Hanukkah, the festival of lights, is not a festival of light eating. You could celebrate this holiday—which starts on Monday—with a different dish or dessert for all eight nights! Incorporate a variety of local ingredients all available now at tailgate markets throughout Buncombe County.
As a celebration of the lamp oil and that burned miraculously for eight days, a Hanukkah menu is built around the magic of oil. Holiday favorites vary by region, but some universally loved dishes include fried potato pancakes (latkes) and deep-fried jelly donuts (sufganiyot). Traditions from Italy include pasta latkes, polenta latkes, or frittelle di riso (sweet rice fritters). Iraqi food cultures celebrate with savory sambusaks, which are deep fried pastry with chickpeas, cheese, potatoes or ground meat. Get creative—just make sure to fry it up!
For traditional latkes, pick up potatoes, onions, and eggs. Look for several varieties of potatoes and onions from farms such as Highgate Farm (West and River Arts District markets), Gaining Ground Farm (at North Asheville and River Arts District markets), Ten Mile Farm (ASAP Farmers Market), and Flying Cloud Farm, Full Sun Farm and Sleight Family Farm (North Asheville Tailgate Market).
If you are feeling adventurous and want to introduce some variations, inspired by Turkey or Calcutta, you could incorporate leeks, chicken and ginger. Local fennel would work well with rice if you’re leaning towards the Italian inspirations. Get ginger and rice from Lee’s One Fortune Farm at ASAP, West Asheville, and River Arts District markets. Ten Mile Farm and Velvet Morning Farms (both at ASAP Farmers Market) have fennel.
If you want to start your own North Carolina latke tradition, sweet potatoes are your answer. The state is the number one sweet potato producer in the United States. You can find some beautiful varieties in our region from many farms. Combine these with homemade applesauce made with apples for a touch of sweetness. (McConnell Farms still has apples available at West and North Asheville markets.)
If you’d rather focus on the pastry traditions, try deep-fried donuts using local eggs and filling with some local jams from farmers who have picked and preserved through the season. You could also stuff a pastry shell with local goat cheese and honey.
The beauty of Hanukkah eating is that you can choose your favorite local products and simply fry them up. It’s the perfect time of year to continue the season of gratitude, family, and oil!
At markets now you can also find turnips, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, lettuce, and hardy greens like kale, collards, chard, and mustard. Markets are also stocked with farm-fresh eggs, rice, pasta, bread, pastries, drinks, and prepared foods. There are more than 100 farmers tailgate markets throughout the Appalachian Grown region. Find them, as well as farms and other local food businesses, in ASAP’s online Local Food Guide at appalachiangrown.org.
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Join in on Giving Tuesday
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Giving Tuesday is coming up next week. This special day of giving on Nov. 30 unleashes people and organizations' power to transform their communities and the world. You can be a part of this show of support with a gift to ASAP. Through a gift, you’re helping us transform the region so that local farmers can build thriving businesses, and communities can easily access fresh, local food. And thanks to a generous donor, every donation is matched—up to $10,000—so your kindness will go twice as far.
Again and again, this community has shown us that no matter what comes our way, whether it be a pandemic or a tropical storm, we'll always be there for each other. A farmer recently told us: "We are SO grateful to ASAP and the Appalachian Grown Farmer Relief Fund for responding so quickly to the needs of local farmers after Tropical Storm Fred. So often small farmers fall through the cracks. This funding will help us to replace critical infrastructure lost in the flash flooding."
We can continue to step up for one another and grow our generous spirits!
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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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Organizations around Buncombe County will celebrate World Soil Day Asheville Dec. 5, reported The Laurel of Asheville. Said Chris Smith, founder and executive director of The Utopian Seed Project, "You can’t talk about responsible farming and sustainable food systems without talking about the soil, or if you do, then you’re flat-out misinformed. Soil is everything when it comes to growing food. World Soil Day is a chance to honor and highlight the importance of soil in a way it has always deserved but rarely received.”
Robert Turner, owner of Creekside Farm at Walnut Cove, wrote about farm labor and the local food system in his column for The Laurel of Asheville. "Localization in our food supply can offset the pressures from concentration and globalization. [...] That may come with a price tag that includes higher wages for farm labor."
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