Tou Lee stands in the middle of a rice field at Lee’s One Fortune Farm in Marion, North Carolina. He pulls on a glove, runs his hand up the stalk and over the tassel, and shakes individual grains of rice into a bucket. Tou and his wife Chue Lee planted this field of rice in … Read more
It’s a stunning fall day at Darnell Farms in Bryson City, North Carolina. The sky is bright blue and autumn leaves light up the mountains, but this idyllic morning is far from calm for the Darnell family. More than 2,000 people came here yesterday for hayrides, pumpkin picking, and other autumn adventures. Afton Roberts was … Read more
It’s the end of the season at M&M Berry Farm in Henderson County, North Carolina. Mike Pack Junior walks through the rows of dormant blackberry bushes at his family’s farm. “What we’re walking through right now are the canes that produced fruit this summer. So we pruned all this stuff out, piled it out in … Read more
What does comfort food mean to you? Is it indulgent, like macaroni and cheese or ice cream? Or is it healthy and wholesome, perhaps chicken soup? Or nostalgic, a family recipe you ate throughout childhood? No matter which, area farmers tailgate markets have the locally grown ingredients for all your comfort food needs.
In the final episode of our Women in Agriculture series, we drive up to Madison County, North Carolina to meet Emily Patrick of Carolina Flowers. On this hot summer day, Patrick is pounding the stakes that will support the flowers as they grow. She’s determined to make the most of every minute on the farm, … Read more
This past week may have ushered in the start of school, but seasonally, summer isn’t over yet. Area farmers tailgate markets are still full of summer fare, though some favorites may disappear soon, so get ‘em while you can.
Area tailgate farmers markets are full of fresh farmed fare, but there’s also wild-harvested finds such as mushrooms to find. Some mushrooms are cultivated much like other produce, for example Shiitakes and Oyster mushrooms, but so many of the most culinarily delectable mushrooms must be foraged for.
ASAP’s Farm Tour is coming up on June 23rd and 24th, and this month on Growing Local we’ll meet some of the farmers on the tour. The self-guided tour features more than 20 farms that produce vegetables, grains, meat, fiber, and much more. All of the farms are intriguing, and some are downright surprising. When … Read more
The rain keeps coming in the Southern Appalachians, but that hasn’t stopped area farmers from bringing a variety of spring harvest to area farmers tailgate markets.
The Moreno family’s farming roots stretch back to Mexico where Salvador Moreno Senior herded goats as a young boy. It was a long journey to Hayesville, North Carolina where he and his family now grow and sell produce under the name SMM Farms. His son, Salvador Junior, shares their farm story. “My dad was the … Read more