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: October 2009
October 2009
Harvest Season at Farmers Tailgate Markets
"Just because tomatoes have stopped producing doesn't mean
there's not an abundance of local produce," says Tim Charles of Fork Mountain
Farm in Madison County. Charles and wife Margaret McGinnis vend at both the Madison
County Farmers and Artisans Market and the Weaverville Tailgate Market, and
they want readers to know that farmers market season is not over.
Their markets are hosting Harvest Festivals (Saturday,
October 17 at the Madison market and on Wednesday, October 28 at the Weaverville)
and adding new vendors, rather than winding down for the season.
Other markets have launched new hours and locations. The
West Asheville Tailgate Market is now held on Tuesdays in the SunTrust parking lot on
Haywood Roadfrom 3:30p.m.-6:30p.m. The
Asheville City Market-South has become an afternoon market, on Wednesdays from 2:00p.m.-6:00p.m. in Biltmore Park Town Square.
Most
markets are open until the end of October, and several are
open until the holidays. North Asheville Tailgate Market is open into
November. Asheville City Market, Henderson County Curb Market, and the
Transylvania Tailgate Market are open into
December. Madison will have a special indoor holiday market, and other
markets will soon announce holiday events. Find hours and
locations for many markets in the online Local Food Guide, www.buyappalachian.org.
ASAP Offers Tastings and Asheville City
Market Coupons To Connect Kids with Local Food
Local
apple salad is on the menu for a tasting experience for children at Oakley
Elementary School. ASAP will host Farm to School activities for students on Friday, October
16. All the students will sample local produce from family farms,
learning how delicious healthy food can be and where their food comes from.
Children who participate in the MANNA backpack program will go home with $5
coupons for Asheville City Market.
"Kids are more likely to enjoy vegetables and healthy foods
when they try them as a part of a fun activity," Emily Jackson of ASAP
says,
explaining why the organization offers tastings. During the tasting,
students
will receive recipes for preparing fresh foods and information about
Asheville
City Market, where they can find ingredients for easy, homemade meals.
(Seasonal produce at Asheville City Market is pictured here.)
ASAP will also collaborate with MANNA Foodbank to distribute
coupons. MANNA works with teachers and guidance counselors at area schools to
give backpacks full of food to children who may not have enough to eat at home
over the weekend. On the 16th, ASAP will add Asheville City Market
coupons to the backpacks at Oakley, to encourage families to try out the
farmers market.
Oakley Elementary is the target of ASAP's efforts because it
is near Asheville City Market, and serves many students from low income
families. "Due to the state of the economy, more kids and their families are
qualifying for free and reduced meals, assistance such as MANNA's backpack
program, and EBT, " Jackson says. "It's important to make sure that those in
need are getting good, nutritious food." What's more, encouraging
local buying is part of a long term solution to economic problems--it keeps
dollars within our own economy.
Fall on the Farm: Apple Picking, Corn Mazes, More
A variety of farms in our region invite you to visit.
Get outside while the good weather lasts and tour a farm, see
demonstrations, interact with animals, go hiking, and more.
In autumn, farms offer classic seasonal activities such as
corn mazes and apple picking. Hickory Nut Gap, shown in this photo by Ken Abbott, offers u-pick
pumpkins and other activities.
Browse the Local Food Guide to plan your farm activity:
WNC author Ashley English picked her own local apples to make apple butter for her book, Canning & Preserving.
School Lunch Week: What Are Our Schools Serving?
This week is National School Lunch Week. It's also apple
season. And, fittingly, schools in our region are serving local apples as a
part of their lunches.
You'll find Henderson County apples in Asheville City,
Buncombe County, Jackson County, Haywood County, and Henderson County
schools--and all over the state.
Growing Minds, ASAP's Farm to School program, is providing
school cafeterias with posters featuring
the families of Apple Wedge Packers (picture below). Apple Wedge is a fifth generation family farm in Henderson
County that packs apples for many other
area growers. The posters are just one of the ways ASAP helps kids reconnect
with their food, by learning where it's from and who grows it.
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.
Local
apple salad is on the menu for a tasting experience for children at Oakley
Elementary School. ASAP will host Farm to School activities for students on Friday, October
16. All the students will sample local produce from family farms,
learning how delicious healthy food can be and where their food comes from.
Children who participate in the MANNA backpack program will go home with $5
coupons for Asheville City Market. 
A variety of farms in our region invite you to visit.
