From hemp to herd shares, 2018 was a year of growth and change for WNC farmers and gardeners.
![Frances Tacy of Franny's Farm](https://mountainx.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/1—Franny-her-bud-330x182.jpg)
From hemp to herd shares, 2018 was a year of growth and change for WNC farmers and gardeners.
The Oct. 25 event features a small-batch candy roaster grisette ale and a potluck gathering.
Whether cultivated or wild, American persimmons are plentiful this time of year in WNC.
Despite the unique set of challenges it presents, WNC women are increasingly looking to agriculture as a business option.
The goal looks the same for everyone involved: an equitable, resilient system where all community members have access to plenty of nutritious, fresh food.
As its name implies, dent corn has a small dent in each kernel and is mostly used in its dried form as a grain.
The prolific, native berries, can easily be found along the edges of forests or in grassy or disturbed areas in Western North Carolina August through December.
Some say The Steady Collective, Firestorm Books and Coffee, Kairos West Community Center and 12 Baskets Café have reduced the area’s safety by offering services to drug users and homeless clients. The Asheville Police Department has claimed that the number of complaints filed in the neighborhood — including drug use, trespassing and syringes discarded on a nearby playground — have risen dramatically in recent months.
The enigmatic nightshade vegetable is a summer favorite for local chefs and farmers.
Hayrides, fishing, wine tastings, cooking demos and berry-picking are just a sampling of the events lined up for this year’s tour, which showcases more than 20 small-scale, local farms.
June is high season in Asheville for local berries, including some that can be harvested in the city’s public spaces.
The perennial’s tart edible stalks lend themselves to everything from pies to pickles, and its robust root systems make it an ideal plant for sharing with friends.
Some of Western North Carolina’s freshest spring ingredients are found outside the garden.
A network of local chefs, bakers and food artisans is working with the regional collective to develop innovative culinary uses for WNC’s native tree nuts.
When the weather outside is frosty, simmering food on wood stoves or in slow cookers is a comforting option.
Southern tradition brings winter greens to Asheville’s New Year’s tables, but other cultures also embrace this abundant cold-weather food source.
From root to leaf, this Western North Carolina root crop has culinary uses far beyond the traditional brown sugar and marshmallow holiday treatment.