monthly news from ASAP    |   DECEMBER 2024    |    asapconnections.org

Reflecting on Accomplishments and Curveballs in 2024
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The ASAP staff gathers for a retreat each December to celebrate our work in the past year, plan for the new one, and share a meal and some silly games with each other! Last Wednesday we tried to stay cozy inside Creekside Farm Education Center : [link removed], which has been our retreat home for five years. 
 

While it's difficult to separate year-end reflection from our current post-Helene reality, as a staff we tried to acknowledge how curveballs (obviously the storm was the biggest one!) could be something to celebrate. Sometimes, the ability to pivot to a new plan is the accomplishment in and of itself. Here are a few of 2024's high points we want to call out. 
Helene response for farmers. At first it felt like all we were doing was sending out hundreds of text messages to see how farms were doing, but that one-on-one work helped farms take stock and start to navigate federal and other aid or find replacement market opportunities : [link removed] in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Two weeks after the storm hit, we were able to start mailing out checks for our Appalachian Grown Immediate Needs Grants. Our Business of Farming Conference : [link removed] in February will continue to connect farmers with resources and farmer-to-farmer learning opportunities with a special focus on resilience planning.New farm to school resource. Our Growing Minds team published English and Spanish versions of “I Tried Local…” A Toolkit for Engaging Kids with Local Food and Farms : [link removed] and developed trainings to help teachers use the resource in their classrooms.
Farm Fresh Produce Prescription : [link removed] participants tripled. This program continued to grow with more than 1,500 households participating across farmers markets in Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood, and Madison counties, and CSA models in Swain and Macon counties.
A new design for our print Local Food Guide : [link removed]. Behind the scenes, we've also started redesigning the Local Food Guide's companion database at appalachiangrown.org : [link removed]. It may take a while for this to come to fruition, but we're excited to get started!
Kicked off a three-year consumer research project. Our Local Food Research Center conducted a consumer survey on grocery shopping habits in Western North Carolina and worked closely with a focus group of farmers to prepare case studies. Over the next two years, we'll analyze and expand on this to prepare updated educational materials for farmers and better guide our local food marketing to consumers. 
We couldn't accomplish this work without your continued support : [link removed]! We are so grateful to work in these communities and with all of you.



Support Farmers with These Last-Minute Gift Ideas

So many of us are trying to shop locally for holiday gifts this year to support businesses still hurting from the storm. Even if you've put it off until the last minute, you can still support farmers with these last-minute gifts!
 

A CSA share : [link removed] is the holiday gift that gives and gives again, providing a weekly box crammed full of seasonal produce, meats, flowers, and more. This year, more than ever, income from a CSA can help a farm get much-needed supplies, recover losses from the storm, and be in a better position to start a new season. Read more about how important CSAs are for supporting farms in the winter in our Faces of Local interview with Brian and Ali Tingley of Seven Seeds Farm later in this newsletter. Start your CSA search in the Local Food Guide : [link removed]. Look out for more CSA farm features during CSA Month, Feb. 15 to March 15.
 

Farmers market tokens make great stocking stuffers and let the recipient select the products they want the most. You can still pick up tokens at several markets this week, including River Arts District Farmers Market : [link removed] and Weaverville Tailgate Market : [link removed] on Wednesday and Winter King Street Market : [link removed] in Boone, Haywood's Historic Farmers Market : [link removed] in Waynesville, and North Asheville Tailgate Market : [link removed] on Saturday. Check the Local Food Guide : [link removed] for hours and locations of markets near you.
 

Have a farmer (or aspiring farmer) on your list? A Business of Farming Conference registration : [link removed] (Feb. 22 in Asheville) lets them know you support the success of their farm business. In addition to the general business and marketing tools covered annually, this year's conference will focus on post-storm recovery and planning for resilience.
 

Find more ideas, explore local artisan makers, farmers markets, farm experiences, and more in ASAP's online Local Food Guide : [link removed].



FACES OF LOCAL
Ali and Brian Tingley
: [link removed] and Brian Tingley are in the midst of moving their farm, Seven Seeds Farm : [link removed], from Burnsville to Marshall. As beginning farmers, Ali and Brian have a few market outlets including a spring and main season CSA : [link removed] (Community Supported Agriculture : [link removed]). Ali and Brian have big dreams for their new space including an expanded CSA and all the fruit trees they once could only dream of.

When did you start farming and how did you get here?

Brian: We were farming one year with a farm on Cape Cod and before that Vermont, where Ali and I met. I had been to the Asheville area years ago WWOOFing and I was looking for an opportunity to come down here. We found this piece of land for lease in Burnsville on Craigslist and flew down immediately to sign the three year lease—it was a good deal! As beginning farmers, it can be hard to get access to land or into the incubator space at Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy : [link removed]. 

Ali: The landowner had all the essential ingredients here to get started: the walk-in cooler, a work shed, a few greenhouses, and an ag well. He had been doing some market gardening but we have added a lot to it. To move here and already have a lot of infrastructure really helped us get a jump start. We really only brought one high tunnel from Cape Cod and luckily the lease came with a RV so we could live on the land and stay close to the farm.

How does your CSA (Community Supported Agriculture : [link removed]) support your farm, especially through the winter?

Ali: Each week, we usually sell to TRACTOR Farm & Foods : [link removed] in Spruce Pine and we’ll do one Saturday market in Asheville. Our CSA is our biggest harvest and where we make most of our income. In 2024, we had 110 members with a 5-week spring, then a 25-week main season. We just opened sign-ups for this coming year! Our CSA is a little unconventional. Folks can pick whatever they want from what we have available within their chosen CSA size—small, medium, and large. Our CSA really does keep our farm afloat. Its impact in the winter is especially helpful because, as you know, it’s the time we buy tons of supplies like seeds, compost, fertilizer, tools, and more for the season ahead. The connections we’ve made are so dear to us—we are continually impressed and warmed by our members’ dedication to local and organic food. 

Brian: Over the years we have gotten better at making sure we have what people want to eat. Each crop has a different rotation so we can make sure we always have it. We ask our customers what they want to see more of, or take note when we sell out of certain crops. We can never have enough carrots—every year we grow more carrots! We’ve heard from our customers that sometimes they feel like CSAs are dumping their extras, but we are taking the opposite approach and giving folks the first grab of the best. The support from our CSA is particularly important this winter because we’re taking the winter off of growing to focus on our move. We couldn’t do this without the support of our CSA members.

So, you are planning to move your farm this winter?

Brian: We have a week and a half left on this property in Burnsville! 

Ali: We closed on the property in the Fosters Creek area of Marshall in March and were able to start moving things over in August. 

Brian: Since we first got here, we have been looking at purchasing land, knowing we had this current space to grow on for three years. This really prepared us for our next step. It gave us the chance to get integrated into this community, to establish what we really wanted to do and what we wanted to grow, and now we found it! Moving all the trees and perennials will be the biggest challenge. We resisted growing them for about a year, then we went ahead anyway—it feels worth it. 

Ali: Luckily, we have been able to go slowly. It has been a juggle because our CSA went until Thanksgiving, which left us with a month on this land. It has been a lot while closing things down for the year right when, as farmers, we are trying to relax. It’s still so exciting though, we just have to keep pushing. 

How did you come to the name Seven Seeds Farm?

Brian: I chose the name Seven Seeds Farm when I was still living up north. A lot of farm names are named after their road or area, but I wanted a name that could always go with me. Alliteration is nice too. We wanted something alluding to the pleiades, the seven stars, as that’s something farmers have always watched. We like numbers too and the significance of the number seven. 

Has there been anything particularly pivotal in the success of your farm?

Brian: The climate is amazing. Coming from the North, I feel like a weight off our shoulders and I feel like we can farm what we want to farm. For example, I just ordered a bunch of peach trees—those were the kind of plants I dreamed about in Zone 3. 

Ali: It’s a good environment for farmers too—a lot of people believe in farms and local food here. While there are a lot of farms, it seems that they are able to be successful because we all get strong support from our community. The Asheville area feels big enough to support all these farms. 

What are your dreams for your new land?

Brian: We want to be growing out these really old varieties of fruiting trees that we are sourcing from folks across the region—apples, pears, pawpaws, and hickories—grafting them onto hardy rootstock.

Ali: The dream is to have a year-round CSA that is full-diet. We want animals, fruit, and dairy, and we want to include value-added goods as well, like ferments. Brian’s love is the fruit trees and mine is animal husbandry and veggies. We just want to do it all, matched with our own passions. We’re excited to keep expanding our CSA offerings! Next year, in addition to veggies, we’ll have various kinds of berries, eggs, and chicken.

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Butternet Squash–Goat Cheese Egg Muffins
: [link removed] you are traveling, hosting guests, or just trying to sleep in a little later this holiday season, having a stash of make-ahead breakfast fuel can be useful. Help yourself out and make up a batch of these egg muffins, which travel and freeze well. You can also add meat, like sausage or bacon, or switch up the veggies based on what you have!

Ingredients
1 small butternut squash1 tablespoon olive oil1 small bunch kale or spinachsaltpepper8 large eggs1/3 cup whole milk
1 garlic clove, minced3/4 cup crumpled goat or feta cheeseDirections
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with oil or butter. Peel butternut squash. Cut in half and scoop out seeds and stringy bits. Cut into half-inch cubes. Toss squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread squash out on a sheet tray and roast in the oven for 35 minutes, or until squash is tender. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Wash, dry, and cut the kale or spinach into thin ribbons. Submerge the greens into the boiling water for 1 to 3 minutes (spinach will be on the shorter side and kale on the longer side). Drain and run under cold water. When cool, squeeze out excess water.Whisk together eggs, milk, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Divide cooked greens and squash between muffin cups. Pour egg mixture even over each cup. Top with crumpled goat or feta cheese. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until puffy and golden brown at the edges. The muffins may rise unevenly while baking, but that's okay!Remove and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Serve immediately or cool and store in the refrigerator or freezer.Find more recipes at growing-minds.org : [link removed] and asapconnections.org. : [link removed]

 

“Every farm in our network will be impacted by the storm, either by direct damage or through loss of market outlets,” said Sarah Hart, ASAP's Communications and Engagement Director, in an interview with Civil Eats : [link removed]. The article explains how RAFI, ASAP, and other groups are offering small grants, helping connect farmers to markets for products not destroyed by the flood, and raising money to pay farmers who have been donating products. “Getting paid was a game changer, both emotionally and for the financial stability of the farm,” said Wendy Burgh, co-owner of Dry Ridge Farm.
 

“Many food distribution nonprofits—as well as chefs powered by nonprofits and/or individual donations—have been able to increase local purchasing during the crisis, which helps make up some of the market outlet loss due to restaurant closures,” said Sarah Hart in an interview for the Mountain Xpress : [link removed] the role of food-relief organizations in supporting farms after the storm. "It’s amazing to see how seeds of this [post-Helene] community-driven response, in some cases, go back to the COVID crisis [and ASAP's Appalachian Farms Feeding Families program, which connected farms and food-relief agencies].”

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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