ASAP’s annual Local Food Guide is the definitive resource for finding local food and farms in the Southern Appalachians. In addition to updated listing information for farms, markets, and businesses, each issue features stories from farmers and the local food movement. Find some of those stories below or look for the current print edition at farmers markets, local food businesses, and community centers.
“The farm is just something that we started doing as a hobby, something we wanted to do for ourselves—and it kind of grew into this bigger, wider thing we could share with the community,” says farmer Kaci Nidiffer, who co-owns The Liar’s Table in Elk Park, NC, with her husband, Amos. Back in 2010, when … Read more
“Many Hispanics have a painful relationship with agriculture,” acknowledges Delia Jovel Dubón, co-founder of Tierra Fértil Coop in Henderson County. “A lot of effort has been put into production and profits, with less interest in the protection and care of humans and the environment. We have chosen to farm, but for many Hispanic people, it’s … Read more
For farmers Lyric and Noah, the name Wild East came before the farm. “We were on a hike near Mount Mitchell, this really rocky, ragged ridgetop, and there were wildflowers, animals everywhere,” describes Noah. “It was a moment of pure, Appalachian wildness, and we had this revelation: Why does the west get all the credit … Read more
Gwen Englebach will tell you that she and her farming partner and husband, Jay, are both shy. But talking to customers each week at farmers markets is a vital piece of their business, Black Trumpet Farm, which produces culinary and medicinal mushrooms in Leicester, North Carolina. “Connecting with community is part of our mission, the … Read more
“We need to influence as many people in the world to grow food and start backyard and community gardens,” says farmer Malcolm Banks, who operates Yellow Mountain Garden in Franklin, NC, with his wife, Hannah, and kids Noemi, Malik, and Lucy. “A lot of people don’t understand food right now, but they understand inflation. Our … Read more
Farmer Jake Puckett and his wife, Luna, spent last Christmas up all night caring for a sick calf inside their house. Meanwhile, the temperature plunged, waterlines went down, the tractor broke, and a new batch of ewes all started lambing at once. “There’s a commitment, physically and emotionally, to farming like this,” says Jake. “Death … Read more
“I remember shoveling fish guts, doing the hardest work on the farm,” recalls Wes Eason of Sunburst Trout Farms in Haywood County, NC. “If you’re the owner’s grandkid, you’re not getting the best jobs to start.” Wes is now a co-owner of the third-generation family business, alongside his brother, Ben, and mother, Sally. Sunburst Trout … Read more
“What’s happening now with Dillingham Family Farm is what I hoped would happen—that our children would become more involved,” says Brenda Dillingham. “I can transition out of things and know that the farm will continue on and that the grandchildren will be a part of that one day. That’s really important to me.” The Dillingham … Read more
Shortly after signing the papers on their dream farm property in Hayesville, NC, Salvador and Alyssa Moreno took a walk with their kids, ages six and four. They found what turned out to be an old American hazelnut variety. “I said, ‘I think it’s poisonous and it will definitely kill us,’” laughs Salvador. “But we … Read more
“I’ve just always wanted to farm since I was a child,” says Mike Brown, owner of Farside Farms in Buncombe County, NC. “My grandfather in Virginia farmed, and I guess that’s kind of where I got bitten by the bug when I was little.” Brown has now been farming in Western North Carolina for five … Read more