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: June 09
June 2009
ACM Welcomes EBT, Credit, and Debit Cards
On
June 20, the Asheville City Market will begin welcoming EBT (food stamps),
credit, and debit cards. Asheville City Market is pleased to make food
from local farmers available in more ways, and to make shopping more convenient
by offering EBT, credit, and debit processing.
"Using
EBT, debit, and credit is easy," says Asheville City Market Manager Mike McCreary. Just go
to the market information table and use your EBT, credit, or debit card to
purchase tokens. Then look for vendors with EBT,
Credit, Debit Accepted signs and exchange your tokens for vegetables,
fruit, eggs, meat, and more.
Friendly
staff are available to assist customers with EBT, credit, and debit token
purchases, if needed. McCreary invites users to ask him for assistance, or look
for volunteers who can help under the "Local Food" banner. Additionally,
many farmers who sell at markets are glad to have new customers who use EBT,
credit, and debit; to help new customers learn how to shop at market; and to provide
recipes and tips for cooking with fresh produce.
Asheville
City Market is open, 8:00a.m.-1:00p.m., every Saturday through December
19 at 161 S. Charlotte Street in downtown Asheville. It is located
on a bus route. Visit www.asapconnections.org for more information or call
828-236-1282.
The nonprofit organization Leaflight, Inc. is supplying the markets with
an EBT machine and materials.
New Farmers Tailgate Markets Open
Three new farmers tailgate markets have opened in Western North Carolina this season:
-Rickman Store, held by the Cowee Community in Macon County at the historic building pictured here.
-Victory Tailgate Market, located in Asheville, on the campus of ABCCM Veterans Restoration Quarters, adjacent Veterans' Victory Garden.
Asheville City Market - South
will open on Wednesday, July 1. This second Asheville City Market will
bring 30 major vendors of baked goods, produce, meat, and cheese to
Biltmore Town Square every Wednesday morning.
For more information on tailgate markets,
visit the online Local Food Guide.
Kids Corner Market Provides Summer Fun at ACM
The Kids Corner Market, a new series of free kids' activities at the Asheville City
Market, is offered every Saturday throughout the summer. ASAP is organizing The Kids Corner Market to
get children excited about fresh, healthy food and physical activity.
A farmers
tailgate market is more than a source of authentic, local food--it is also a community
gathering place, with the atmosphere of a street fair. With summer fun for children
offered on-site, Asheville City Market is even more welcoming for everyone.
Free Kids Corner
Market activities will be held every Saturday from June 6-August 29, from
10:00a.m.-12:30p.m. ASAP has invited other community groups to participate, to introduce children
and their families to community resources and services. The schedule of
activities is available here.
The
Kids Corner Market is a part of ASAP's work to keep farmers farming and
reconnect people with their food. "Enjoyable activities will give kids positive associations
with local foods," says Brook Thompson, Program Assistant
for ASAP. "Those positive associations help kids form healthy eating
habits, and cultivate the next generation of family farm
supporters."
Family Farm Tour This Month:
Buy Your Admission Buttons
The Family Farm Tour will be held June 27 and 28, 2009,
from
1:00p.m. to 6:00p.m.
Get a button and everyone in your car will be admitted to all farms on both days.
The
Family Farm Tour, organized by ASAP, is your invitation to visit 38 farms and gardens throughout
six counties in Western North Carolina. The
region is home to agriculture of all kinds, ranging from century farms
cultivated by the same family for generations, to certified organic farms, to
urban gardens. Tour your choice.
For FREE admission, and to support the Family Farm Tour, volunteer. Sign up.
Also free: If you are one of the first four visitors to arrive at a farm each day, you will recieve a coupon from Earth Fare.
Free Farm Field Trip for Chefs: Food Service Professionals to Learn About Buying Local
Chefs and foodservice professionals who want to buy local
food are invited on a farm field trip. ASAP is hosting the special event--free of charge--on Wednesday, July
22 at Jake's Farm in Candler.
"Local food is in demand, and it's so fresh and flavorful,"
says Emily Jackson of ASAP, "We want chefs and food service professionals to
know how to access the rich agricultural resources in our area." Local farms can meet the needs of institutions
including hospitals, schools, and colleges, and of chefs for all types of
restaurants, from fine dining to informal.
Participants
will be given a guided tour of the scenic, organic farm's fields and
greenhouses, learning about the diversity of food crops that flourish in
Western North Carolina. They'll see how food is grown, harvested, and packed.
And they'll be invited to taste tomatoes, peppers, and many of the other types
of produce at peak during the height of summer. The tour will address common
questions about supply, food safety, seasonality, etc. A Q&A
session and complimentary catered lunch
from a local restaurant will follow.
Reservations are required. To sign up, or for more information, call 828-236-1282 and ask to speak to Kevin or
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6/25 Listening Session on the National Animal
Identification System (NAIS)
Raleigh, NC
06/27 - 06/28
Family Farm Tour
Western North Carolina
06/27
National Pollinator Week
Pittsboro, NC
07/11 - 07/11
Storing Summers Bounty with Optimal Food Preservation
Weaverville
07/16 - 07/19
Just Remnants: Piecing Sustainable Society in Southern Mtns
Burnsville, NC
07/19 - 07/19
6th Annual Heirloom Tomato Festival
Clarkesville, GA
07/22 - 07/22
Chef Farm Field Trip
Asheville, NC
07/22
Canning and Preserving Made Easy
Marshall, NC
07/25 - 07/25
Local Food Gala
Franklin, NC
At the Asheville City Market:
First Saturday of the month: Market Tour
Second Saturday of the month: Cooking Demos
Kid Activities
Visit the Kids Corner Market for summer fun for kids every Saturday, June 6-August 29.
ASAP List-Serve
We hope that you enjoy our monthly newsletter. You may also want to sign up for our daily list-serve here.
If you were forwarded this email and would like to be added to the mailing list to receive our monthly e-newsletter, click here.
Mountain Artisan Festival
Brings Arts and Crafts to Asheville City Market
Saturday,
June 20
Shop
for pottery, quilts, fabric art, glass art, woodwork, and other arts
and crafts, in addition to the freshest foods, during the Mountain
Artisan Festival at Asheville City Market.
In June, Sensibilities Day Spa is sponsoring ASAP. Take
a donation for ASAP to one of Sensibilities' locations during this month and
the spa will match it (up to a limit).
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.
