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: September 2009
September 2009
Back to School: Fall '09 Farm to School Update
Ever
since Michelle Obama and area school children planted a garden on the
White House lawn, school gardens have been national news. Western North
Carolina is a leader in this trend, and kids heading back to school for
the year have a wealth of Farm to School opportunities. Growing Minds,
a project of ASAP, is helping schools offer local food in their
cafeterias, school gardens, farm field trips, and other positive
experiences with healthy food.
Western North Carolina is home to
an outstanding number of family farms--nearly 12,000--and school
systems throughout the region are capitalizing on these resources.
Various aspects of Farm to School programs are offered in Buncombe,
Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, and Yancey
County schools. Anderson, South Carolina and Spartanburg, South
Carolina school are also participating.
At Brush Creek
Elementary School in Madison County, students are planting a fall
garden that will grow crops such as squash and greens to be used in
tastings and cooking project in the classroom. In Buncombe County,
kindergartners at Emma Elementary are collaborating with fourth
graders at Rainbow Mountain School to grow produce to eat themselves,
as well as produce for people in need.
Local
food is also freshening up cafeteria trays. For example, Buncombe and
Henderson counties are serving local apples, Jackson County is serving
local greens, among other foods, and schools in nearby Anderson, South
Carolina feature berries from a local farm. In Fall 2009, several
schools will take part in Get Local, an ASAP program for restaurants
and school and hospital food services. Each month, eateries
participating in Get Local all highlight the same seasonal, locally
grown ingredient in their own unique dishes.
Farm field trips and cooking demos will continueto
provide students with hands on experiences such as milking goats,
harvesting potatoes and peppers, planting strawberries, watching sheep
shearing, and making salsa and pesto.
Schools that want to start or expand Farm to School programs are invited to contact ASAP. Visit www.growing-minds.org. ASAP is the
Southeast regional lead agency for the National Farm to School Network.
Get Local for Apple Season in Southern Appalachia
Every
month, ASAP's Get Local promotion features a seasonal food. In
September, join farmers and chefs in celebrating apples--a crop for
which our area is known.
Dine out and enjoy fresh foods that reflect our region's changing,
seasonal harvest. All participating restaurants and eateries will
highlight the same
ingredient when it's at its peak--and each will create their own,
unique
dishes. Find participating restaurants at http://www.asapconnections.org/getlocal09.html.
Make your own apple dishes with recipes from local chefs in our recipe section .
Find out where to buy local apples or pick your own at Western North Carolina's many u-pick farms in the Local Food Guide.
Chefs, cooks, and food service professionals who would like to involve your restaurant, cafeteria, or other food service should contact Peter.
New Appalachian Grown Shop Open
Show your support for local food and farmers. Order Appalachian Grown
totes, tee shirts, onesies, mugs, bottle, buttons, and caps from our
new online store.
Have ideas for merchandise you'd like to buy? Let us know.
Park
Ridge Takes Holistic Approach to Health
with
Farm to Hospital Program
Have you ever heard cafeteria food described as amazing? At
Park Ridge Hospital that's what's happening--employees like the cafeteria's
meals so much that they take to-go boxes home. Part of what makes Park Ridge's food
good is the hospital's involvement in Farm to Hospital, a program of Appalachian
Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) that helps hospitals support local farms
and connect patients and staff with healthy food.
Park Ridge Hospital takes a holistic approach to health that
incorporates nutrition and more. "We want to help our employees and patients
learn where their food comes from, and how to find and prepare fresh foods," says
administrator Graham Fields. "And we want to be a part of the community,
because community is part of healing and prevention."
Park Ridge, located between Asheville and
Hendersonville, is in an area rich in agricultural resources. Black Bird Farms in Henderson County is one
of the cafeteria's suppliers of fresh produce.
The hospital identifies locally grown foods on their menu
with the Appalachian Grown logo, and displays promotional materials created by
ASAP that tell diners about the farmers who grow their food. The hospital is
also distributing Market Bucks, coupons that can
redeemed at Asheville City Market-South for fresh, local products.
ASAP offers Farm to Hospital resources to
hospitals around the region. For more information, visit www.asapconnections.org.
Support for this project comes in part from the Golden LEAF
Foundation.
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.
