In many ways, relationships drive the local food system. If you follow the path local food travels from field to fork, you’ll find partnerships built on common goals and mutual trust. Take Foothills Meats and Mountainside Family Farms, for example. Foothills Meats is a butcher shop and restaurant with locations in West Asheville and Black … Read more
It’s Saturday morning in Mills River, North Carolina and we’re standing outside the elementary school. School isn’t in session this weekend, of course, but kids are still learning at the farmers market. Linda Brittain is an organizer of the Mills River Farmers Market. She tells us what kids can expect when they come with their … Read more
It’s a glorious spring morning at Dry Ridge Farm in Mars Hill, North Carolina. The hillsides are lush and green as farmers Graham and Wendy Brugh walk up the gravel path to their new barn. If you perk up your ears, you can hear chickens clucking in the distance. Graham leads the way to the … Read more
The end of the school year is on the horizon and school gardens are flourishing. Many of the vegetables that students planted earlier in the spring are now ready for harvest. As kids eat the kale, carrots, and chard they grew, they’re also nurturing new skills. In honor of this abundant time of year, we’re … Read more
Outdoor farmers markets are starting up across the region, so it’s a good time to revisit the excitement from last year’s opening day of the outdoor Asheville City Market. We’ll take you back to a downtown destination where food and community fill the streets of Asheville, North Carolina. Music from the local band Empire Strikes … Read more
Western North Carolina is on the cusp of spring. The redbud trees are bursting with color and daffodils line the streets of the West Asheville neighborhood. The seasons are changing, which means outdoor farmers markets are right around the corner. A group of farmers is gathered in a parking lot on Haywood Road, ready to … Read more
Spring is here and so are outdoor farmers markets! Farmers across the region are dusting off their tents and getting their products ready. As you grab your shopping bag and jot down your grocery list, take a minute to think about the planning that goes into pulling off a weekly market. Most farmers markets have … Read more
Everyone’s comfort food is different. For some people it’s a big salad filled with farmers market veggies. For others it’s a bowl of chicken and dumplings or a peach pie that reminds you of summer afternoons with family. “You kind of taste with your memory,” says Chef Dan Silo. “It’s more of an emotional experience … Read more
Relationships between farmers and customers are at the crux of the local food system. When people get to know their farmers, they can ask questions about how their food is produced. Talking to farmers is also a way to learn why they choose certain production practices, like why Melissa George of Mountainside Family Farms raises … Read more
Jason Roehrig of Tumbling Shoals Farm in Wilkes County, North Carolina grew up in the Appalachian mountains of Pennsylvania, but it wasn’t until he went to Madagascar that he realized he wanted to be a farmer. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in the early 2000s, helping villages embrace sustainable eucalyptus production. His future wife … Read more