J u l y  2 0 1 9         a s a p c o n n e c t i o n s . o r g

Join Us for ASAP's Local Food Experience
: [link removed]


ASAP's annual Local Food Experience : [link removed] is a fun and delicious evening celebrating the partnerships between chefs, farms, and other local food producers. Join us Aug. 15, from 6-8:30 pm at New Belgium Brewing. Tickets are $30 and available here : [link removed]. All proceeds from the event benefit ASAP’s programs to help local farms thrive and build healthy communities through connections to local food.
 

Participating restaurants and producers include Sawhorse : [link removed], Aux Bar : [link removed], The Montford : [link removed], Sugar & Snow Gelato : [link removed], Shanti Elixirs : [link removed], Serotonin Ferments : [link removed], Looking Glass Creamery : [link removed], Brasstown Beef : [link removed], and more. Check our website : [link removed] in the coming weeks for a full list of participating chefs and farms, as well as a sneak peak into the dishes they'll prepare.
 

Thank you to our 2019 Local Food Experience sponsor, Katie Button Restaurants : [link removed]!





Engage Kids in the Garden This Summer
: [link removed]
 

Just because school's out, the farm to school fun doesn't have to take a break! Gardening at home is a great way to engage kids throughout the summer, especially as many gardens are hitting their peak productivity right now. Our Growing Minds website : [link removed] has many lessons and activities that work just as well outside the classroom, as well as a great database of children's literature : [link removed]. Here's the curated Growing Minds garden lit list for this month:
Growing Vegetable Soup : [link removed] by Lois EhlertPick, Pull, Snap! Where Once a Flower Bloomed : [link removed] by Lola M. SchaeferScarlette Beane : [link removed] by Karen WallaceThe Ugly Vegetables : [link removed] by Grace LinWhat’s in the Garden? : [link removed] by Marianne Berkes*Are you a Farm to School educator in North Carolina? Applications for the Farm to School NC Awards are due July 31. See the Farm to School Coalition of NC website : [link removed] for more information.*





Another Successful Farm Tour!
: [link removed]
 

The 2019 Farm Tour saw nearly 4,000 visits to 19 farms. Fifty-eight percent of pass-buyers were participating in the Farm Tour for the first time, and for some this was even their first local food and farm experience. We are so grateful for our sponsors : [link removed], our volunteers : [link removed], and especially the farmers : [link removed], who worked overtime to open their farms and their lives to all of us for the weekend. Thank you for helping to make this fantastic event possible!
 

Congratulations to our Farm Tour photo contest winners! Pictured above, clockwise from top left, are:
 

Rooster at Franny’s Farm : [link removed], J. Brian Buchanan
“The contrast of his black and white feathers with his red comb and the surrounding greenery immediately caught my eye. He seemed none too pleased with the recent rainstorm, balancing on one leg, trying to keep dry. The lush cove at Franny's Farm had lots to admire, but the enthusiasm of the farmers really stood out.”
 

Poppies at Sideways Farm and Brewery : [link removed], Claudia Laffin, aka the Traveling Spoon Chef

“I love the approach that Carrieann and Jon Schneider take to brewing their beer and farming their land. I fell in love with the flowers on the farm so much that I joined their summer flower CSA and look forward to a beautiful bouquet every week.”
 

Goat at Hickory Nut Gap Farm : [link removed], Theresa Edwards-Capen
"There is something about photographing farm animals that brings me such joy. From cows to chickens, and everything in between, farm animals have always captured my heart!"
 

Ty Moser, nine months old, at Smoking J’s Fiery Foods and Farm : [link removed], Carly Moser
“Peppers, anyone? This guy knows there’s nothing better than blue skies, healthy greens, and good-tilled dirt.”

 

See the full photos in print in The Laurel of Asheville : [link removed]'s August issue, available for free at locations throughout the area. Interested in participating in another ASAP photography contest : [link removed]? Read on!
 

Missed the tour, or looking for more farm fun this summer? ASAP's online Local Food Guide : [link removed] lets you search for farms open for visits, including u-pick, tours, farm stands, and more.





Announcing the 2020 Calendar Photo Contest
: [link removed]
 

Each year ASAP produces a printed calendar showcasing the seasonality of local food and farms in the Appalachian Grown region. We are thrilled to bring back a photo contest : [link removed] for our 2020 calendar! Thirteen winning photos will be printed in the calendar (twelve months + the cover), and will be featured each month in ASAP’s social media and e-newsletter.
 

We're looking for photos that depict your experiences with local food and farms, with particular emphasis on the seasons. Think about capturing images of farmers markets, CSAs, seasonal dishes, farm visits, and farm life. Images will be printed in a 7x10" horizontal format. The contest is open to amateur and professional photographers, and you may submit as many photos as you like. Photos received by Friday, Sept. 20 will be given first consideration. 
 

Find contest rules and conditions and submission information here : [link removed].





Seeking Fall Interns
ASAP is now accepting applications : [link removed] for fall internships in photography, communications, and local food promotions. Interning with ASAP allows students and recent graduates to gain a deeper understanding of how local food systems work and discover how their personal skills and interests can help local farms thrive and build healthier communities through connections to food. 
 

According to 2019 summer intern Annabelle Jones: “As a communications intern, working with ASAP has shown me the importance of connecting the WNC community to their food and understanding where it comes from. I gained a deeper understanding of how ASAP interacts with the local farms in WNC to build healthier communities. I developed strong communication skills, data entry skills, website management techniques, and social media proficiency."


Have questions or want to apply? Visit our website : [link removed] or email [email protected] : mailto:[email protected] .



PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT
 

: [link removed]
 

Our July photo of the month was taken by Gabi Serna, the operations manager at Harvest Table : [link removed] in Meadowview, Virginia. "This little lady is a Rhode Island Red chicken, a heritage breed that is best for laying eggs," says Gabi. "She is lucky to call the Harvest Table Farm : [link removed] her home, where she gets to roam cage-free daily and is free to scratch and peck and whatever she desires!"

RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Blackberry Vinaigrette Salad
 : [link removed] summertime salad dressing comes from our Growing Minds recipe archive : [link removed]. Any assortment of local, seasonal vegetables works well with this tasty vinaigrette, but we suggest spinach, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, local feta, and thinly shaved red onion.
 

Ingredients
1 cup local blackberries½ cup olive oil1 tablespoon red wine vinegar½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon pepper2-3 tablespoons local honey
Instructions
Wash and prepare all ingredients and assemble the salad. 
Combine blackberries, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in a blender. Blend until well combined. With the blender running on low, slowly drizzle in olive oil until it is all combined and emulsified. Serve over salad.

FACES OF LOCAL
Amy Pickett
: [link removed] likes to share the stories of people who help us fulfill our mission. This month, we talk with Amy Pickett, owner of Sugar & Snow Gelato : [link removed], which will be one of the vendors for ASAP's Local Food Experience : [link removed] Aug. 15.
 
Q: You're using milk from Looking Glass Creamery : [link removed], right here in Western North Carolina, to make your gelato. Can you talk about how that process works?

 

LGC makes our gelato base recipe for us, using the milk from their pasture-based herd of cows and their commercial pasteurizer equipment. Fresh milk from the morning milking session is measured into the pasteurizer, along with cream from Maple View Farm : [link removed] (in Carrboro, NC), non-GMO sugar, and other thoughtfully sourced ingredients. This recipe makes 100 gallons of gelato base that Sugar & Snow then churns in our batch freezer to make a few different flavors, like vanilla bean, mint chip, espresso, cookies and cream, caramel swirl, and pralines and cream.
 
Q: How did that partnership come about?

 

We wanted to wholesale our dairy gelato to restaurants and specialty food markets. It was really important to us to both: (1) make gelato using our proprietary recipe, and (2) use milk and cream from North Carolina farms. We didn't want to buy a pre-made ice cream mix made by another company. Since the NCDA requires that wholesale dairy products are made using an approved pasteurizer, a piece of equipment we don't own, we contacted with a few farms in our region to see who may be willing to make our recipe for us using their equipment. Jen and Andy at Looking Glass Creamery were enthusiastic about helping us. They really seemed to understand our goals, they have a first class production facility, and they are meticulous in executing our recipe.
 

Q: What other local farms or foods are featured in seasonal flavors right now?

 

We often buy berries through Mountain Food Products : [link removed], such as blueberries from Stepp's Plants : [link removed] in Hendersonville to make a seasonal blueberry lemon sorbet.
 

Q: Why are local farms important to your business?

 

Sourcing close to home reduces the environmental impact of transporting food across the country or across the globe, and also ensures we have produce at its peak freshness. We like the connection to the farmers and farms, such as as seeing the cows in the pasture at Looking Glass or seeing folks filling buckets of berries when they stop by Hickory Nut Gap : [link removed]. Plus, we live in such a fertile area, it just makes sense to be using locally grown food.

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

ASAP in the News
Executive Director Charlie Jackson was interviewed about ASAP's Double SNAP program at Asheville City Market on WLOS : [link removed]. The Double SNAP program was also covered in The Asheville Citizen-Times : [link removed], The Laurel of Asheville : [link removed], The Wilkes Journal-Patriot : [link removed] and The Smoky Mountain News : [link removed].
 

Footage from ASAP's Farm Tour made it to WLOS : [link removed] and Sow the Land’s YouTube channel : [link removed].

WNC Magazine : [link removed] featured ASAP in an article on resources for farmers, including quotes from Local Food Campaign Program Director Molly Nicholie.

Edible Asheville : [link removed] also talked to Molly for a story on this history of hog production in WNC.

Asheville Citizen-Times : [link removed] wrote about five ways to eat healthfully with your kids, and interviewed Growing Minds Program Director Emily Jackson.

The Laurel of Asheville : [link removed] featured Growing Minds school cafeteria taste tests and talked to Program Coordinator Kim Knoppel.
 

Asheville City Market is featured in a Mountain Xpress : [link removed] article on chefs shopping at farmers markets.



ASAP on the Air
: [link removed]’s Growing Local audio series runs on WNCW : [link removed] on Monday mornings during Morning Edition at 8:45 am. Here are a few recent episodes:


Double SNAP Increases Access to Fresh Foods at Farmers Markets : [link removed] Tour Adventures, Part 1 : [link removed] Tour Adventures, Part 2 : [link removed]
Goats Galore at Round Mountain Creamery : [link removed] can listen to all Growing Local episodes on SoundCloud : [link removed], iTunes : [link removed], or on ASAP's website : [link removed].



CONNECT WITH US
: [link removed] : [link removed] : [link removed] : [link removed] : [link removed] 

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

Subscribe to this newsletter:
[link removed]
Unsubscribe [email protected]:
[link removed]
Change your preferences:
[link removed]
Forward to a friend:
[link removed]
Report this email as spam:
[link removed]

This email was sent using MyNewsletterBuilder.com.