“A lot of my work right now is in helping people organize themselves and understand how they might create collaborative means of accessing meat,” says author, butcher, chef and instructor Meredith Leigh.
Slow Food Asheville celebrates okra with Heritage Food Project
The okra selected for the 2020 project, Aunt Hettie’s Red, boasts both regional roots and modern acclaim. Last September, the variety was crowned the best of 54 in “The Single Biggest Chef-Centered Okra Tasting Day Ever” contest staged by the Utopian Seed Project.
Marissa Percoco sees a ‘new hunger’ for permaculture knowledge
“I feel like right now this COVID virus is forcing people to slow down and, hopefully, look internally and not just at their phones,” says Percoco, the Firefly Gathering’s new executive director. “It’s interesting how something like this can come in and show us how vulnerable we are.”
Heath Moody builds A-B Tech sustainability program
“Sustainability is a vast field where you can get into agriculture, transportation, manufacturing and energy,” says Heath Moody, head of the Sustainability Technologies program at A-B Tech. “These skills are vital for society going forward.”
Natalie Bogwalker develops natural skills at Wild Abundance
Classes take place on a hilly, wooded eco-homestead campus featuring Bogwalker’s self-constructed cabin, gardens and fruit trees, and students can choose to camp on the property for a full immersion into a more sustainable way of life. “We are permaculture in action, a living example of the beauty and abundance of the land,” she says.
Organic Growers School Spring Conference ushers in the WNC growing season
Now in its 27th year, the Organic Growers School Spring Conference welcomes growers and sustainability-minded folks of all types for a weekend of region-specific educational offerings, a trade show, seed exchange, guest speakers and opportunities for socializing and networking. This year’s conference takes place Friday-Sunday, March 6-8, at Mars Hill University.
Appetite for Life: Recipes for a new year
By working with the seasons, riffing off familiar recipes and being creative with embellishments, the regular contents of your kitchen can be infused with new life in 2020.
Lay leaders tie faith and environmental action
For the first time, the Creation Care Alliance’s annual retreat, taking place at the Montreat Conference Center on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 7-8, will include both clergy and lay leaders. While the first day remains focused on ordained ministers , its second day will offer “learning, grieving, inspiration and training” for all who connect their faith with creation care.
WNC shops share tips for turning your yard into a bird-watching haven
Winter is the ideal time to begin planting and planning to create a hospitable wild bird habitat.
Green in brief: Asheville coal ash landfill hearing on Dec. 19, bear concerns escalate
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19, a public hearing will take place in Room B of the Mission Health/A-B Tech Conference Center at 340 Victoria Road in Asheville regarding Duke Energy’s plans to build a 12.5-acre landfill on its property beside Lake Julian.
Appetite for Life: The secret life of squash
The accompanying recipe for baked butternut squash with sage and sausage uses leftovers to create an easy and satisfying option for the upcoming holiday season.
New draft horses join Warren Wilson College’s sustainable farming program
Queen and Doc recently relocated from an Amish community in Ohio to serve as the horsepower behind the college’s sustainable agriculture program.
Symposium renews call for urban tree protections
Climate Change and Asheville’s Urban Forest, a symposium organized by Asheville GreenWorks for Thursday, Nov. 14, 5-7:30 p.m., brings together a broad coalition around the results of the city’s recently released canopy study. Urban forest advocates emphasize that trees are critical to help Asheville avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Smallholder Access Program certifies WNC forests
Less than 0.1% of all small woodlands are currently certified as responsibly managed, despite making up over 75% of all privately owned Southeast forests. The SAP pilot, a collaboration of forest product companies, the Forest Stewardship Council and Rainforest Alliance, is exploring how to bring those previously overlooked parcels into certified status.
Nonprofit launches hemp testing services for WNC farmers, processors
The U.S. Botanical Safety Laboratory’s new gas chromatography equipment and a specially developed testing methodology are poised to bring stability and convenience to Western North Carolina’s burgeoning industrial hemp industry.
Mark Cohen presents a workshop on regenerative agriculture
“Healthy soil and the biodiversity that generates and maintains it is key in simultaneously improving food security, watershed health, preventive medicine and climate mitigation,” says farmer, ethnobotanist and educator Mark Cohen.
Inaugural Chow Chow culinary festival sets the table for growth
Organizers reflect on the highs and lows as they consider planning for future events.
Monarch Butterfly Day at The N.C. Arboretum
The Sept. 28 event will offer a milkweed plant sale, children’s educational activities and a monarch gardening workshop for adults.
Environmental groups unite for Climate Justice Rally
Taking place at the Vance Monument from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, the rally brings together 15 area organizations in a call for change. The speaker lineup includes Anita Simha with the North Carolina Poor People’s Campaign, Lucia Ibarra of Dogwood Alliance, the Rev. Scott Hardin-Nieri from the Creation Care Alliance, UNC Asheville Assistant Professor Evan Couzo and Sunrise Movement member Shane McCarthy.
Pollinator advocates rally against neonics-treated plants
Both local and corporate retailers are committing to reduce or eliminate use of the popular but harmful insecticide.
Appetite for Life: Heirloom apples are rich in flavor and history
A simple apple crisp can be an easy, creative way to highlight locally grown fruit.