monthly news from ASAP    |   MAY 2023    |    asapconnections.org

Passes Are On Sale for ASAP's Farm Tour!
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ASAP’s Farm Tour will return Sept. 23-24, 2023 and passes are on sale now : [link removed]! Experience the sights, tastes, and stories of farm life through guided tours, demonstrations, and hands-on activities. The tour is family-friendly and a great adventure for visitors of all ages and interests. One pass, $35, is good for all passengers in your vehicle to visit any farms on both days, Saturday and Sunday, 12–5 p.m. This year’s farms and clusters will be announced next month. Farms featured on the tour vary each year, but are all located within an hour drive of Asheville and are arranged by cluster to help plan your weekend. The Farm Tour showcases the diversity of working farms in Western North Carolina with produce farms, creameries, vineyards, orchards, flowers, fiber farms, livestock, and more! 
Interested in sponsoring the Farm Tour? Contact Nora Scheff, [email protected] : mailto:[email protected] , to learn more about how to showcase your support of local food and farms.



How to Find U-Pick Farms
: [link removed] season is here! Find charts for u-pick farms by product on page 73 of ASAP's print Local Food Guide : [link removed], or use the links below to search in the online guide at appalachiangrown.org : [link removed]. 
strawberry u-picks : [link removed] start in Mayblueberry : [link removed], blackberry : [link removed], and raspberry : [link removed] u-picks will be ready in late June or early Julyapple picking : [link removed] starts in late August and typically runs through OctoberPicking with kids? Read a book before the outing. Our Growing Minds team recommends these about strawberries (and if you're an educator in the Asheville area, they're free to check out from our lending library : [link removed]).
The First Strawberries, by Joseph Bruchac, a beautiful, easy-to-follow Cherokee legend with an important accompanying moral—that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe, red berries.
Spring is for Strawberries, by Katherine Prior, an illustrated tale following the budding friendship between two girls who meet at their local farmers market.Saving Strawberry Farm, by Deborah Hopkinson, set in 1933, tells the story of a young boy who rallies his town to save the local strawberry farm from a bank auction. Jamberry, by Bruce Degen, a rollicking ramble through the berry brambles that's a ton of fun to read aloud.



Take the Bus to Buncombe County Farmers Markets
Did you know that you can get to most of the markets in Buncombe County on the bus? Most markets in Asheville are accessible by the Asheville Rides Transit : [link removed] bus system, and you can connect to the Buncombe County Trailblazer : [link removed] to reach markets in Black Mountain, Weaverville, and Enka-Candler. Check out our farmers market bus map : [link removed] and find market days and hours : [link removed].
 

Plus, all of these markets, except for the daily WNC Farmers Market, participate in ASAP'sDouble SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables : [link removed] and Farm Fresh Produce Prescription : [link removed] programs. Both of these programs help make fresh, local food more accessible to everyone in our community—and also support local farms by expanding the customer base at farmers markets. (Read more about the Farm Fresh Produce Prescription in our Faces of Local interview below.)



Come Work with Us!
: [link removed] is currently hiring for three full-time positions. Find details and application instructions here. : [link removed] Positions remain open until filled. Applications are accepted only by email. Please do not call or come by the office.
 

Local Food Campaign Program Coordinator will assist with farm and partner programming as part of the Local Food Campaign team. Key responsibilities include assisting with design and implementation of farmer programs, services, and resources around marketing and business planning; providing outreach and support for ASAP’s Appalachian Grown program and Local Food Guide; networking within the agricultural resource community; supporting promotional campaigns and community engagement; and assisting with Asheville City Market one Saturday a month. 
 

Farm Fresh for Health Program Coordinator provides operational and promotional support across programs within ASAP’s Farm Fresh for Health initiative with a special focus on the Farm Fresh Produce Prescription. Key responsibilities include leading participant enrollment and intake; onboarding and communicating with health care providers; supporting program management across farmers markets; tracking data; creating resources for program participants; producing engagement activities at for farmers markets; and assisting with Asheville City Market two Saturdays a month. 
 

Research and Evaluation Coordinator will provide research, evaluation, and administrative support in executing the work of ASAP and assessing our program’s impacts. Responsibilities include collecting, analyzing, and reporting on quantitative and qualitative agricultural and consumer data; building and disseminating surveys using SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, and Google Forms; database management; community engagement involving consumer research and focus groups; conducting literature searches and reviews of current local food trends and best practices; and more.



FACES OF LOCAL
Vance Goodman
: [link removed] likes to share the stories of people who help us fulfill our mission. This month we talked to Vance Goodman, the Benefits Enrollment Specialist for Council on Aging for Buncombe County, one of the referral providers for ASAP’s Farm Fresh Produce Prescription : [link removed]. 
 

What do you do at Council on Aging, and how does the Farm Fresh Produce Prescription fit into that?
 

I work within the Benefits Enrollment Center. I help low-income Medicare beneficiaries, who are over 65 or disabled, enroll in programs that are means tested. That means anything based on income. Folks who are eligible for the Farm Fresh Produce Prescription have to be on SNAP or Medicaid, so this is another program we can help folks with. 
 

What is your process for making referrals? 
 

It might come up when I’m working with someone on a SNAP application. We’ll talk about their culture, what they enjoy doing. They might mention farmers markets, so I tell them about the program and they circle back after they have their SNAP to get a referral. We also do outreach to promote all of the programs we offer, including Farm Fresh Produce Prescription. I visit places all over Western North Carolina—apartment complexes, senior housing, community centers, even health clinics. People that are already on SNAP or who visit tailgate markets might hear about program and can contact me for a referral. 
 

People are really happy to support local farmers, happy to be able to get produce that’s not going cost arm and a leg. I’ve heard, “I’m willing to eat kale. I just can’t afford it.” It’s so good to have a program that allows that.
 

Are there ways you can help making eating more vegetables or visiting farmers markets less daunting?  
 

They might say, “I don’t eat produce.” I say, “Is that something you want to try? How could we do that? Let’s look at throwing in spinach or kale into that casserole or soup you’re making. Throw some lions mane mushrooms in there and you’re going to pack a punch.” I’m not a dietitian or nutritionist in any sense, but I do appreciate healthy fresh food. Sometimes they just need someone to be in conversation about this and just give them some ideas. The only time I’ve been completely turned down is by a gentleman who didn’t have any teeth. And even then we brainstormed ways he could get produce and use it.
 

In the fall and winter, it was more difficult for folks. The weather was cold. As great as they are, sometimes tailgate markets have accessibility issues for people. If I know that they don’t have great mobility, we talk about where to park, how to have access. The winter markets were running out of produce incredibly quickly, so we brainstormed what else is considered produce, like fresh juices. Now that it’s spring, the only feedback I’m getting is, “Yes!” Everyone is getting what they want.
 

Beyond fresh produce, how do farmers markets help people live more healthfully? 
 

For our senior population, it gets them out and talking to people. Seniors need that. They’ve got to get out of their houses. It’s a community. I’ve talked to vendors at the markets who have regulars that come just to taste a sample and talk. Vendors appreciate building that community, even if they aren’t making sales. There are health benefits for both sides in seeing more people and what’s going on in their community. Another way this builds community is seniors connecting with other seniors to carpool. In apartment complexes, they’re reaching out to their neighbors, saying “I have this prescription program.” “I didn’t know about, let me sign up, then we’ll go over together.” 
 

What are some of your own favorite farmers market or local food experiences?
 

North Asheville Tailgate Market : [link removed] is not even a mile from my house. Even if I just want to just grab a cup of coffee from the Bridge and Tunnel truck and walk through and say hi to some of the vendors, it’s such a cool community. I really appreciate Heidi, who makes dog biscuits. She’s so positive, engaging with animals and owners. I can’t process gluten, so I appreciate Dolce di Maria. At the East Asheville market : [link removed], I really like Fermenti. Meg [Chamberlin] is a wonderful human. J. Chong is always making everyone feel welcome. Also Stacy and her kids from Wadadli Dessert Oasis.
 

What produce are you most looking forward to right now? 
 

I am ready for corn! This year my partner (who owns Savor Shrub Bitters) and I are talking about making corn ice cream and serving it over peach cobbler. We have a peach tree out back. I’m also really ready for fresh tomatoes, summer squash, good melons—and grilling season, grill everything!

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Fermented Mustard GreensChue Lee from Lee's One Fortune Farm : [link removed] shared this simple preparation technique for fermented mustard greens. The greens hold their crunch in the fermentation process, but some of their bite is tamed. Chue suggests serving this alongside rice, papaya salad, and Laotian sausages but it would also be great on grilled fish, fried eggs, or burgers!
 

Ingredients
1 head (or more) mustard greens1/2 tablespoon (approximately) saltwater from soaking rice, enough to cover greensDirections
Reserve several cups of water used for soaking rice. Chue uses the heirloom rice her family grows, but this will work even with starches from standard white rice. Tear apart leaves or roughly chop one or more heads of mustard greens. Place in a bowl and massage greens with a few pinches of salt until slightly softened. Transfer the greens to container and pour enough rice soaking water over the greens to cover. Leave the container at room temperature for three days. Enjoy, or move to the refrigerator. Fermented greens will keep for several months, but will get more sour over time.

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
"I have learned that people are genuinely curious about not only the produce they are buying but also the farms where it is grown. People are invested in understanding where their food comes from, and it is rewarding to be able to help them learn."
—ASAP volunteer Lisa Fields, included in a Mountain Xpress : [link removed] feature on volunteers
 

"When you build that relationship between you and your customer, you bring your produce to them, and they come back and thank you for what you do. You know, it's that feeling that you bring something good to the society. That's what made me wanna grow more."—Chue Lee of Lee's One Fortune Farm at Asheville City Market, in "My Home, NC : [link removed]" on PBS 
"Nothing is more grounding than digging in the dirt and watching something grow. And though tending to a garden—from seed to harvest—is a slow process, the rewards are immeasurable."
—Weareteachers.com : [link removed] featuring resources from the Growing Minds website

CONNECT WITH US
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asapconnections.org : [link removed] | growing-minds.org : [link removed]
appalachiangrown.org : [link removed] | fromhere.org : [link removed]
 
Donate to support local food, strong farms, and healthy communities today! : [link removed]
 
ASAP's mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food.



ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) - 306 W. Haywood Street - Asheville - NC - 28801

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