monthly news from ASAP    |   FEBRUARY 2024    |    asapconnections.org

Celebrating CSA Month, Feb. 15 to March 15
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Now is the time to sign up for a CSA (or Community Supported Agriculture) program! To celebrate this prelude to the new season, ASAP is declaring Feb. 15 to March 15 to be CSA Month. Watch ASAP's social media : [link removed] over the next few weeks as we offer tips and education around CSAs and farmer features; use ASAP's digital tools : [link removed] for finding CSA programs; and come to the in-person CSA Fair on March 8 : [link removed] from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at the YWCA of Asheville.  
The CSA Fair : [link removed] is relaxed setting where attendees chat with farmers about their products, growing practices, payment structure, and more. Attendees can sign up for a CSA during the fair or follow up with farmers later. The fair will also feature local food tastings and activities for kids, as well as produce and food products available for purchase. Participating farms—all offering CSA pickups in Buncombe County—are A Way of Life Farm, Blazing Star Flowers, Crow Fly Farms, Encompass Farm, Hickory Nut Gap Farm, Oak Holler Farm, Olivette Farm, Seven Seeds Farm, ShipShape Farmer & Chef, and Stump Farms. 
If you're not able to attend the fair, or are looking for a CSA outside of Buncombe County, ASAP's online tools : [link removed] can help you compare CSAs throughout the Appalachian Grown region. As you're deciding which (or if a) CSA is right for you, consider what pickup times and locations are convenient; what share size (i.e., how much food) you need; the farm's growing practices. Some farms offer variations on the traditional CSA model, such as online selection, shorter commitment, or a market share (members pay upfront, but select their own produce at the farmers market each week). 
 
Hear from CSA farmer Gary Steiner of Bee-utiful Farm & Garden : [link removed] on the value of a CSA below in this newsletter's Faces of Local interview.



Business of Farming Conference Is This Saturday!
: [link removed] to the Business of Farming Conference : [link removed]! 
 

The conference offers so many opportunities to network across the local farming and food community! Of course, there's networking with farming peers over locally sourced breakfast (from Red Fiddle Vittles) and lunch (from Farm Burger) and in between workshop sessions. The Exhibitor Hall : [link removed] lets you connect with businesses and agencies that can support the growth of your farm business. The Grower-Buyer Meeting : [link removed] is a chance to get your business—and products—in front of potential restaurant, grocery, and wholesale buyers. Plus, you can keep the conversations going at a post-conference social at Plēb Urban Winery : [link removed]!
 

This year's Grower-Buyer Meeting includes The Biltmore Company, Boone Street Market, Cúrate, Equal Plates Project, Foothills Food Hub, The Garden, Grove Park Inn, Happy Dirt, Haywood Common, La Bodega by Cúrate, Mother Earth Food, Mountain Food Products, OWL Bakery, Red Fiddle Vittles, Strada Italiano and Gemelli, Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery, and TRACTOR Food & Farms.
 

Thank you to all of our sponsors for the 2024 Business of Farming Conference! In addition to providing support for the conference, many of them offer services for farmers and entrepreneurs. We are so grateful to have these partners in our work. 
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Clean Water Lab : [link removed] | Eagle Solar and Light : [link removed] | USDA Farm Service Agency : [link removed] Support for the conference is also provided in part by Dogwood Health Trust : [link removed], NC Tobacco Trust Fund : [link removed]
Commission : [link removed], Southern Extension Risk Management Education : [link removed], and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture : [link removed].



Welcome Rei Argeroplos!
: [link removed] Argeroplos has joined the ASAP staff as the new Farm Fresh for Health Program Coordinator. Rei has been serving as ASAP's Local Food Promotions intern this past fall and winter, and we're thrilled to have her move into this full-time staff role! 
As Farm Fresh for Health Program Coordinator, Rei will work on programs within ASAP’s Farm Fresh for Health initiative with a special focus on the Farm Fresh Produce Prescription.
 
Rei is pictured on the right, along with Anaya Harry, ASAP's current Farm Fresh for Health intern, offering a local food jeopardy activity at Asheville City Market a few weeks ago.



Job Opportunity: Grant Manager
ASAP is seeking a Grant Manager. The Grant Manager is the lead grant writer for the organization and responsible for grant application research, creation, submission, and reporting. This position will lead prospecting grant proposals that support ASAP’s goals and meet funding guidelines and criteria. The Grant Manager supports funder communication and development, monitors compliance reporting, and supports special project initiatives. Find job responsibilities, requirements, and application instructions here. : [link removed] LOCAL
Gary Steiner
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Gary Steiner is the co-owner and operator, alongside his wife, Abigail, of Bee-utiful Farm & Garden : [link removed], nestled in Hendersonville, NC. The couple offers a CSA (or Community Supported Agriculture) program year round, as well as guided farm tours and school field trip opportunities.  
 

What are the main benefits of participating in a CSA?
 

A couple of things: Supporting local agriculture. That’s huge! Food security is national security. Another benefit is for families, especially children, to be creative and try something new. We’re creatures of habit and sometimes are too stubborn to try something new, but all it takes is that little nudge for people to try it out. 
 

How are CSAs beneficial to farmers?
 

Secure income. Yes, you have to have the produce, but the income is there with commitment. We heavily rely on the security that CSA offers and what it brings in terms of revenue on the farm., It’s reliable income without worrying too much.
 

How does Bee-utiful Farm and Garden’s CSA work?
 

Our model is typically a monthly payment, but we offer weekly or biweekly payments as well. Pick up is every Tuesday at our farm. We typically get 25 customers, maybe more depending on the CSA season. Each of the CSA boxes are $32, which includes 8 to 16 different varieties of produce we grow. Sometimes in the summer season, when we have more produce to offer, prices of our CSA boxes will fluctuate a bit due to higher demand and overall value. 
 

Who is the right customer for a Bee-utiful Farm and Garden CSA?
 

Anyone! We enjoy having other young families bringing the children out. Tuesday afternoons get busy. It’s a very joyous atmosphere where everyone gets together, networks, and relaxes while being exposed to all the variety of produce we grow. CSAs aren’t just what’s inside the box, but the experience, the ability to understand where your food comes from, how it’s grown and who grows it. That’s something people have been removed from.
 

Do you have tips on cooking with a CSA that you’ve shared with CSA members?
 

My wife, Abigail, had this wonderful idea, where she gives a preview to customers several days prior to CSA pick-up of what’s included within the box. She’ll suggest a recipe and  add the recipe to the boxes when pick-up arrives. A recipe that I’ve personally enjoyed was the eggplant parmesan dish. We love receiving feedback from our customers, while providing them the ability to change their perspective of what they thought a certain produce taste like.  
 

Can you describe a typical share throughout the CSA season?

In May, we start to harvest our greens—kale, spinach, salad greens. In June, we harvest squash, cucumbers, and zucchini. In July, potatoes and sweet corn. And finally within the fall season, September and October, we harvest winter squash, pumpkins, broccoli, etc.  Some CSA boxes are catered to a particular variety of vegetable we grow within a particular season.
What’s fantastic about CSAs is that it keeps you creative and innovative. Customers explore different kinds of produce that they were either hesitant to try before, or weren’t exposed to at a grocery store. It definitely pushes our customers to try new produce!
 

Learn more about CSAs : [link removed] and find a farm near your! ASAP’s CSA Fair : [link removed], a chance to meet CSA farmers, is March 8, from 3 to 5:30, at the YWCA of Asheville.

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Green Potatoes : [link removed]
This recipe for classic mashed potatoes with a surprise ingredient comes from our Growing Minds recipe trove, which means it's kid-approved! Kids can help make this by mashing potatoes, grating cheese, picking herbs.
 
Serves 4-6
 
Ingredients
4 medium to large local potatoes8 ounces local spinach3 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons fresh herbs (rosemary, dill)1 clove garlic (optional)salt and pepper to taste½ cup cheddar cheese, grated¼ cup milk
Directions
Cut the potatoes into small chunks and boil them until they are soft.Chop the herbs and garlic.Cut or tear the spinach into small pieces.Combine the potatoes, herbs, spinach, garlic, milk, and butter in a large pot and heat on medium for one to two minutes.Mash the potatoes until they are smooth.Add the cheese and stir.Add the salt and pepper to taste.Find more recipes at growing-minds.org : [link removed] and asapconnections.org. : [link removed]
"As development spreads across the state and pushes up land prices, North Carolina is now ranked second in the U.S. for projected agricultural land loss by 2040, according to the American Farmland Trust. And yet a 2022 survey by the Asheville-based Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project shows that nearly 60% of its member farmers either want or might want to buy or lease land for growing. In other words, the region’s farmers are increasingly seeking a dwindling asset: access to land."
—Edible Asheville : [link removed] article on farmland in Western North Carolina

CONNECT WITH ASAP
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asapconnections.org : [link removed] | growing-minds.org : [link removed] | appalachiangrown.org : [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.
 

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

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