Growing Local

When you visit Balsam Garden’s farm in East Asheville you can hear the sounds of birds overhead, but also the rush of a major highway that’s hidden behind a row of trees. That juxtaposition reflects the versatility of this land—and an unusual partnership between local farmers and the City of Asheville, which owns the property. Take an audio trip to this “secret little gem” of a farm.

Ever wondered how a tomato gets from the field to a grocery store shelf? Take a behind-the-scenes trip to the Ingles Markets distribution center, then find out why local farmer William Shelton grows summer produce for the grocery chain.

There’s a little bit of magic in a fresh-picked blueberry—sweet and still warm from the sun. Hear why farmers from Perry’s Berries in Morganton, North Carolina invite the community to pick berries on their farm. Learn how to visit them and other u-pick farms at www.appalachiangrown.org

Have you ever been to summer camp with a pig named Doughnut? Farm camps are becoming popular across the country, especially in Western North Carolina. Hear a gaggle of kids pick berries, taste edible flowers, and learn how to feed the pigs at Franny’s Farm Camp in Leicester.

More than 1,000 people visited local farms on ASAP’s Farm Tour in June, and the sounds of farms at work were heard throughout Western North Carolina. Listen to behind-the-scenes tours of Smoking J’s Fiery Foods, L.O.T.U.S. Urban Farm, and Venezia Dream Farm Alpacas. Then go to Mills River Creamery to hear the reaction from the crowd when a calf is born before their eyes.

See photos at www.instagram.com/asapconnections

Doctors, researchers, and healthcare professionals are working to change the culture of healthcare by focusing on preventing diseases as well as treating them. Leaders in the field will gather in Asheville August 26-29 for a new conference called Healthy Eating in Practice. Learn more and register for the conference at www.healthyeatinginpractice.org

Carolyn Bradley is a fifth generation farmer with a passion for agriculture. Visit her 130-acre farm on ASAP’s Farm Tour and learn how Carolyn and her husband Mike raise grassfed beef. Tickets: asapconnections.org/events/asaps-farm-tour

“This is probably going to be the hardest year for us, but we’re going to keep it going for the kids and for the community,” says Alyssa Moreno of SMM Farms in Hayesville. Hear how farmers are recovering from the floods that raged through Western North Carolina this spring, and learn how to support them on ASAP’s Farm Tour.

Want to feed a bison and see a herd of horned cattle up close? Visit Dr. King’s Farms on ASAP’s Farm Tour on June 23 and 24, 2018. In this week’s episode, Dr. Frank King talks about the exotic animals that roam his farmland beneath the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Come along on a farm to school road trip as high schoolers from Burke County, North Carolina lead a local strawberry taste test with kids from Hillcrest Elementary School.