ASAP hosts its 11th annual Farm Tour

ON THE MOO-VE: Mills River Creamery's Jersey cows, descendants of the original Biltmore Estate dairy herd, were among the animals on view during last year's ASAP Farm Tour. Visitors were able to pet the farm's calves and eat homemade ice cream during that stop. This year's tour, scheduled June 22-23, features 19 farms, including five new additions. Photo courtesy of ASAP

Drinking water, sunscreen, hat, closed-toe walking shoes, cash and a camera: These items are all on the “items to bring” checklist provided by Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project to people embarking on the 11th annual ASAP Farm Tour on Saturday and Sunday, June 22-23. But the real key to a successful tour, according to tour coordinator Robin Lenner, is decidedly old-school.

“People might want to dust off a map,” she says with a laugh. “Especially people who don’t get outside of Asheville very often. Cell service can be spotty, and GPS is not always reliable on rural roads.”

There are 19 farms on the 2019 tour ⁠— five of them new to the event ⁠— each placed in one of five clusters. Lenner says visiting four in one day is usually a maximum, and families with young children may just hit two or three. ASAP’s printed and online guides describe what activities each farm offers so guests can make an itinerary based on their interests.

Flying Cloud Farm is one of four in the Fairview/Old Fort cluster. Visitors can pick their own flowers, buy produce and tour the greenhouse, learning about Annie Louise and Isiah Perkinson’s farming practices on the land her parents owned. Flying Cloud doesn’t normally offer tours, says Annie, so “this lets us invite our CSA members and tailgate customers who are curious about the farm to come out on this weekend and support ASAP as well.”

New-to-the-tour Sideways Farm and Brewery is in the Henderson cluster, offering farm and brewery tours with co-owners Carrieann and Jon Schneider. Visitors can interact with their sheep, chickens, ducks and newly hatched baby chicks and give the broadfork a go. “We are a no-till farm” explains Carrieann. “We use broadforks, which are like pitchforks on steroids. They loosen up the soil and make it nice and fluffy. We tell people that instead of CrossFit we do FarmFit.”

Food will be for sale at several of the farms, or guests can bring their own and make it a picnic. One thing not to bring, reminds Lenner, is your pooch. “Dogs can damage plants and be a hazard to farm animals they don’t know,” she says. “We ask that people leave their pets at home and enjoy the animals on the tour.”

WHAT: 11th annual ASAP Farm Tour
WHERE: Farms throughout WNC. asapconnections.org
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, June 22-23, noon-5 p.m. Tickets covering both days are $30 per vehicle in advance, $40 the weekend of the tour.

 

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Kay West
Kay West began her writing career in NYC, then was a freelance journalist in Nashville for more than 30 years, including contributing writer for the Nashville Scene, Nashville correspondent for People magazine, author of five books and mother of two happily launched grown-up kids. In 2019 she moved to Asheville and continued writing (minus Red Carpet coverage) with a focus on food, farming and hospitality. She is a die-hard NY Yankees fan.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.