Growing Local

It takes an entire community to change the food system. Join the local food movement today by supporting our nonprofit organization: www.asapconnections.org

M&M Berry Farm started as an apple orchard, but over the years they joined the community of blackberry farmers in Henderson County, North Carolina. Hear four generations of the Pack family talk about the challenges and rewards of running their family farm.

Picking out a Christmas tree is a beautiful experience for families and friends. For local tree farmers, it’s the culmination of years of hard work. Jeff Owen, a Christmas tree extension specialist at NC State University, talks about fluctuations in the industry and why you might want to get your tree early this year.

Find Christmas tree farms to visit in ASAP’s Local Food Guide: www.appalachiangrown.org Photo courtesy of the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association.

Buying a big box of sweet potatoes at the beginning of the winter makes it easy to whip up local meals during the darkest days of the year. Annie Louise Perkinson from Flying Cloud Farm in Fairview, North Carolina talks about why her farm offers sweet potatoes in bulk to feed the community all winter.

Farmer Daniel Wall and business partner Jon Mercer come from different backgrounds, but together with their young families, they’ve started a livestock farm that promotes their shared commitment to sustainable agriculture.

We spoke with Daniel and Jon at ASAP’s Business of Farming conference last year. Learn about this year’s conference at http://asapconnections.org/events/business-of-farming-conference/

Visit local farmers markets to stock up on these quintessential holiday foods for a truly local Thanksgiving.

Chefs are catching on to the sweet and savory flavor of sorghum molasses, and farmers are working hard to keep up with demand. Hear chef John Fleer and farmer Cathy Guthrie talk about why sorghum is popping up at Southern Appalachian restaurants.

Bring sorghum molasses into your own kitchen and find farmers who sell it in ASAP’s Local Food Guide: www.appalachiangrown.org

Southern Appalachian families have been pouring sorghum molasses on biscuits for generations. It takes a draft horse, a wood-fired furnace, and a lot of folk knowledge to do it. Hear how two women are keeping the tradition alive.

Take an audio trip to Darnell Farms in Bryson City, North Carolina to learn how this family farm turned into a thriving agritourism hub.

Find more family farms to visit at www.appalachiangrown.org

Did you hear that sound? It’s students and teachers chomping down on fall’s crispiest fruit: the apple. Kids throughout North Carolina will celebrate National Farm to School Month with the “North Carolina Crunch” as they all take a big bite of a locally grown apple on October 24th at Noon.

Listen in on last year’s crunch to hear how preschoolers react to local food.