From ASAP ~ Western North Carolina is home to dozens of farmstead cheese operations that produce every type of cheese imaginable: aged cheddar, Gouda, Brie, chevre (goat cheese), the list goes on and on. In fact, WNC may soon be home to a cheese trail, modeled after Vermont’s popular tourist attraction. So, it’s no surprise that farmstead cheese gets its own month in ASAP’s Get Local initiative. To celebrate, Asheville-area Appalachian Grown™ partner restaurants are getting … [Read more...]

February mornings are a little too cold for most people to head out trout fishing. But luckily, local trout farmers are still suiting up and braving the extra-cold mountain water, which has been said to give the fish a desirable delicate flavor. To honor their efforts and remind that local foods are available year-round, ASAP highlights trout this month in their Get Local initiative. To celebrate the fishy focus, Tupelo Honey Café-Southside, an Appalachian Grown™ partner and Get Local … [Read more...]

ASAP’s Get Local initiative, which highlights one local food every month, will shine the spotlight on three new ingredients in 2012: ramps, mushrooms, and potatoes. Local favorites like tomatoes and apples remain on the new calendar, along with honey, which gets the new year off to a sweet start. To celebrate January’s focus, Laurey’s Gourmet Comfort Food—an Appalachian Grown™ Partner and Get Local participating restaurant—will host A Taste of  Honey on January 26 from 6 … [Read more...]

By Apalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) ~ Meat is often the main dish of a holiday feast, whether enjoyed dining out or in. So, ASAP is turning the spotlight on the many meat options provided by area farmers this month in their Get Local initiative. From beef to chicken and lamb to rabbit, Western North Carolina farmers offer it all. Local veal is even an option now thanks to Alan Lang and Clint and Thomas Shepherd, who own and operate Headwaters Cattle Farm and Headwaters … [Read more...]

There are many ways to go greens this month: beets, collards, kale, lettuce, and turnips, to name a few. There are lots of places to get greens, too—area farmers tailgate markets, grocery stores, and restaurants—thanks to ASAP’s Get Local initiative. Participating Asheville Get Local restaurants from Early Girl to HomeGrown are whipping up delicious sautéed sides of Swiss chard and, of course, Southern-style collards. Early Girl also features local greens in their … [Read more...]

Join ASAP in Celebrating First National Farm to School Month This October ~ The nation’s very first National Farm to School Month is underway. Proclaimed in November 2010, the declaration serves to demonstrate the growing role of Farm to School programming in improving child nutrition, supporting local economies, and connecting children with the source of their food. The Southern Appalachians are certainly celebrating. Through ASAP’s Growing Minds Farm to School Program, … [Read more...]

The North Carolina Apple Festival may have come and gone, but apple season is still very much here. In fact, September is the height of the local apple harvest, which is why the fall varieties—from Mutsus to Cameos and Jonagolds to Romes—get the spotlight this month in ASAP’s Get Local campaign. Perhaps nowhere are local apples more prevalent than eateries in Henderson County, North Carolina’s apple country. The county grows 65 percent of the state’s apple … [Read more...]

Whether you like them in sauce, salsa, or straight up, area restaurants aim to satisfy your tomato cravings by featuring fresh local ‘maters on their menus now. ASAP’s Get Local campaign turns the spotlight on one local product each month when at its peak in the harvest, and August is the time for tomatoes in WNC. In fact, just as the calendar left July, Asheville Get Local restaurants started sharing their local shipments and specials through social media. On August 3, Early … [Read more...]

During the 2010-2011 school year, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s (ASAP) Growing Minds Farm to School Cooking Program reached nearly 1,400 area students with the help of educators, chefs, and community volunteers. Overwhelming interest and community participation in the organization’s recent Farm to School Cooking Conference indicates that ASAP’s program is poised to impact even more children when the school year begins. The event was held in late July on the … [Read more...]

Beans are a big deal around these (WNC) parts. In fact, it’s thought that more heirloom beans (traditional cultivars like greasy beans) originated in WNC than anywhere else in the country. Today, more than a dozen varieties are grown here. To honor the history and current harvest, they get the star treatment on restaurant menus throughout July in Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s Get Local campaign. Enjoy local green beans alongside kidneys and limas in a classic … [Read more...]