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monthly news from ASAP | OCTOBER 2020 | asapconnections.org
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Happy NC Crunch and National Farm to School Month!
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The ASAP staff gathered virtually to crunch local apples earlier today in celebration of the North Carolina Crunch and National Farm to School Month. Extra credit goes to Growing Minds Program Coordinator Debbi Timson, who donned the apple costume for the event.
This statewide event, coordinated with NC Farm to Preschool Network and Farm to School Coalition of NC, promotes healthy eating and supports farm to school and other local food purchasing initiatives throughout the state. It’s also a fun way to connect food and agriculture to all kinds of classroom curricula—from science to art.
Haven't had a chance to crunch yet? There's still time! You can crunch any time in October, from anywhere! Get resources for planning a Crunch event from coordinator partners Growing Minds, North Carolina Farm to Preschool Network, and North Carolina Farm to School Coalition. Find local apples at farmers markets around the region. |
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Reserve Your Local Turkey!
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 It's time to reserve your local turkey for Thanksgiving! Appalachian Grown farms are taking orders—but they tend to sell out quickly, so reserve one now. Find a list of local farms with turkeys available, as well as prices, sizes, and pickup locations, here. We'll update this list as much as possible to note farms that have sold out or added wait lists.
Buying a turkey directly from a local farm means you know what you're getting—whether that's pasture-raised, heritage breed, non-GMO feed, processed on-farm, etc. Buying locally strengthens our economy. And local birds just taste better!
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Appalachian Farms Feeding Families
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 ASAP's Appalachian Farms Feeding Families program is now supporting 28 farms and 26 food or meal sites, providing fresh, local food to 3,000 to 4,000 families each week. The idea is simple, but impactful: ASAP pays farmers to deliver local produce to food pantries and child care centers in their own communities.
On last week's Growing Local Radio episode, Eileen Droescher of Ol' Turtle Farm in Marion said,“So many farms, especially the ones whose customer bases are restaurants or smaller places, lost their markets for many, many weeks and months. The restaurants weren’t operating and the farmers had already planted and planned on being able to sell that produce, but there wasn’t a market to sell it. This program provided them an opportunity to sell and at least make back some of the money they would have lost.”
Your donation helps us continue to support farmers and our communities.
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Wellness Fair at ASAP Farmers Market
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ASAP Farmers Market is hosting a Wellness Fair at the market on Saturday, Nov. 14. This is a unique opportunity for nutritionists, chefs, herbalists, fitness instructors, and other health and wellness professionals to share resources with and promote your business to ASAP Farmers Market shoppers. Interested in joining us? Apply here by Oct. 31. There is no cost to participate, but the sale of product is not permitted. For more information, email market manager Kate Hanford at [email protected].
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 FACES OF LOCAL |
| |  ASAP likes to share the stories of people who are contributing to the local food system. As part of our National Farm to School Month celebration, we're talking to Heather Gast, who teaches kindergarten and first grade at Weaverville Primary School (that's Sebastian, the class sloth on her left). She's working with Growing Minds to make sure her students experience local food, farms, and gardening, even as they adjust to virtual learning.
What does teaching kindergarten and first grade look like for you these days?
Very different! This semester I'm teaching a K/1 virtual-only combination class. That means, most days, my assistant and I do six live Zoom sessions, film lessons, and interact with our student's work via iPads. It's a whole new world, but amazingly the students are embracing it in ways I was not expecting. They show up to Zooms ready to work with smiles on their faces! I've been overwhelmed by how attached you can get to the students without being together physically.
Your students have set up container gardens at home. What have they (and you!) learned from that experience?
I have always loved for families to be involved in our classroom and this has definitely taken that to a whole new level! I hope that the parents have enjoyed it as much as their children. I've been thrilled to see the children get to take on more of a leadership role in the process this year. We have a few students each week "share" their containers on our Garden Zoom call and talk about their progress. We've covered many things that haven't been issues in typical years...such as answering questions about pests getting in the plants and learning the true science lesson of moving gardens to get more sunshine.
What have you and the students harvested?
Each student has begun harvesting red lettuce, green lettuce, and kale. It has been wonderful to see all the families enjoying the vegetables! Usually we have a feast in the room on harvest days and send home some things when we can, but watching siblings and parents get to be part of the deliciousness has been magical. We are harvesting bok choy that grew at the school garden space this week (students can come over the weekend and harvest a head for their families). They each have a cabbage that will be ready closer to Thanksgiving. In a few weeks, we will plant radish seeds from our ASAP goodie bags!
Are there other ways you have been able to incorporate farm to school themes into your virtual classrooms?
We have been doing virtual garden tours, which is very exciting! This will be a great way to continue our garden learning in the winter months. We plan on utilizing that as our garden is dormant. Our school garden and container gardens all have some compost from Last Penny Farm Alpacas and in the coming weeks we will be touring their farm thanks to the Meet Your Farmer videos from Growing Minds!
Growing Minds offers resources and training for educators to incorporate farm to school into their classrooms. Learn more at growing-minds.org.
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 RECIPE OF THE MONTH |
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This thick, hearty stew lets fall produce shine and makes enough for several healthy weeknight dinners.
Serves 8
Ingredients:
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1 pound dried cannellini beans (or use 3 cans, rinsed)
- bouquet garni with some combination of bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and parsley, tied together with kitchen twine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
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1 large onion, chopped
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3 carrots, cut in half-inch pieces
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3 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 small winter squash, such as butternut or jester, peeled and cut into half-inch pieces
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1 head of garlic, cloves separated, peeled, and smashed with the flat of a knife
- 10 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped (or use a 28-ounce can)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- kosher salt
- 2 bunches kale, washed and torn into pieces
- 8 thick slices of country-style bread, toasted
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1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan, plus the rind
Directions:
- Rinse beans and place in a pot covered with 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse thoroughly.
- Return beans to pot and add fresh water to cover by 2 inches. Add bouquet garni and Parmesan rind. Cook until beans are tender, about 1-3 hours. Time will vary depending on age of the beans.
- Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Add carrots, squash, celery, and garlic. Season with salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables to pot with beans. Deglaze the pan with a bit of water to pick up any browned bits and add those to the pot as well. Add tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of salt, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 1 hour.
- Remove bouquet garni and Parmesan rind. Stir in torn kale a handful at a time until wilted into the stew. Stir in 1 cup of grated Parmesan. Adjust seasoning.
- Serve topped with toasted bread with additional grated Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
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PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT |
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Our October photo of the month comes from Chelsea Lane Photography, capturing one of her favorite fall traditions at Sky Top Orchard. Looking for ways to experience local food and farms amidst a pandemic? Opportunities still exist, even during COVID-19. More than 100 farms in the region are still open for a variety of unique and authentic farm experiences, including u-pick orchards, on-farm lodging, small group tours, vineyard picnics, and more. Get inspiration as well as pandemic planning tips in ASAP's Appalachian Staycation collection.
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 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS |
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 ASAP’s Growing Local audio series runs on WNCW on Monday mornings during Morning Edition at 8:45 a.m. Here are a few recent episodes:
You can listen to all Growing Local episodes on SoundCloud, iTunes, or on ASAP's website.
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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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