Growing Local

We still use phrases like "bringing home the bacon" and "flew the coop," but why? Our language is full of farm idioms that remind us of our agricultural past. Find out what these sayings really mean and why we still use them today.

Tomatoes, herbs, small fruit trees and greens are just a few of the young plants offered at weekly farmers markets. Let local farmers start your garden right by bringing their plant starts home to your garden.

Find farmers markets in the Southern Appalachians: www.appalachiangrown.org

Preschoolers at ASAP's new Growing Minds Learning Lab are getting their hands dirty this summer.

Hear them talk about their gardening experiment and find out how the Child Care Center of First Presbyterian Church of Asheville is bringing local food into the lives of its littlest learners.

Gardening and local food resources for students of all ages: www.growing-minds.org

Eliot Coleman, author of The New Organic Grower, is a pioneer in the field of sustainable agriculture. His countless farming inventions and strategies for four-season farming have inspired growers for generations, including a new crop of farmers.

Coleman spoke with ASAP farmers at the Mother Earth News Fair and offered some advice for young farmers.

Want to find farm-fresh food anywhere in the Southern Appalachians?

ASAP's Local Food Guide features hundreds of listings of farms, CSAs, farmers markets, and restaurants that offer local food, plus compelling stories about local people changing the food system.

The paper guide just hit the stands and can be found at libraries, chambers of commerce, and restaurants throughout the region. A list of pickup locations and a comprehensive online guide can be found here: www.appalachiangrown.org

Outdoor farmers markets are finally here, complete with spring veggies, bluegrass music, and lively conversation between farmers and neighbors.

Take your ears on a stroll through the North Asheville Tailgate Market and get advice from farmer Tom Elmore (pictured) of Thatchmore Farm on how to make the most of spring outdoor markets.

Picking out seeds is one of the joys of spring, but where do those tiny seeds in the brightly colored packets come from?

Oftentimes seeds are grown by farmers in California and Oregon, but some regional seed companies in the Southern Appalachians are reviving old ways of producing seeds that grow particularly well in the Southeast.

Sow True Seed, based in Asheville, N.C., is one of those regional seed companies. They partner with farms like Against the Grain Farm in Zionville, N.C. to offer seeds that are adapted to the perils and promise of growing in the Southeastern United States.

Farmer Holly Whitesides and Sow True Seed agriculture director Renee Fortner explain why growing regionally-adapted seeds bolsters small farms and what home gardeners can gain by seeking out seeds that thrive in our region.

Bass Hyatt raises cattle at the Hyatt homeplace in Brasstown, N.C. His multi-generational farm has adapted its farming techniques to meet consumer demand for beef that’s fed grass instead of grain.

About 15 years ago, Hyatt met Jamie and Amy Ager of Hickory Nut Gap Farm. They partner with farmers like Hyatt to meet their wholesale demand for grassfed beef.

Connecting with the Agers offers Hyatt a market for his beef so he can turn his focus to sustainable production and breeding cattle that thrive on grass.

Find out more about local partnerships that further the food system at www.asapconnections.org

What happens when 200 farmers, buyers, and agricultural professionals get together each winter? Expect plenty of connections that bring food from the field to the plate.

Go behind-the-scenes at ASAP's 2016 Business of Farming conference with Chef Philip Bollhoefer and farmers from Reeves Home Place Farm and Red Scout Farm.

Did you know that hogs, turkeys, and ducks walked right through downtown Asheville during the 1820s? Each fall, drovers herded hundreds or even thousands of animals through Asheville on the way to markets further south.

Hear what ASAP executive director and history buff Charlie Jackson says about this riveting time in local agricultural history.