gardens is growing every year and recently decided to become certified organic by the USDA. Owner Steven Beltram talks about the farm’s growing practices, its partnership with New Sprout Organics, and what consumers can expect at grocery stores.

Berry season means an abundance of farm-fresh produce, especially at The Hop Ice Cream Cafe where they swirl up local creations like blueberry lime basil sorbet. Listen in on a special delivery from Rayburn Farm and Head of the Holler Farm. Then hear how local fruit and basil come together for a sweet treat straight from the berry patch.

Consumer demand for organic food is on the rise, prompting farmers in the Southern Appalachians to decide if they want to become USDA certified organic. This episode describes some of the factors farmers consider when making this choice and how it impacts consumers. Future episodes will feature certified organic farmers as well as farmers who use organic methods but choose not to be certified. Join is for an exploration of what “organic” means for farmers and the local food community.

Hundreds of people visited family farms on ASAP’s Farm Tour. Here are just a few of their stories.

Eric Scheffer is a fixture at the North Asheville Tailgate Market. The owner of Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian Restaurant has brought a portable kitchen and a team of chefs to the market for the past 17 years. These monthly chef demos bring the community together to enjoy fresh food from local farmers. Listen in as Scheffer hunts for ingredients and cooks them up on the spot.

ASAP's Farm Tour is this weekend! June 25 and 26 Explore twenty farms in Western North Carolina, including Zimmerman’s Berry Farm, Spinning Spider Creamery, East Fork Farm, and Dry Ridge Farm. These four farms are in beautiful Madison County, just waiting for you to visit. Check out many more nearby farms and plan your route : www.asapconnections.org

ASAP's Farm Tour is just a few weeks away -- June 25 and 26, 2016 Open the barnyard gates and meet piglets who will spend their lives roaming the pastures of local farms. Or watch how cheese is made while the farm's goats forage outside. Spend some time learning how hops, one of the main flavoring ingredients in beer, are grown on towering trellises. The East Cluster route is full of inspiring farms to visit, including Vandele Farms on Cedar Creek, Round Mountain Creamery, Hop n’ Blueberry Farm, and Farm Fresh Ventures. Buy passes and plan your route: www.asapconnections.org

Immerse yourself in the fields and barnyards of Western North Carolina farms on ASAP's Farm Tour June 25 and 26. Visit Fairview farms like Cane Creek Creamery, Flying Cloud Farm, and Hickory Nut Gap Farm. They're all a short drive from Asheville and have acres of fields and pasture to explore. Wander through the u-pick flower fields, meet baby chicks, and feast on a farm-fresh lunch made with local ingredients. Find out more about these farms and many others, plus learn how to buy passes at www.asapconnections.org

It's farm tour season in the Southern Appalachians and farmers are getting ready to welcome the public to their fields and barnyards. ASAP recently hosted an agritourism workshop at Shelton Family Farm in Whittier, N.C. Farmers from the far western region of the state toured the strawberry fields and learned about the rewards and challenges of inviting the community to their farm. Everyone is invited to join a public farm tour. There are five farm tours in the mountains of North Carolina this spring and summer. Find one near you: www.fromhere.org ASAP's Farm Tour is the weekend of June 25 and 26. Plan your route and purchase tickets: www.asapconnections.org

Take the 100% Local Food Challenge by eating only local food for an entire day. A quick trip to the farmers market offers everything you need to eat locally all day long, from farm fresh eggs for breakfast to pastries for dessert.

We still use phrases like "bringing home the bacon" and "flew the coop," but why? Our language is full of farm idioms that remind us of our agricultural past. Find out what these sayings really mean and why we still use them today.

Tomatoes, herbs, small fruit trees and greens are just a few of the young plants offered at weekly farmers markets. Let local farmers start your garden right by bringing their plant starts home to your garden. Find farmers markets in the Southern Appalachians: www.appalachiangrown.org

Preschoolers at ASAP's new Growing Minds Learning Lab are getting their hands dirty this summer. Hear them talk about their gardening experiment and find out how the Child Care Center of First Presbyterian Church of Asheville is bringing local food into the lives of its littlest learners. Gardening and local food resources for students of all ages: www.growing-minds.org

Eliot Coleman, author of The New Organic Grower, is a pioneer in the field of sustainable agriculture. His countless farming inventions and strategies for four-season farming have inspired growers for generations, including a new crop of farmers. Coleman spoke with ASAP farmers at the Mother Earth News Fair and offered some advice for young farmers.

Want to find farm-fresh food anywhere in the Southern Appalachians? ASAP's Local Food Guide features hundreds of listings of farms, CSAs, farmers markets, and restaurants that offer local food, plus compelling stories about local people changing the food system. The paper guide just hit the stands and can be found at libraries, chambers of commerce, and restaurants throughout the region. A list of pickup locations and a comprehensive online guide can be found here: www.appalachiangrown.org

Outdoor farmers markets are finally here, complete with spring veggies, bluegrass music, and lively conversation between farmers and neighbors. Take your ears on a stroll through the North Asheville Tailgate Market and get advice from farmer Tom Elmore (pictured) of Thatchmore Farm on how to make the most of spring outdoor markets.

Picking out seeds is one of the joys of spring, but where do those tiny seeds in the brightly colored packets come from? Oftentimes seeds are grown by farmers in California and Oregon, but some regional seed companies in the Southern Appalachians are reviving old ways of producing seeds that grow particularly well in the Southeast. Sow True Seed, based in Asheville, N.C., is one of those regional seed companies. They partner with farms like Against the Grain Farm in Zionville, N.C. to offer seeds that are adapted to the perils and promise of growing in the Southeastern United States. Farmer Holly Whitesides and Sow True Seed agriculture director Renee Fortner explain why growing regionally-adapted seeds bolsters small farms and what home gardeners can gain by seeking out seeds that thrive in our region.

Bass Hyatt raises cattle at the Hyatt homeplace in Brasstown, N.C. His multi-generational farm has adapted its farming techniques to meet consumer demand for beef that’s fed grass instead of grain. About 15 years ago, Hyatt met Jamie and Amy Ager of Hickory Nut Gap Farm. They partner with farmers like Hyatt to meet their wholesale demand for grassfed beef. Connecting with the Agers offers Hyatt a market for his beef so he can turn his focus to sustainable production and breeding cattle that thrive on grass. Find out more about local partnerships that further the food system at www.asapconnections.org

What happens when 200 farmers, buyers, and agricultural professionals get together each winter? Expect plenty of connections that bring food from the field to the plate. Go behind-the-scenes at ASAP's 2016 Business of Farming conference with Chef Philip Bollhoefer and farmers from Reeves Home Place Farm and Red Scout Farm.

Did you know that hogs, turkeys, and ducks walked right through downtown Asheville during the 1820s? Each fall, drovers herded hundreds or even thousands of animals through Asheville on the way to markets further south. Hear what ASAP executive director and history buff Charlie Jackson says about this riveting time in local agricultural history.