monthly news from ASAP    |   March 2025    |    asapconnections.org

Supporting Farmers and Early Care and Education Centers
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As part of ASAP’s response to Hurricane Helene, we have reestablished Appalachian Farms Feeding Families : [link removed], a dual-benefit program designed to support both farmers and the community. The program gets fresh, locally grown food to people impacted by the storm, while at the same time providing cash flow for farms that are in the process of rebuilding or have lost market outlets.
 
ASAP is pairing early care and education (ECE) centers with farms in their communities. Grant funding will go directly to farms this spring, in advance of their harvest. Farms will work with ECE centers to plan and provide CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares for the families of the children at the center or offer custom orders to be used for meal preparation at the site. Grants are between $500 and $1500, depending on the number of students served. This is an opportunity to help support farms in a time of need, build relationships with the local farming community, cultivate a stronger awareness of where food comes from in the students, and support a more sustainable food system.
 
ECE centers in the 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina are encouraged to apply for this program. Please complete the application : [link removed] by April 2. Contact us at [email protected] : mailto:[email protected] with any questions.
 
Another round of this program, supporting local farm sourcing in restaurants as well as restaurant employees, will be announced this spring. 
 
Pictured are Melinda Aponte of YWCA of Asheville and Hannah Jeske of R Farm : [link removed], whose partnership will be supported in the first round of the program.



ASAP's Annual Report
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ASAP's 2024 Annual Report : [link removed] looks back on at the past year through the voices of some of the farmers, teachers, and market managers we've worked with. Through these stories, we can see the impact of ASAP's farmer support services, deep engagement with schools, and farmers market programs like Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables. 
Executive Director Molly Nicholie writes:

"After Hurricane Helene swept through the Southern Appalachians, ASAP quickly responded. The swiftness in which we were able to act is a testament to the relationships and trust that your support affords us. When things felt chaotic, we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. We reinstituted the Immediate Needs Grants process for farmers that we had launched during the pandemic to get cash distributed to our community and connect them with critical resources. We collaborated with partners to ensure farmers had a network of support that was responsive to their quickly changing needs. The systems were already in place to make this happen."

 
The report also features Hedge Family Farm and Soil Shine Farm, participants in ASAP's New and Beginning Farmer Working Group; five Buncombe County elementary schools that engaged in a sustained farm to school project throughout the year; and Marion Tailgate Market, Black Mountain Tailgate Market, and Transylvania Farmers Market, all of which were supported through ASAP's farmers market programs. 
The annual report includes program impact data and a financial overview of the organization. Read it in full. : [link removed] Tickets for Appalachian Grown Gathering on April 25
: [link removed] join ASAP on Friday April 25th, from 5-8:30 p.m. at Yesterday Spaces for ASAP's Appalachian Grown Gathering : [link removed]. Rescheduled due to Hurricane Helene, this benefit event is now in the spring—a season of renewal and rebirth. 
 

The evening will feature local farms and diverse chefs that source locally. Chefs include Nick Barr of Chai Pani : [link removed], Ashley Capps of New Stock Pantry, Matt Farr and Erica Beneke of Red Fiddle Vittles : [link removed], Brian Hitch of Buncombe County Schools : [link removed], Chue Lee of Lee’s One Fortune Farm : [link removed]; Luis Martinez of Tequio Foods, and Josh Weeks of SingleTree Heritage Kitchen. 
 
Enjoy a cocktail hour with live music and silent auction in a historic dairy barn, a tapas-style dinner of four small plates, and a plated dessert. You’ll have the opportunity to chat with the chefs and farmers that created each dish, as well as catch up with one another, ASAP staff, and community supporters, all while having some incredible food. 
 
Purchase your ticket today : [link removed]! Tickets are available per seat or by whole table. Contact Nora Scheff, [email protected] : mailto:[email protected] , to learn more about being a table captain! 
 
Thank you for supporting local food and farms. We look forward to sharing this special evening with you!



Spring Farmers Markets Open Soon—Find One Near You!

: [link removed] markets are opening throughout April and May—or, for year-round markets, shifting back to regular season hours. Spring markets offer an array of produce as well as meat, cheese, eggs, bread, prepared foods, and a wide selection of plant starts. For a weekly report on what's fresh at markets, subscribe to our weekly market report newsletter : [link removed]! 
There are more than 100 farmers markets across the Appalachian Grown region. Check out this map : [link removed] with locations and updated season information to find one near you. You can also search for markets by location, SNAP access, and more in ASAP’s online Local Food Guide at appalachiangrown.org : [link removed]. 
In addition to operating Asheville City Market : [link removed], ASAP offers promotional materials and one-on-one support for farmers markets throughout the region. ASAP’s Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables : [link removed] and Farm Fresh Produce Prescription : [link removed] programs, available at participating markets in Western North Carolina, help to expand access to local fruits and vegetables across the region, and help farmers connect with more of their community.



FACES OF LOCAL
Althea Dunn
: [link removed] Dunn is the director and co-founder of Pisgah Collective, a year-round, outdoor preschool program based in Brevard, NC. Pisgah Collective is a member of ASAP’s Growing Minds Farm to School : [link removed] Academy this year, which provides training, peer-to-peer sharing, and resources for early care and education centers to deepen their farm to school programming and local food connections. The school is also part of the Appalachian Farms Feeding Families (see above).

What does participating in Appalachian Farms Feeding Families : [link removed] mean to you and your school programs? What does that relationship with the farmers look like?

At Pisgah Collective, we aim to provide a community of kind, independent thinkers to promote exploration and discovery of our relationship with nature. We spend our time with hands in the dirt and the smiles that come from feeling connected with our surroundings. Providing farm to school opportunities to our students and their families deepens the connection we have to the earth—connecting with farm experts inspires our students, teachers, and the entire school community. We look forward to adding more of this to our program offerings and making new connections moving forward. This year we are partnered with Pitch Pine Farm and Puckerup Berry Farm through the AFFF program and are so excited to work with these amazing folks.

How are you implementing Farm to Preschool and what is the receptivity like for families?

We have a class garden and it is a favorite space for many of our students. We love all aspects of tending the garden and as the seasons change the excitement remains. Some of the highlights each school year are when crops are ready to harvest and we get to taste test straight from the garden beds. We also LOVE the opportunity to do cooking projects, thanks to ASAP and Growing Minds’ inspiration and support over the years, such as making pickles, berry mash, and more! Having connections with local farms will make these projects more abundant. Our families absolutely love this part of our programming. For some families, farm to preschool is an extension of their homelife and, for many, has inspired this interest for it to be a part of their life outside of school.

How does being in the Farm to School Academy benefit the kids at Pisgah Collective?

The community connections and support the Farm to School Academy provides are incredible. The influence that programming has on the kids will impact them for the rest of their lives. You can truly see their love of nature grow as they watch the seeds they sowed sprout and eventually become a delicious snack to share with their families and friends. Children gain confidence and awareness with farm to school activities that encourage their curiosity and for them to have a deeper love of learning overall.

Do you have any stories or memories of kids eating that local food?

One year, a local farmer offered to grow heirloom popcorn at our school garden and the students got to experience the corn’s lifecycle: watching its growth, helping dry the ears, processing and shelling the cobs, and then cooking and eating the popcorn. This process took many months and patience and the pay off was certainly worth it. Every year we have students that say things like, “I don’t like salad, but I love this lettuce” after experiencing growing their own food at school and then getting to taste it. The connection children make with their surroundings and their own bodies when they get to learn about where their food comes from makes a lasting impact. 
: [link removed] THE MONTH

Berry Good Smoothie
In addition to meeting farmers and learning about CSAs at ASAP's CSA Fair : [link removed] last week, we taste tested some kid-approved berry-kale smoothies. We were able to score some frozen raspberries from KT's Orchard and Apiary—who is offering a berry CSA this year—along with kale from Encompass Farm and honey from Wilderkin Beekeeping. If you have frozen fruit, give it a try—or save it for when spring berries make it to farmers markets in another month or two!
 

Ingredients
1 cup of berries of choice1 cup of spinach or kale1 banana1/2 cup of plain yogurt1/2 cup of milk or non-dairy milk2 tbsp of honey (optional)Ice (optional) Directions
Wash the spinach or kale and berries. Peel and slice your banana.
Add your berries, greens and bananas to your blender.
Add the yogurt, milk or non-dairy milk, honey, and ice and blend until smooth. Pulsing your blender helps break the ingredients into smaller pieces, making a more smooth and even consistency. Adjust ingredients for preferred thickness and flavor.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
Find more recipes at growing-minds.org : [link removed] and asapconnections.org. : [link removed] 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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