The American chestnut tree’s flavorful nuts were once a vital part of the diets of humans and wildlife alike in Western North Carolina. Its importance is remembered in the traditional foods of the Cherokee, and the nearly extinct tree is slowly making a comeback with the help of some dedicated locals.
The iconic community-owned food market and grocer has announced initial plans to expand its current space on the 60-100 block of Biltmore Avenue and is reaching out to community organizations and the city of Asheville to begin discussions on the possibility of a massive multiuse facility.
With her new book, Asheville farmer, butcher, chef and teacher Meredith Leigh explores what a more humane and ethical food system might look like and examines the crucial role consumers play in efforts to change our foodways.
Often considered a weed, locally prolific lambsquarter is actually a highly nutritious wild edible that we can harvest for free in our own backyards.
Charitable organizations, food pantries and community gardens are working hard to combat hunger in WNC. And at the heart of those efforts, are hundreds of committed volunteers.
The Organic Growers School’s second Harvest Conference on Saturday, Sept. 12, offered 26 workshops focused on fall and winter growing, cooking, fermentation and preservation, self-reliance, herbal medicine and homestead skills.
Amid a hostile legislative climate in Raleigh, innovative, sustainable design and construction are flourishing in Western North Carolina. The WNC Green Building Council was founded in 2001. Since then — and despite an unstable housing market — local interest has grown steadily, says Maggie Leslie.
Annie Martin — or Mossin’ Annie — is a Western North Carolina native, educator, landscape designer, farmer and champion — of mosses. She’s designed moss gardens for the North Carolina Arboretum and the Highland Botanical Station and her book, The Magical World of Moss Gardening, is being published by Timber Press and released this month.
With one in six people in Western North Carolina lacking consistent access to food, MANNA FoodBank and its partner agencies are uniting to host hunger-awareness events and initiatives in September for national Hunger Action Month. MANNA also hopes to wrap up its Space to Erase Hunger capital campaign this month, allowing for crucial expansions to the organization’s capacity that will impact hungry families in 16 counties.
Feasting for FEAST fundraiser will help organizers educate more local youths on the wonders of fresh, homegrown veggies. Meanwhile, Hops & Vines is offering a cider making class, and Thirsty Monk, Table and Wicked Weed have planned specialty food and beer events.
The grounds of Pack Square Park became an expo for healthful living on Sunday, Aug. 30, as the 14th annual Organicfest welcomed participants with a cornucopia of ideas, products and services for the organically oriented lifestyle. Organicfest occupied a large footprint, with vendors and festivities extending from Biltmore Avenue down to the stage at the […]
In a way, upcycling is like the recycling we do with our cans and bottles: It also uses that concept of reusing and reducing waste material — but it’s not exactly cut from the same cloth.
Advocates, activists and concerned citizens gathered at the Stephens-Lee Recreation Center on Friday, July 31, for the Asheville-Buncombe County Food Policy Council’s Meeting of the Whole.
Local farm-to-door produce delivery service Mother Earth Produce won big last night in the the Miller Lite Tap The Future small-business competition semifinals in Atlanta, taking first place among a pool of 30 contestants and bringing home a $20,000 award.
The massive earthquake that rattled Nepal in April left entire villages flattened and hundreds of thousand of people homeless. But here in Asheville, a team of natural builders believe they can help by teaching locals how to build superadobe domes.
The event, now in its fourth year, will take place on Saturday, July 18, and is organized by Velo Girl Rides in partnership with Ingles Markets and Black Mountain Parks and Greenways. A portion of the proceeds from the tour will support the creation of more greenways.
Not only did Dissen amass tales of glacier hikes, bear sightings and filleting salmon minutes after the catch, but the chef also returned to the Market Place with a renewed dedication to inspire his team on the subject of product sourcing.
As more and more people move to the Asheville area, the need for housing is facilitating larger-scale development in traditionally small, isolated and rural communities. But how to approach that development sustainably isn’t always easy to figure out or agree upon.
This week, chef Dissen is traveling to Bristol Bay, Alaska, and he’s agreed to take Xpress’ entire readership along for the ride by sharing updates and photographs of “one of the most sustainable fisheries on the planet.”
A new program from Organic Growers School, WNC FarmLink and Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy called Farm Pathways will combine peer support and land access with a structured curriculum centered around farm production and business.
