Growing Local

North Asheville residents Aimee Ellingsen and Chuck Krekelberg stopped by ASAP’s story booth to talk about how their family embraces local food.

Sara Jane Davis co-founded A Way of Life Farm in 2009 and it’s been an exciting ride ever since. She talks about the childhood garden that sparked her love of growing, and shares her vision for the next 10 years on her farm in Rutherford County, North Carolina.

Farmers markets are full of gifts this time of year. We tagged along as an Asheville local and her friend from New York City went shopping at Asheville City Market. Hear their conversations with farmers and craftspeople as they pick out holiday presents.

Buying winter produce like sweet potatoes in bulk means there’s always something local in the pantry. Meet a sweet potato farmer from Fairview, North Carolina and find out why she loves this cool weather staple.

On any given Saturday, you’ll find Asheville resident Julie Montanea at the farmers market. She says it perks her up to see the beautiful food and chat with farmers. She stopped by ASAP’s story booth to talk about why she supports local food.

Tou and Chue Lee planted their rice fields in early spring at Lee’s One Fortune Farm in Western North Carolina. Now it’s the end of the growing season and finally time to harvest. For the most part it’s a joyous season, but this time of year also brings back memories of their struggle to escape the jungles of Laos and seek safety in the United States.

Hear how rice is harvested at Lee's One Fortune Farm and learn why this crop is important to the Hmong community in Western North Carolina.

Take an audio tour of Darnell Farms in Bryson City, North Carolina and meet the extraordinary family who created this agritourism destination.

We wanted to know what motivates people to eat local, so we invited community members to share their stories at ASAP's Local Food Experience event. Debbie from Asheville, North Carolina talks about teaching her kids to love local food.

Meet four generations of the Pack family and take a walk through their blackberry bushes at M& M Berry Farm in Henderson County, North Carolina.

The local food system is getting a boost from a new partnership between Lewis Creek Farm and Noble Cider. Go on an audio tour of their orchards and learn how local apples inspired a farmer and a hard cider maker to work together.

What happens to a family farm when tragedy strikes? Hear how a brother and sister came together to preserve their step-father's legacy and save Holt Orchards.

Though most of us don’t eat our recommended daily fruits and vegetables, some people face the additional challenge of eating healthy on a budget. Hear how healthcare professionals addressed this issue at ASAP’s Healthy Eating in Practice conference.

This week we’re in Asheville, North Carolina for ASAP’s Healthy Eating in Practice conference. Hear a hands-on cooking class and learn why health care professionals from across the country came here to learn about food, farms, and health.

In the final episode of our Women in Agriculture series, we drive up to Madison County, North Carolina to meet Emily Patrick of Carolina Flowers.

This week in our Women in Agriculture series, we get to know a business owner who connects local farms with customers throughout the region. Andrea DuVall, co-owner of Mother Earth Produce, is an important link in the local food chain, so we stopped at her warehouse in Asheville, North Carolina to see how food gets from farmers’ hands to customers’ plates.

Women are at the forefront of a revolution in how food is grown for local markets. In the coming weeks, we will profile four leaders in the local food system, starting with Cassandra Bare who grows produce on nearly 300 acres at Harvest Farm in Valle Crucis, North Carolina.

Bradley Johnston is a third-generation farmer whose family has seen dramatic changes in the local dairy industry since his grandfather started selling milk directly to the public in 1917. Take an audio trip to Mills River Creamery’s milking parlor to learn why Johnston is looking to the past to shape the future.

Our food supply depends on farmworkers. The physically demanding job of planting, harvesting, and processing food puts farmworkers at risk for acute injury and chronic disease, yet they often have limited access to healthcare. Learn how Vecinos, a nonprofit organization in Western North Carolina, is helping farmworkers and their families access healthcare.

It might seem like a doctor’s office is the opposite of a farm. Think of a sterile exam room filled with medical equipment—a place where dirt is definitely not welcome. But for physician Dr. Daphne Miller, what happens in the exam room is directly linked to agriculture, from the microbes in the soil to the nutrition of the food itself. Dr. Miller will give the keynote address at ASAP’s Healthy Eating in Practice conference, held August 26-29 in Asheville, NC. Tickets and info: www.healthyeatinginpractice.org