ASAP highlights local events and offerings around “Tomato Month”

The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) is spotlighting several local businesses and organizations’ contributions to “Tomato Month,” an annual celebration of the staple crop around the Asheville area and part of the nonprofits “Get Local” campaign.

Businesses celebrating this year’s Tomato Month include The Marketplace, which is featuring an heirloom tomato salad, a tomato vinaigrette paired with pan-seared trout from Sunburst Trout Farms, and a homemade thyme/tomato ketchup.

Local downtown hangout and vegetarian eatery Rosetta’s Kitchen is partnering with Leicester-based Franny’s Farm to feature beefsteak slicing tomatoes throughout August, while the Guadalupe Cafe in Sylva is incorporating a plethora of tomato varieties into their salads, salsa, and sandwiches throughout the month.

In addition to the tomato-centric offerings from local restaurants, the University of North Carolina-Asheville is serving up Appalachian Grown tomatoes in their cafeteria salad bars and will feature the vine-borne fruit in its cooking classes for incoming freshman this fall. UNC-A’s dietitian Laura Sexton will also be on hand at the North Asheville Tailgate Market on August 29 for a special tomato testing.

This Thursday, August 13, ASAP will hold a Local Summer Cookout, with tomatoes from Ivy Creek Family Farm and pork ribs from Hickory Nut Gap Farm prepared by OMNI Grove Park Inn‘s Chef Philip Bollhoefer at Catawba Brewing Company’s South Slope Location in downtown Asheville.

Tickets for the cookout are $20 and can be purchased at asapconnections.org. Attendees of the cookout will also be entered into a raffle for two private dinners at the Grove Park Inn, a Catawba Brewing gift basket, and a complimentary pass to the ASAP Farm Tour in September.

For more information on the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, local produce and meat providers and a list of upcoming events, check out asapconnections.org or see the press release below.

Press release:

We All Say Local Tomatoes!
ASAP’s Get Local focus is on the beloved tomato

ASHEVILLE, NC (August 11, 2015)—Oh, the month we’ve all been waiting for—tomato month! Salads, sauces, soups, pies, jams, salsa, roasted, grilled and simply fresh sliced—so many great ways to serve up tomatoes. Shop for these great tasting fruits in all sorts of varieties and colors at area farmers tailgate markets and look for summer specials on menus of Appalachian Grown™ partner restaurant and dining rooms around the region.

· UNC Asheville will be featuring Appalachian Grown tomatoes on salad bars this month, as well as in cooking class for incoming freshman orientation. Saturday, August 29th join UNC Asheville’s Registered Dietitian, Laura Sexton, for a tomato tasting at the North Asheville Tailgate Market.
· The Marketplace is using tomatoes everywhere this summer: in an heirloom tomato salad; a mixed, confit tomato vinaigrette will accompany pan-seared trout from Sunburst Trout Farms; and included in a watermelon panzanella the will accompany a pan-roasted wild snapper. The Marketplace even makes their own homemade thyme ketchup using local tomatoes. They source tomatoes primarily from Gaining Ground Farm and Synchronicity Farms.

· Rosetta’s Kitchen has partnered with Franny’s Farm in Leicester to feature their beefsteak slicing tomatoes in August in honor of tomato month.

· Guadalupe Cafe is using cherry and grape tomatoes in salads, heirloom tomatoes on special sandwiches, and both heirlooms and beefsteak in all of their salsas. Guadalupe primarily sources tomatoes from Shelton Family Farm in Jackson County, as well as Twisted Ridge Farms, Berry Farm, and Dawson Green.

· ASAP’s Local Summer Cookout will include local tomatoes from Ivy Creek Family Farm, as well as Hickory Nut Gap Farms pork ribs, and many more delicious veggie sides prepared by Chef Philip Bollhoefer of the OMNI Grove Park Inn. The cookout will take place Thursday, August 13 at Catawba Brewing on the South Slope, Asheville. Tickets are available at asapconnections.org.

Visit ASAP’s website at asapconnections.org, and find Get Local under the “find” tab to find details on what’s happening this month. You can also Get Local at home: Find each month’s featured food—and other seasonal products—at your neighborhood farmers tailgate market, roadside stand, or grocery store. Browse for markets, stands, and stores via ASAP’s online Local Food Guide at appalachiangrown.org.
ABOUT ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project)

ASAP’s mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food. To learn more about ASAP’s work, visit asapconnections.org, or call (828) 236-1282.