WNC Repair Café returns to Living Web Farms

Got a broken toaster or sewing machine? Maybe a lawnmower that won’t crank after its winter hibernation? Check out the WNC Repair Café on Tuesday, April 24 in Hendersonville. At the free event, which is run by the local incarnation of a global network, residents can get help fixing common items, resulting in saving money and keeping repairable objects out of the landfill.

Beneficial insects fight recalcitra­nt garden pests

The fight to protect food crops against destructive insect pests has become more challenging in recent years, Mills River farming expert Patryk Battle reports. Battle and Boone-based insect scientist Richard McDonald will present a March 31 workshop on when and how organic growers should take drastic measures to deal with damaging insect and disease infestations.

Small bites: A No-Meat Wine Pairing Dinner

Metro Wines teams up with Rezaz and local cookbook authors for a vegan-based wine pairing dinner. Also, Living Web Farms and the French Broad Food Co-op host Fermentation Show and Tell, the Hop Ice Cream Café joins the Thomas Wolfe Memorial to celebrate Wolfe’s 117th birthday and White Duck Taco announces Sunday brunch and plans for a new space in the River Arts District.

Communitie­s along Upper French Broad work to restore water quality

In this two-part series, Xpress invites you on a guided a trip down the river as we examine the work of various communities to write the next chapter in the French Broad’s history, beginning with Transylvania and Henderson counties.

Local food resilience programs plan for future disasters

A coalition of local food activists, resilience planners and city of Asheville staffers are asking a hard question: In the event of a major disaster that disrupts the food supply for more than a few days, what will people in Western North Carolina eat? A recent workshop looked for answers to that question and brainstormed strategies for collaborative solutions for securing the region’s food supply in hard times.

Small bites: Habitat Tavern and Commons hosts community potlucks

Bring a dish to Common Table, a monthly potluck at Habitat Tavern and Commons. Also, Green Man Brewing teams up with Verbena Cakes and Catering for a beer pairing dinner, Living Web Farms offers a course on salt, nutritionist Denise Barratt hosts a spring cooking class focused on clean eating and Billy Goat Bikes combines cycling with tacos, gelato and beer.

Regenerati­ve farming offers keys to a sustainabl­e future

Regenerative farming methods that use cover crops and other techniques to build soil fertility and boost the resilience of crops to stresses like drought are taking root in North Carolina. Gabe Brown and Russell Hedrick are among the pioneers in these techniques who will be speaking in WNC in connection with the Organic Growers School’s spring conference and related events.

Organic Growers School’s Spring Conference builds sustainabi­lity, community

The Organic Growers School’s Spring Conference is hardly a new event: The annual gathering of farmers, gardeners, homesteaders and assorted sustainability seekers turns 24 this month. But organizers say those attending this year’s edition, whether they’re newbies or longtime conference regulars, will surely dig up some novel information.