Organic Crop Management Series - Planning Your Season
2025-09-22 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Online/Virtual
Organic Crop Management is a FREE webinar series led by local farmers and agricultural resource specialists. Growers will gain the tools to manage soil health, weeds, pests, and diseases for the whole farm. Each session also addresses standards and record-keeping requirements for applying for and maintaining Organic Certification.
Schedule:
All sessions are Monday evenings, September 22 to October 20, from 6:30-8:30 pm EST, with an “in person” finale optional session on October 26:
September 22 – Planning Your Season – De’Anthony Price (Southeast Organic Consultant – Rodale Institute)
September 29 – Organic Weed Management – Chris Peterson (Organic Growers School)
October 6 – Organic Pest Management – Tom Elmore (Thatchmore Farm)
October 13 – Managing & Preventing Plant Diseases – Steven Beltram (Tendwell Farm)
October 20 – Building Healthy Soils – Mary Carroll Dodd (Red Scout Farm)
October 26 – In-person finale/CRAFT Tour @ Red Scout Farm (registration link coming soon)

WNC Seed & Plant Swap
2025-09-25 15:00 - 18:00 | Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver, Asheville, NC, 28801, United States
Join us for the WNC Seed & Plant Swap on Thursday, September 25 from 3–6 PM at the Stephens-Lee Community Center in Asheville! This free, community-building event is the perfect place to connect with fellow gardeners, farmers, and plant lovers. Find seeds, plants, and related products for swap or purchase, and enjoy demonstrations and workshops, inspiring story shares, and plenty of opportunities to learn. Take a tour of the beautiful George Washington Carver Edible Park with Bountiful Cities at 4:30pm, and see a live seed cleaning demonstration from the Utopian Seed Project. Register to attend.
If you are interested in hosting a table for the swap please contact cathy@bountifulcities.org with questions and fill out the GOOGLE FORM on the registration page. Stay tuned for more info on speakers and workshops.
This event is hosted by Bountiful Cities, The City of Asheville, Utopian Seed Project, Appalachian Growers Seed Collective, and sponsored by Southern SARE.

From Helene to Here - to benefit Root Cause Farm
2025-09-25 17:00 - 20:00 | Cultivated Cocktails Distillery and Tavern, 161 Charlotte Hwy, Asheville, NC, 28803, United States
Join us for a community celebration honoring the growth, grit, and generosity that took root after Hurricane Helene.
Root Cause Farm has more than doubled its food distribution, while Patton Allen Real Estate pivoted to serve as a supply hub when the community needed it most. Today, both continue to support a region where recovery, housing, and food access remain deeply interconnected.
Join us for live music by The Saylor Brothers, storytelling, and handcrafted spirits at Cultivated Cocktails. Let’s commemorate where we’ve been—and help sustain the community we’re growing together.

Eliada's 17th Annual Fall Festival & Corn Maze
2025-09-26 15:00 - 2025-11-01 19:00 | Eliada Homes for Children, 2 Compton Dr, Asheville, NC, 28806, United States
Eliada’s biggest annual event of the year! Ring in the Fall season with an Asheville tradition – Eliada’s 8-acre Corn Maze. Enjoy our fall- themed activities from our tractor ride to a fun experience on the jumping pillow, maze, games and more! We collaborate with schools and businesses to offer special opportunities for educational field trips and corporate parties.

Open from Friday, September 26th, through Saturday, November 1st in West Asheville.

Hours are Fridays (3PM – 7PM EST), Saturdays (10AM – 7PM EST), and Sundays (10AM – 6PM EST).

Location: 49 Compton Drive, Asheville, North Carolina 28806

General Tickets: Eliada Fall Festival Ticket

For all things Corn Maze: Fall Festival and Corn Maze – Eliada Homes

Eliada’s Mission & History: https://www.eliada.org/mission-and-history/

Email Inquiries: cornmaze@ELIADA.org
P: (828) 653-1926

Utopian Seed Project - Trial to Table
2025-09-27 16:00 - 19:00 | Addison Farms Vineyard, 4005 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester, NC, 28748, United States
Our September event will be hosted at Addison Vineyard in Leicester, NC, on September 27th, an auspicious day for those in the local region. This is our first time hosting a Trial to Table at this beautiful location, but Chris (Executive Director) and Terri (Culinary Director) know it well. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Addison Vineyard served as an informal meeting ground, offering a respite amidst the chaos.
An incredible group of chef teams and food creators will join us. Each will offer you delicious and creative dishes.
Chefs Camille Cogswell & Casey Ruiz (Walnut Family Bakery)
Chefs Keia Mastriani & Jamie Swafford (Milk Glass Pie & Old North Farm)
Chefs Erica Beneke & Matt Farr (Red Fiddle Vittles)
Chefs Erin O’Keefe & David Toporek (Friends & Neighbors)
Chef Tiffany Schultz (Sorghum Demo Table)
Farmers Leeza Chen & Luanna Nesbitt (Southern Pea Crop Trial Table)
At each event, we strive to offer a variety of vegetable-forward options.
The events are casual and relaxed with a strong focus on food that supports regional sustainability and resilience. Your ticket is an admission ticket that allows you to sample all the fantastic dishes. We generally have a short presentation partway through to highlight our work and enable the chefs to share their passions!

Mushroom Sterile Lab Techniques
2025-09-28 10:00 - 16:00 | The Forest Farmacy, 24 Davis Lane, Marshall, NC, 28753, United States
From Spore to Spawn
Imagine being able to find a wild mushroom then use its spores to create your own spawn. Learning sterile lab techniques allows you to select genetics that are optimized to your bioregion and never have to buy spawn again. You can grow whatever mushrooms you want.

What You Receive

Access to Chris’s 35 years of experience growing and working with mushrooms
Tour of our mushroom cultivation lab, spawn and grow rooms
Understand which equipment you need to set up your own lab
Hands-on experience with sterile lab techniques
Create your own spawn to take home
Learn everything you need to select optimized fungi genetics from your local forest, turn it into a culture and make your own spawn
Decades of Experience

Chris Parker has been growing various kinds of mushrooms for 30 years. He created the Southeast’s premier resource for mushroom cultivation supplies. Chris is also deeply experienced in permaculture, organic gardening, regenerative agriculture and herbal medicine. He has gained all this knowledge from his ancestors, local teachers and through his own study. During this one-day masterclass Chris combines practical demonstrations, hands-on experiential learning, presentations and is available to answer questions about your specific growing situation.

Topics Covered
Facilities Tour
Chris’s brand new mushroom cultivation facilities at the farm show you what’s needed to create a mushroom production facility on any scale. You will receive a tour of the lab, spawn room and grow room and detailed explanations of why it was built and arranged this way.
Equipment
Chris will take you through the major pieces of equipment you need and you’ll get hands on experience using some of it. We can help you with where to source much of it if you are planning on setting up a lab at home.
Lab Techniques
For beginners we will cover the basics, both in theory and practice. For more advanced students Chris will share essential tips and tricks gained from 35 years of cultivation experience.
Spore Prints
Learn how to capture spores from wild mushrooms that you can turn into cultures and spawn to grow more. You are welcome to bring a favorite wild harvested mushroom if you would like to culture it.
Agar Recipes
Learn to make nutrient dense medium for optimal mycelium growth.
Selecting Genetics
Learn how to select strong genetics for optimal growth or other traits.
Spore & Tissue Cultures
Understand the pros and cons of using spores and tissue from wild harvested mushrooms in your mushroom cultivation process.
Petri Plates & Liquid Culture
Learn how to handle petri plates effectively for low contamination rates. Use petri plates to grow out mycelium from spores and tissue and preserve your cultures for continuous production.
Grain & Sawdust Spawn
Using your cultures to inoculate grain and sawdust then how to use that to inoculate bulk substrate and grow mushrooms.

Carolina Mountain Cheese Festival 2025
2025-09-28 11:00 - 17:00 | Oak and Grist Distilling Company, 1556 Grovestone Rd., Black Mountain, NC, 28711, United States
The Carolina Mountain Cheesefest will be returning this September 28th 2025! Tickets for the 2025 Cheesefest will be on sale starting July 21, 2025! Come and enjoy all things cheese related and meet cheese makers and cheese lovers. We hope to see you at Oak and Grist Distilling Company and look forward to re-uniting with our fantastic Cheese Fans as Western North Carolina continues it’s recovery from Hurricane Helene. 2024 tickets will be honored.

OGS Forest Farming Tours: Woodland Botanicals with Eagle Feather Organic Farm
2025-09-28 14:00 - 17:00 | Eagle Feather Organic Farm, 300 Indigo Bunting Lane, Marshall, NC, 28753, United States
Join longtime forest farmer Robert Eidus for a look at how to cultivate and sell woodland botanicals, including wild-simulated ginseng and goldenseal, as well as other popular and abundant understory botanicals. Robert will showcase his woodland botanical plantings and share insights on site selection, propagation, harvesting, and sustainability.

Organic Crop Management Series - Organic Weed Management
2025-09-29 18:30 - 20:30 | NC

Farm Dreams online workshop
2025-09-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Online/Virtual
Are you dreaming of starting your own farm?
Farm Dreams is an entry-level workshop designed for individuals seeking practical, common-sense information on sustainable farming and how to progress. This workshop is ideal for those in the exploratory stages of starting a farm. You will learn about sustainable farming careers in Western North Carolina; discover and assess your resources, skills, and farming intentions; begin to develop an educational plan for farming; connect with regional training opportunities and support networks; prioritize your next steps toward your farming goals; and hear from experienced farmers running successful farms in Southern Appalachia.

A Guide to Groundcover & Privacy Screens
2025-10-03 10:00 - 11:00 | Winding Stair Farm, 57 Saunders Rd., Franklin, NC, 28734, United States
Join Nursery Manager Greg Mason for a free class on groundcovers and privacy screens for Western North Carolina and North Georgia. Learn about plants that stabilize slopes, prevent erosion, and create natural privacy barriers to solve your landscape’s problem areas. FREE!

Identify, Catch & Release: Butterfly Workshop
2025-10-04 10:00 - 11:30 | Winding Stair Farm, 57 Saunders Rd., Franklin, NC, 28734, United States
Jason Love of Highlands Biological Station leads an interactive butterfly workshop for kids and adults alike Participants will explore Winding Stair’s gardens with professional nets, learn identification skills, and may tag Monarchs for national research. Choose-your-price admission ($30-$5).

Organic Crop Management Series - Organic Pest Management
2025-10-06 18:30 - 20:30 | NC

Start your Regenerative Mushroom Farm Webinar
2025-10-08 18:00 - 19:30 | Online/Virtual
Turn farm waste into food, medicine, and profit – while improving your soil and forest health.
Farmers are burning out. The land is breaking down. We need a new way forward.
This Is Your Invitation to Grow Something That Matters
Maybe you are exploring ways to grow your farm’s income while staying true to your values – and caring for your soil.
Perhaps you’re curious about increasing soil fertility, improving forest health, or finding new uses for the waste materials already on your land.
Mushrooms can offer all of this, while providing a profitable, in-demand product that generates health and food sovereignty.
What You’ll Learn in 90 Minutes
1. The Big Picture of Regenerative Mushroom Farming
How mushrooms restore soil, water cycles, and biodiversity
Why fungi are a perfect fit for diversified farms
2. How to Start on a Small Budget
Low-tech, low-cost methods to begin producing mushrooms now
How we started our mushroom business with simple tools and what we use today
3. Market Opportunities in Gourmet & Medicinal Mushrooms
Which mushroom species to start with for quick wins and market demand
Where to sell: from CSA shares and farm stands to chefs and medicinal product lines
4. Turning Mushrooms into Value-Added Products
How to transform your harvest into tinctures, powders, or packaged goods
Legal and labeling considerations for small-scale producers
5. Your Path to Scaling
How to move from small-batch production to a full-scale operation
Infrastructure upgrades that make sense over time

The Fascinating History of the Franklin Tree
2025-10-11 10:00 - 11:30 | Winding Stair Farm, 57 Saunders Rd., Franklin, NC, 28734, United States
Discover America’s rarest native tree as Brent Martin presents on the extinct-in-the-wild Franklinia alatamaha. Learn why this species thrives in our Appalachian climate, with an exclusive first opportunity to purchase Franklin trees following the presentation at a 10% discount. Choose-your-price admission ($30-$5).

COOPERATION IN OUR LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM
2025-10-11 18:30 - 20:00 | West Asheville Library, 942 Hayward Road, Asheville, NC, 28806, United States
Join us for a cultural program in celebration of local food and cooperation! Together we will watch a documentary following the
development of a cooperative local food system in the state of Maine (Local Food in Cooperation, 24 minutes) by Wilder Nicholson, and hear a presentation on food access and growing the local food movement here in Western North Carolina. Presented by the Prout Research Institute and Tierra Fértil Co-op.

Organic Crop Management Series - Managing & Preventing Plant Diseases
2025-10-13 18:30 - 20:30 | NC

Farm to School Training by Growing Minds
2025-10-15 15:30 - 16:45 | Online/Virtual
Interested in incorporating farm to school activities in your classroom, cafeteria, or community? Join the Growing Minds Farm to School Program on October 15, 3:30–4:45 p.m., for a virtual workshop to learn how! All are welcome no matter what age you teach or what your experience with farm to school is. In this virtual training you will:

Gain knowledge about the different components of farm to school
Learn how you can use our resources to support your farm to school goals
Hear insights from farm to school champions in our region
Brainstorm activities that you can start doing with your students

Register here to reserve your spot.

Truffle Microscopy Workshop: Testing your Tree Roots for Colonization
2025-10-18 09:00 - 16:30 | J. Edward Booth Field Learning Lab, 4000 Chi Road, Raleigh, NC, 27603, United States
Join Dr. Inga Meadows and Andy Cooper, with the support of Dr. Jeanine Davis and Katie Learn, for a full-day, hands-on workshop focused on selecting, cleaning, and identifying mycorrhizal colonization on truffle tree roots. Whether you’re a grower, an enthusiast, ready to purchase trees, an extension agent, or a researcher, this is your chance to learn how to determine if truffle tree roots in the orchard or nursery have indication of Tuber spp. using professional lab equipment and guided instruction.
What you’ll learn:
How to clean, prepare, and examine roots
Dissecting microscope training
Identification of Tuber spp. vs. ECM vs. NC morphologies
Using FTA cards to stabilize DNA for lab analysis
Microscopes and all materials (including root tips) will be provided. You may also use this opportunity to bring your own roots and examine them for Tuber spp. colonization.
Root collection and transportation tips will be sent to attendees.
Morning refreshments and lunch will be provided.
Sponsored by the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, NC Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

Elderberry Workshop: Sip, Soothe, and Take Home
2025-10-18 10:00 - 11:30 | Winding Stair Farm, 57 Saunders Rd., Franklin, NC, 28734, United States
Join herbalist Abby Artemisia to explore native elderberry’s medicinal properties and watch a live syrup-making demonstration. The $50 ticket includes a jar of elderberry syrup to take home, plus 10% off same-day elderberry shrub purchases.

Mushroom Cultivation for Beginners
2025-10-18 10:00 - 17:00 | The Forest Farmacy, 24 Davis Lane, Marshall, NC, 28753, United States
Everything you need for mushroom cultivation for beginners.
Always wanted to grow your own mushrooms but not sure where to start? We will guide you through the steps so you can go home and start growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms right away. You will learn how to grow fantastic fungi at home whether you live in a city apartment or in a backwoods yurt. You will learn sustainable cultivation techniques that require very little equipment, produce an abundance of mushrooms and help the rest of your garden grow more fully. And you will go home with a hoard of mushroom goodies to start fruiting out at home.
What you will learn:

How fungus is essential to our ecosystems
Feel confident in low-tech methods to grow gourmet and medicinal mushrooms including: Oysters, Lion’s Mane, Reishi, King Trumpets and Shiitakes
How to make your own spawn from spores you collect
How to grow on wood chips

Take home inoculated wood chips

How to grow on logs

Take home an inoculated log

How to grow on straw

Take home an inoculated straw bag

How to start growing mushrooms at you home no matter where you live
And much more

Chris Parker’s 30 years of mushroom cultivation experience and engaging teaching style will answer all your questions, help you feel confident and inspired to put it all into action when you get home. Our small group sizes ensure you get all your questions answered. We will show you our forest farm indoor and outdoor grow operations so you can start to imagine how to incorporate mushrooms into your home landscape. We include a delicious lunch!

Outdoor Cultivation
Log inoculation (totems, small logs, living rafts, stumps)
Woodchip cultivation – incorporating mushrooms into your landscape
Straw inoculation
Garden mycorrhizal (relationship between your garden and edible
Low-tech Cultivation
Cardboard spawn – from wild culture to cultivated
Spore prints from wild mushrooms
Low-tech, easily acessible, equipment
Low cost home mushroom cultivation set-up

What People Are Saying
“Really fascinating and inspiring! Practiced practical skills. Chris is an amazing educator and source of knowledge.”
“Be ready to drink from a firehose! Tons of great information. You will go home with new skills you can put to use immediately.”
“Chris is an approachable and welcoming expert. I got way more than I anticipated.”
“Chris was incredible in both his knowledge and presentation, only surpassed by his passion.”

OGS Forest Farming Tour: Wild-Simulated Native Understory Herbs with Ben Kitchen
2025-10-19 13:00 - 16:30 | NC
Join Ben Kitchen to see a successful, sustainably-managed forest farm in a rich cove forest in Cherokee County. With decades of experience growing wild-simulated native herbs, Ben will share his techniques and wisdom as we wind through diverse multi-aged understory plantings. Seeds and planting stock may be available for purchase.
Due to parking constraints, we will carpool from the Murphy Ingles at 2060 U.S. 19, Murphy, NC, 28906.

Organic Crop Management Series - Building Healthy Soils
2025-10-20 18:30 - 20:30 | NC

NRCS Practices and Career Pathways Field Day at SAHC Community Farm
2025-10-27 09:00 - 15:30 | SAHC Community Farm, Alexander, NC, 28701, United States
Overview
Producers & youth are invited to explore NRCS conservation practices through a farm tour, expert panels & breakout sessions.
Connect with fellow producers and explore career pathways in conservation agriculture at this comprehensive field day!
Experience hands-on learning through guided tours of NRCS demonstration sites, followed by “Real Talk” discussions with producers, technicians, and contractors. This unique event combines practical farm guidance for producers with career exploration opportunities for youth interested in agriculture and conservation.
What You’ll Experience:
• Guided tour of 5-6 key NRCS demonstration sites showcasing conservation practices
• Farm overview and networking in a comfortable education building setting
• “Real Talk” panel featuring real-world insights
• Targeted breakout sessions: application assistance for producers, career Q&A for youth
• Take-home resource packets and valuable industry contacts
Perfect for:
Agricultural producers seeking NRCS guidance and youth exploring careers in agriculture, conservation, and natural resources.

Climate Resilience Training
2025-10-27 18:30 - 2026-01-05 20:30 | Online/Virtual
This training is primarily geared towards established farms (3+ years in production). Farmers will gain an understanding of how to assess their risk due to changing climate, identify and evaluate opportunities to become more resilient as the climate changes. This training incorporates models for risk assessment currently being used in other regions (Upper Midwest & New England) and adapts them for use based on expected climatic trends in Southern Appalachia.
Experts on Tap, Not On Top:
This is a cohort based training that centers farmer experience and knowledge. Subject area experts, such as agricultural extension agents and technical assistance providers, will be engaged as part of the process to supplement and further contextualize the knowledge that farmers already bring to the table.
Registration: https://share.hsforms.com/1CC3xkZzlQuuJJ8nOoiNF8Qcney9
Scholarships: https://share.hsforms.com/1CC3xkZzlQuuJJ8nOoiNF8Qcney9

WNC Fermenting Festival
2025-11-02 11:00 - 17:00 | Olivette Farm, 215 Old Macedonia Rd, Alexander, NC, 28701, United States
Cultivate Our Community with this uniquely tasteful event to be held from 11:00am to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2nd, at Olivette Farm Stand at 172 Old Macedonia Rd., Alexander NC. FREE to attend, with any donation proceeds benefiting the local food pantry Beacon of Hope Services. Local and regional fermenters will be presenting their products with several hosting free fermenting demonstrations and sharing skills in preparing beneficial food and drinks such as jun, koji, gluten free sourdough, ciders/fruit wines, animal food, chocolates, and vegan cheese. Vendors will share their products, information, and resources on the benefits of eating probiotic rich and locally grown fermented foods. Live printed t-shirts, ceramic artists, farmers, food trucks, local resources and other treasures will be on site. This family friendly event is designed to bring all members of Asheville, greater WNC and surrounding localities together to honor each other and our communities through the support of fermentation, food preservation, farming, and food security.
Farm Tours Will Also be given by Olivette during this time and musical guest Your Friends Band will be joining us again this year!

Learn to Build Your Own Terrarium
2025-11-08 10:00 - 11:30 | Winding Stair Farm, 57 Saunders Rd., Franklin, NC, 28734, United States
Learn to create your own low-maintenance terrarium in this beginner-friendly class that covers everything from proper soil layering and drainage to choosing the right plants for your space. You’ll master the essentials of light, humidity, and plant selection while building a miniature garden from the ground up. Perfect for anyone curious about terrariums but intimidated by the details—Jessica breaks down the science in a way that’s approachable, practical, and fun. No purchase necessary beyond your ticket, but terrarium supplies will be available for sale at the event.
Choose-Your-Price: $5 – $30

Make Your Own Herbal Salve
2025-11-08 14:00 - 15:30 | Winding Stair Farm, 57 Saunders Rd., Franklin, NC, 28734, United States
In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn to create a deeply nourishing, herbal-infused salve using locally available plants. Whether you’re interested in natural remedies, sustainable self-care, or simply looking for a new skill, this class will guide you through every step of the process.
What You’ll Learn:
How to identify and safely forage wild medicinal herbs found in the North Carolina mountains.
The process of storing herbs and making infused herbal oils are foundational skills for herbalism, with many applications in the home and kitchen
The benefits of various healing plants, and how to incorporate them into everyday wellness.
Hands-on experience crafting your own salve—and you’ll take home a jar of your handcrafted remedy!
All materials provided—just bring your curiosity!
Price: $30

Mushroom Log Plugging on the Farm
2025-11-09 11:00 - 13:00 | The Forest Farmacy, 24 Davis Lane, Marshall, NC, 28753, United States
Many mushroom species love to grow on trees naturally. The easiest way to simulate this natural relationship is to inoculate cut logs with mushroom spawn. This is a low-tech, no waste, regenerative way to grow mushrooms and easy enough to do at home.
In this afternoon workshop you will receive:

Access to Chris Parker’s 30 years of experience growing and working with mushrooms
Initial understanding of how mushrooms grow
Overview of how mycelium creates fruiting bodies
Learn how to select optimal logs
Learn which woods suit which mushroom species
Hands-on demonstration of how to plug logs
Hand-on practice plugging a log
Take home a log you have plugged ($25- 30 retail value)

Trial to Table - Live Fire! (Utopian Seed Project)
2025-11-09 13:00 - 16:00 | Hickory Nut Gap Farm, 57 Sugar Hollow Road , Fairview , NC, 28730, United States
Our November ‘Live Fire’ event will be hosted at Hickory Nut Gap Farm on Sunday, November 9th. We’ll be joined by an incredible group of chefs and food creators to offer you some delicious and creative dishes. At each event, we strive to provide a variety of vegetable-forward options.
These events are casual and relaxed with a strong focus on food that supports regional sustainability and resilience. Your ticket is an admission ticket that allows you to sample all the fantastic dishes, beverages, and educational activities. We generally have a short presentation partway through to highlight our work and enable the chefs to share their passions!
Produce
Chefs receive a Utopian Seed Project ‘Pantry List’ of crops and ingredients that we have in storage or in the field. We ask chefs to be inspired (not limited) by these ingredients and supply whatever they select from the list. We will be working with local partners, such as Hickory Nut Gap Meats, to support the chef’s dishes as well.
___________
Check out this fantastic line-up of chefs!
Eric Morris (Foothills Meats)
Paul Pike (Master BBQ)
Brooke Adams (Finest AVL)
Silver Iocovozzi (Neng’s Jr.)
Mallory Foster (The Rhu)
J Chong (J. Chong Eats)
Luis Martinez (Tequio Foods)
Nick Noran (Food Experience)
Chris Cox (Hail Mary)
