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monthly news from ASAP | MARCH 2022 | asapconnections.org
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Asheville City Market Will Return Downtown April 2
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After two pandemic years operating as ASAP Farmers Market at A-B Tech, Asheville City Market will return to North Market Street downtown on April 2, from 9 a.m. to noon. Every Saturday, North Market Street will close between Woodfin and East Walnut streets. Customers can enjoy open-air shopping for local goods from nearly 50 vendors each week, including farmers, artisan food makers, services, and more. Get a weekly list of vendors by subscribing to the market’s newsletter.
“Centering the market on a public street downtown every week is a powerful demonstration of the importance of local farms and small business to our city and community,” says ASAP Executive Director Molly Nicholie. “The market gives local farmers and businesses a highly visible place to connect with customers each week.”
Free parking for customers is available at the HomeTrust Bank lot and at the Family Justice Center lot across from the YMCA at 35 Woodfin Street. There are bus stops along the N1 and N2 routes one block away on Broadway at Woodfin and Walnut.
Asheville City Market will offer ASAP’s Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables, which matches SNAP dollars with tokens that can be used for produce. For instance, if a SNAP customer swipes their EBT card for $10, they will receive $10 in SNAP tokens as well as $10 in Farm Fresh Bucks. SNAP tokens may be used for SNAP-eligible products from any vendor, including produce, meat, cheese, eggs, bread, plants, and more. Farm Fresh Bucks may only be used for fruits and vegetables.
Asheville City Market was established in 2008 as a learning lab to pilot new programs and provide more opportunities for farmers, particularly those unable to access existing market options.
Nearly 100 farmers markets throughout the region have openings scheduled in April and May. Find a complete list here, including opening dates, days, and hours.
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Apply for Funding for Community in Action Projects
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 What does connecting health and local food and farms look like in your community?
As part of ASAP's Farm Fresh for Health initiative, we are seeking applications for Community in Action projects. These projects can be new or expand upon existing activities that connect community members to local foods and positive healthy-eating experiences. Examples might be partnerships between farms and healthcare practitioners; workplace CSA or other wellness programming; addressing barriers to healthy cooking; and much more. Selected projects will receive $1,000 to $5,000, as well as technical and marketing assistance from ASAP.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with the first round due March 31. Learn more and apply.
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Cost Share Funding Applications Open for Farms
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 ASAP, through support from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, has funds available for Appalachian Grown certified farms and farm groups in North Carolina to promote locally grown food in 2022–23. These funds can be used for design and production of labels, packaging, or promotional materials featuring the Appalachian Grown logo. The promotion must reach the public and support farmers within one or more of the Appalachian Grown counties in North Carolina.
ASAP's cost share funds can reimburse farmers for up to 75 percent of costs for design and production. Applications will be approved on a rolling basis until funds run out. Find out more and apply.
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 Mallory Phillips is ASAP's new Evaluation and Program Assistant for the Local Food Research Center.
Mallory just moved to Asheville from Ashe County, where her family has farmed for generations. She holds a master's degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics from Virginia Tech.
As part of the Local Food Research Center, she will guide ASAP's feedback loop, helping us to understand the impact of our work and monitor changes in our local food system. She will lead ASAP's program evaluation, capture input and stories from ASAP's many audiences, and stay up to date on current trends and best practices to ensure our programming stays innovative while meeting the unique needs of our community.
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 20 YEARS OF ASAP |
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We're celebrating ASAP's 20th anniversary! Each month we'll share the origins one or more of our programs as well as stories from farmers and others who have been with us along the way.
In 2002, ASAP helped to establish the Mountain Tailgate Market Association as a way for small markets in the region to pool resources for materials and promotion. The group initially included markets in Buncombe and Madison counties, but grew to include 22 markets in eight counties.
While the MTMA is no longer an official entity, ASAP facilitates a network of Appalachian Grown farmers market managers, including the annual Farmers Market Summit, to accomplish many of the same goals. Find a list of Appalachian Grown farmers markets throughout the region, including opening dates and hours for the 2022 season, on our website.
Call for Stories!
Do you have stories (or photos) about ASAP, farming, or local food over the past 20 years? We're looking for remembrances—short or long—to share at an event this spring, celebrating ASAP's 20 years and founder Charlie Jackson's retirement. Please share your memories, anecdotes, or photos with Sarah Hart at [email protected] or give us a call at 828-236-1282.
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 FACES OF LOCAL |
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ASAP likes to share the stories of people who help us fulfill our mission. This month we talk with farmers Justin Jones of Alta Vista Farm and Mark Diaz of CrossCreek Farm. Justin moved to Asheville in late 2020 and started farming through the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy incubator program. Mark and his wife, Donna, raise Belted Galloway cattle and hay at CrossCreek Farm in Leicester. Starting this season, Justin will farm on three-quarters of an acre of CrossCreek's land.
How did this farming relationship happen?
Mark Diaz: The Haywood market is a really good collaboration center. Everyone talks to each other, gets along, and finds out what each other is doing. That’s how we heard that Justin was looking for land.
Justin Jones: Dustin of Sustainabillies—he’s the board president for the market—is always doing the rounds, checking in. I was expressing to him that I had some uncertainty with leasing an area at SAHC Community Farm in Alexander. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to go back for another season, and I wanted to cover all my bases and maybe find something more long term. Without having done a lot of research, I thought I might be interested in the Sandy Mush area in Leicester. Dustin said, “Oh, well, CrossCreek Farm has been interested in having people farm on their land.” I thought about it a little bit and before I reached out to Mark, he approached me at the market the next week. I went out there and we had an informal conversation and by the end of it was I was really in love with the property and the potential.
What are some ways that sharing the land is a benefit to you?.
Mark Diaz: A couple of things. One, diversifying the output of the farm. I’ve always been interested in growing vegetables, but I can’t do it myself because the cows take too much time. I’ve been helping out and it’s something new for me. It’s all interesting to me, watching how he does the netting, keeping the crops warm. There’s also security in having someone here on the farm. If you remember a few months ago, there were some barns and hay fields set on fire. If you have a situation where what’s happening on the farm, who’s going to be there, is unpredictable, that adds security. And if we go somewhere, he can help us out with the animals, or we can help with the crops. It’s mutually beneficial in that way.
Justin Jones: Just having Mark there has helped out tremendously. I’m kind of always comparing it to if I had just moved out to some property solo. He’s super responsive to any need that I have.
Have there been challenges in the transition?
Justin Jones: I’m still renting greenhouse space at SAHC, since I don’t have that here yet, so there is some coordination. I live in Asheville, so I’m always doing that circuit from Alexander to CrossCreek and back. Thankfully, there is existing infrastructure at CrossCreek, a huge barn and outbuilding. Mark’s got a tractor so we’ve been able to break ground and start doing all the field plots ready. We’re in the process of installing irrigation. We’re also looking at building a contained structure for wash and pack area.
Have you had a chance to learn about cattle farming? Was that ever something you were interested in?
Justin Jones: I’m pretty squarely in on veggies at this point. I don’t know that I would raise cows for myself, but I love it. Growing up, my grandmother had a farm and raised cows in West Virginia. Going out to CrossCreek it reminds me so much of that. I love being in that setting. I did work with a livestock farm for a few months once before. Mark shares a lot with me about the specific breed that he has. I know he wants to be able to spend more time with family. I’m looking forward to having him showing me the ropes, so I’ll be able to provide that benefit to him.
Look for CrossCreek and Alta Vista Farm at Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market this spring. Alta Vista will sell at Smathers Farmers & Public Market in Canton and to a few area restaurants, including The Swag in Waynesville.
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 RECIPE OF THE MONTH |
| |  If you visited the Asheville CSA Fair on March 11 or the ASAP Farmers Market at A-B Tech on March 5, you may have tasted this spinach-walnut pesto served on spaghetti squash. Madi Rose, a Dietetic Intern with our Growing Minds program, shares her recipe. You can find spinach from several farmers at winter markets right now.
Makes 1 to 1.5 cup
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup walnut halves or pieces
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3/4 cup olive oil
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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4 shallots, diced
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1/2 tsp salt
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2-4 cups spinach, washed, tough stems removed
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1 cup Parmesan, grated
Directions:
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Toast walnuts in a dry skillet for a few over medium heat, until fragrant. Let cool.
- Place spinach, garlic, shallots, walnuts, Parmesan, and salt in a food processor and combine well. With the motor running, slowly add olive oil. Add more cheese or oil if needed to reach desired consistency and flavor.
- Scoop pesto into a container. Refrigerate.
- Serve over spaghetti squash, pasta, bread, roasted veggies, or whatever you like!
Adapted from Denise Wright.
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 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS |
| “That transparency and being able to know and meet that person who’s growing that food on your plate it pretty unique. You don’t have to depend on a label to tell you about that farm or how it was raised.”
—Molly Nicholie, interviewed for the Asheville Citizen Times about the growth in the local food and farming scene over the past 20 years
"Food is like medicine, and there’s no better way to nourish your body than a heaping serving of fresh food and herbs from your local farm-acy. As community supported agriculture (CSA) options have grown, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project has supported them to the hilt, and now the Asheville-based nonprofit has published a new guide to area opportunities for subscribing to local produce."
"Make good of your New Year’s resolution to eat better and plan smarter. [...] The Asheville CSA Fair will allow people to connect with local farms, discuss offerings with the farmers and determine the best fit for their needs."
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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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