Appalachian
Sustainable Agriculture
Project
306 West Haywood Street
Asheville, NC 28801
Voice: 828-236-1282
Fax: 828-236-1280 Email
Us
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project is
a
501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization.
e-Connections:Dec. 08
December 2008
For the Holidays: Farmers Market Shopping, and Our Warmest Wishes
Happyholidays from everyone at ASAP, and thank you for your
involvement throughout the year.
Celebrate the season sustainably at holiday farmers markets. Holiday
goods include local Christmas trees and greenery, handmade gifts and
crafts, baked
goods, preserves, and ingredients for special meals. Some of the
biggest market days of the year are ahead for The West Asheville, North
Asheville, Madison
County, French
Broad Food Co-op, and Asheville City markets, which are offering live
music, samples, hot drinks, kids' crafts,
and more to get you in the spirit.
Put ASAP on your gift list
too. Sustain our work and keep farmers farming with a donation.
Your $50, $75, or $100
will help preserve rural landscape and culture, strengthen
the local economy, encourage sustainable farming practices, and increase the
accessibility of fresh foods. Donate securely here, or contact us for other options.
Farmers' Conference to Focus on Selling Locally
The
sixth annual Marketing Opportunities for Farmers Conference will be
held on Saturday, February 28th at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa,
NC. Offered by ASAP, this conference provides farmers with training and
networking opportunities they need to sustain their farms in changing
markets.
Workshops include:
Marketing Basics for the New Farmer
Marketing Grass Fed Meats
Successful Tailgate Marketing in Rural Areas
Successful Models of Cooperative Marketing
Extending Your Market Season
Opportunities in Value Added Products
Welcoming Visitors to Your Farm for Fun and Profit
QuickBooks for Farmers
Financing Farm Enterprises
Regulatory Overview - Food and Farm Laws in NC
Produce Safety - The GAPS Certification
Farmers
and those seriously considering farming as a profession should attend.
Potential buyers of locally-grown goods are also invited to attend the
full conference, or come to network for no charge. Opportunities for
farmer/buyer meetings are planned.
For more information or to register, visit http://www.asapconnections.org/MOFF.html or call (828) 236-1282. Scholarships and reduced rates for early registrants are available.
Buncombe County Schools Serve Local Food
As demand for healthier, local food grows, school cafeterias across the
country are trying to keep pace. Lynette Vaughn-Hensley, Child
Nutrition Director for Buncombe County Schools, admits, "For a long
time, school food has just been the same-old, same-old. But I want our
food to represent the beautiful area where we live." The schools and
ASAP have worked together to bring this ambition to fruition--Buncombe
County students are now served fresh apples from local growers.
North
Carolina is known for growing great apples, and students will find out
why when they bite into Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Gala
apples from Apple Wedge Packers and CL Henderson--Western North Carolina apple farms.
Students
are also putting a face with their food. Displays created by ASAP have
brought photos of local growers to school cafeteria tables. "We live in
a region with so many farms. I want our children to know where their
food comes from. And I want the people who grow our food to be
acknowledged and rewarded," Vaughn-Hensley says. The table toppers also
bear the Appalachian Grown logo, developed by ASAP to identify products
grown on family farms within a 100 mile radius of Asheville in grocery
stores, restaurants, and wherever consumers choose food.
Vaughn-Hensley wants the apples to be the first of the school system's many local purchases.
HCC Serves Student-Grown Produce
This
spring, the
greens served in Haywood
Community College's
cafeteria couldn't have been more local--they were grown at the
college.
Students cultivated the produce using the Horticulture Department's
aeroponics
system as a part of greenhouse operations and greenhouse production
courses. Even though it's winter now, the growing season isn't over;
staff are working
to increase their horticultural capacity and offer more local food in
the
cafeteria.
When Jim Hill took the position as Haywood
Community College's Food
Service Manager, he saw that the Horticulture Department was growing lettuce
and approached instructor George Thomas about supplying the cafeteria with
produce. Thomas's students provided
lettuce to top burgers and stocked the salad bar with fresh spring mix several
times. "There was really buy-in from the students who eat in the cafeteria," Hill
says.
Thomas says, "I like that students in the classes are growing for a
purpose." Haywood students are learning
about alternative growing methods such as organics, hydroponics, and aeroponics.
Hill is also working to support
our area's farms by requesting local produce from the cafeteria's distributor,
Haywood County-based Christopher Produce. ASAP is in the process of certifying Christopher Produce
as an Appalachian Grown distributor.
Looking for the weekly Fresh at Farmers Markets update? Find it at FromHere.org, ASAP's new community website, along with other news, photos, local food and farm events, and more. While you're there, join the conversation!
Curious about the difference your donation can make? Here are some examples of what ASAP can accomplish with your support:
-$1,000 helps farmers access new markets
-$500 brings a class of school children to a local farm
-$100 funds a cooking demo on how to prepare fresh foods
-$50 trains a farmer in new skills -$25 provides seeds and resources for school gardens
Click here to give your gift to ASAP today. Or, give on behalf of a loved one and tell the recipient about the good work that will be done in his or her name.
As demand for healthier, local food grows, school cafeterias across the
country are trying to keep pace. Lynette Vaughn-Hensley, Child
Nutrition Director for Buncombe County Schools, admits, "For a long
time, school food has just been the same-old, same-old. But I want our
food to represent the beautiful area where we live." The schools and
ASAP have worked together to bring this ambition to fruition--Buncombe
County students are now served fresh apples from local growers.
