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.
Faces in the crowd: WNC crowdfunding initiatives
Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. This week features a photo book capturing Hickory Nut Gap Farm’s storied past and present, a “Barnraiser” to help the farm build a kitchen and butchery on-site and a mobile app for mental wellness information hub MindPod Network.
Wings of Life documentary explores the lives of pollinators
In its continuing recognition of Asheville’s Pollination Celebration week, Bee City USA hosted a screening of Disneynature’s Wings of Life at the Fine Art Theatre on Thursday, June 19. The screening, which served as a benefit for Bee City USA, offered attendees a chance to understand the mysteries of pollination as told from the perspective of several types of flowers.
Living lettuce: L.O.T.U.S. Urban Farm and Garden Supply
L.O.T.U.S. Urban Farm and Garden Supply does everything from greenhouse equipment sales to beehive removal. But the jewel of the business is its aquaponics system.
Author Mark Winston draws connections between humans and bees
As part of Bee City U.S.A.’s pollinator week events, author, biologist and beekeeper Mark Winston gave a presentation called “Value or Values? Audacious Ideas for the Future of Beekeeping.”
The slaughterhouse debate: Will WNC farmers get a local meat processing plant?
Western North Carolina farmers have repeatedly called for a new slaughterhouse and red meat processing plant that meets current needs. But the high cost of such facilities and uncertainty concerning its economic feasibility have hindered efforts to establish one here.
Asheville Bee Charmer supports Pollination Celebration with honey-tasting event
Asheville Bee Charmer’s Pollination Celebration event, the Around the World Honey Tasting on Monday, June 15, is focused on honeycentric fun, education and raising money for Bee City USA.
Pollinator week creates a buzz for the bees
Bee City USA will host its third annual Pollinator Celebration, a week of pollinator-centric events — held from Thursday, June 11, until Sunday, June 21 — designed to invite the public into the world of pollinators. The Asheville celebration aligns with National Pollinator Week sponsored by the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign.
Master Gardeners’ 2015 tour focuses on education
Buncombe County extension of the Master Gardeners team up with Enka High School and several residential gardeners in the Biltmore Lake and Candler areas to educate the public on how to maintain a garden through scenic garden tours.
In photos: Carnivorous plants draw in new crowds at the N.C. Arboretum
The nationally traveling exhibit Savage Gardens, the newest attraction at The North Carolina Arboretum, opened up on Memorial Day weekend and has been inviting visitors to explore an up-close view of carnivorous plants.
Firefly Gathering teaches primitive skills as a culturally transformative experience
This year’s Firefly Gathering, being held June 25-28 in Barnardsville, aims to take its transformation potential a step further, putting cultural transformation at the forefront. The gathering, now in its eighth year, has always been geared toward changing participants’ lives through a variety of classes based on radical ideas and concepts, but this summer, directors are working to make that goal explicit instead of implicit.
Celebrate land preservation on Land Trust Day, this June 6
Conservation groups like the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy need the support of residents and local businesses in order to achieve their work. Building on this co-dependence, the nonprofit will hold its annual “Land Trust Day” celebration Saturday, June 6.
Articulture turns farmsteads into outdoor galleries
This Sunday, May 31, local artists and farmers will come together at Articulture’s first annual Art & Farm Tour. Art will be displayed in all different types of outdoor settings to give attendees a completely different experience than that of the normal “white wall gallery.”
U Grow program provides hands-on approach to food security
U Grow, a partnership between Bounty & Soul and Eat Smart Black Mountain, offers a hand-to-mouth approach to food security by encouraging families and individuals to grow their own food.
Harvesting serenity: First Step Farms uses agriculture to overcome addiction
First Step Farms WNC is two farmsteads, both located on historic farmland in Candler. One site grows vegetable starts for small farms; the other grows flowers for weddings and school graduations. But the farms’ primary purpose goes beyond agriculture — the two sites are home to a substance abuse recovery program that uses farming to restore self-confidence in recovering addicts.
Spring spears: Fairview’s Cane Creek Asparagus & Co.
It started with a dare in the blizzard of ’93. Robert Ploeger’s father was having a hard time growing asparagus, and Robert said, “I’ll bet you I can grow it.” That winter, he and wife, Glenda Ploeger, co-owners of Cane Creek Asparagus & Co., started what would become their first three rows of asparagus in the greenhouse attached to their Fairview home.
The zero-waste kitchen: Ideas for honoring the true value of food
What we often cull, throw away or compost can be the building blocks for new recipes, offering an infusion of flavor to many meals to come. And something deeper happens when we repurpose our scraps: a change of perspective.
On a mission: Getting to the root of what veterans in transition need
Transitioning from the mission-driven military to ordinary civilian life is often when vets slip into unemployment, depression or homelessness. But two farming programs in WNC are working to give veterans a connection to the land, to their community and to a sense of purpose that so many seek.
In photos: The 26th Annual Spring Herb Festival
The Spring Herb Festival returns to the Western North Carolina Farmers Market this weekend. The festival brings together over 60 growers and vendors offering locally grown herbs or herbal products including soaps, oils, extracts, tinctures and more.
Backyard chicken keeping not as easy as it’s cracked up to be
Recent relaxing of city restrictions mean Asheville is “chickening” like never before. But many would be chicken-keeepers don’t realize the birds stop producing eggs early in their life, yet still require care and attention to survive. As the interest in backyard chicken keeping raises so do the number of abandoned and neglected animals.
Native pollinator meadows to open at UNCA
This season, UNC Asheville is doing its part to protect honey bees and other important pollinators by planting several new native pollinator meadows throughout the campus. The meadows have been funded by the Burt’s Bees Greater Good Foundation, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership and grants from Bee City USA.