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

Cold weather doesn’t mean local food is in hibernation. Discover indoor farmers markets that offer winter veggies — plus meat, cheese, and other year-round delicacies.

Find winter markets throughout the Southern Appalachians: asapconnections.org/winter-farmers-markets

When you see the word "local" at restaurants or grocery stores, sometimes it's hard to tell exactly where the food comes from. ASAP aims to add transparency to the local food system with the Appalachian Grown program, which certifies farms, restaurants, and producers within 100 miles of Asheville, NC.

Look for the Appalachian Grown logo at farmers markets, restaurants, and wherever you buy your food. Find Appalachian Grown farms and partners in ASAP's Local Food Guide: www.appalachiangrown.org

What’s it like to raise kids on a farm while working two other jobs?

That was daily life for Anna Littman of Ivy Creek Family Farm until she and her husband Paul partnered with local restaurants. It gave them the stability they needed to work full-time on the farm with their children by their sides.

Hear baby Abe eat veggies fresh from the field and find out how working with restaurants has impacted their farm and family.

Give local this holiday season with gifts made by farmers, including onion jam from The Farmers Hands and loose leaf teas made by Asheville Tea Company. Find more gifts at www.appalachiangrown.org

Ideas and tips for a local Thanksgiving. Find fall markets and farm-fresh food in the Southern Appalachians: www.appalachiangrown.org

Meet Rebecca Collins and Steven Kinsella. They’re passionate about eating local and improving the food system. We caught up with them at ASAP’s Local Food Experience to talk about why they support local farms and culinary culture in the Southern Appalachians.

What do you get when you combine preschoolers with fresh apples straight from the orchard? A learning experience right in the palm of their hands.

Hear children from ASAP’s Learning Lab at the Child Care Center of First Presbyterian Church of Asheville take a bite out of farm-to-school learning this fall.

Find farm-to-School activities: http://growing-minds.org

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, provides low-income people with a monthly benefit for food. Many farmers markets now accept SNAP, but research shows participation is low. ASAP is working to change that with a USDA grant designed to increase SNAP participation at markets in three Western North Carolina counties.

More information on how to use SNAP at farmers markets: http://asapconnections.org/farmers-market-snap-brochures

The summer season may be over, but a farmer's work is never done. Local growers plan for next year by planting cover crops to build the soil.