Hickory Nut Gap Farm’s “parents” aren’t buying the farm snazzy new clothes and a super cool new backpack, but they are giving it a back-to-school makeover. After all, students will begin arriving for field trips almost as soon as the first bell of 2012-2013. “We’ve been gearing up since June,” shares Amy Ager, a co-owner […]

Not a fan of tomatoes? Then you’ll want to turn the page, as this article is, unabashedly, one giant love letter to the summer staple. “Local tomatoes are the quintessential ingredient to the summer season,” says William Dissen, executive chef and owner of the Market Place. “They’re bright, juicy, sweet and help make any dish […]

It’s summer, the bountiful season. Blueberries, cucumbers, fennel, garlic, onions, potatoes, raspberries, squash, tomatoes — there’s an offering for nearly every letter of the alphabet at area farmers markets right now. Don’t just take our word for it … here’s what administrators of several Asheville tailgates had to say: Carly Esslinger, Oakley Farmers Market (Thursdays): […]

“This should be a great year for berries,” says Walter Harrill of Imladris Farm in Fairview. “A very solid berry year indeed.” That's good news for local food lovers and supporters, who have been worried about the possible impacts to berry production from the late frost, which had devastating effects on WNC's apple crop. “There […]

“We either love what we are doing or we are nuts,” says Zeb Jolley, who owns and operates Jolley Farms, an Appalachian Grown-Certified farm in Canton, with his wife, June. June farms on nights and weekends after her full-time job as greenhouse manager at the North Carolina Arboretum, a position she’s held for the past […]

Greg Carter’s farm isn’t typical. “If you saw my production area, you’d just see stacks of what looks like firewood around my yard,” he says. That’s because his main crop is mushrooms, which he cultivates on hardwood logs — more than 3,000 of them. Oh, and there’s a cave for underground growing, of course. Vistors […]

Radishes get a bad rep. But, they get their name from the Latin word radix, related to the word radical. The crisp root is much more than a medium for culinary students to practice their veggie-carving prowess. Prepared correctly, they pack a big flavor punch — and they’re even more versatile than you think. Radishes […]

yield: 4 cups Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups local radishes, sliced thin   2 Vidalia onions, sliced thin     3 garlic cloves, peeled     1 cup rice wine vinegar   1 cup sugar       3 tsp kosher Salt       1 bay leaf       2 Thai red chilies   […]

“Vineyard work is farming, plain and simple, and weather is always a consideration in agriculture,” says Jeff Frisbee. Frisbee and his family own Addison Farms Vineyard, an Appalachian Grown farm in Leicester. And since Western North Carolina (and much of the rest of the nation) experienced a mild winter this year, all of Addison’s varieties […]

For the first time, ramps, the region’s most beloved early-spring green, are April’s featured food in ASAP’s Get Local initiative. Ramps and other local forest products are now becoming more and more available, but it hasn’t always been that way. “Not long ago, you had to go to the more rural communities to find ramps,” […]

It’s time to choose a CSA, and on March 29, ASAP will host a fair to help. This article is the first in a series of two profiling farmers who will exhibit. This week, we talked with seasoned CSA farmers. Next time, we’ll focus on some of the participating farms new CSAs. A bumpy road […]

Say cheese! The cheese plate is a must when entertaining, a party show-stopper. Some say a perfect platter can only be obtained by adhering to strict standards. Tips include arranging from the mildest flavor to the strongest, choosing a variety of textures and serving at least one familiar cheese. But for Michel Baudouin — who […]