ASAP - Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

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ASAP - Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project ASAP’s mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food.

It’s October, it’s peak apple season, and it’s National Farm to School Month! As the weather turns, we, too, turn to coz...
10/09/2026

It’s October, it’s peak apple season, and it’s National Farm to School Month! As the weather turns, we, too, turn to cozy and warming tastes and textures. Apples are a perfect fall crop that emotes those quintessential feelings of the fall season. Versatile, crisp, and nostalgic, apples are ready for you to CRUNCH after a long season of growing, ripening, and surviving late frosts.

Try out these apple recipe ideas in this week's roundup of What's Fresh at Buncombe County farmers tailgate markets at asapconnections.org.

Please note that due to inclement weather the follow markets are CLOSED tomorrow:
Asheville City Market
Black Mountain Tailgate Market
We are still waiting to hear from North Asheville Tailgate Market and will update this post when we learn more.

If you need local produce this weekend, visit East Asheville Tailgate Market today until 6pm or head to the WNC Farmers Market.

Not in Buncombe? Search for markets across the region at appalachiangrown.org.

Congratulations to our Farm Tour photo contest winners! And thank you to everyone who submitted photos. We love getting ...
10/08/2026

Congratulations to our Farm Tour photo contest winners! And thank you to everyone who submitted photos. We love getting to see so many different Farm Tour experiences. All these submissions made it really hard for our team to choose just six, but here's our best lot.

1) Ginger at Smallholding Farm by Sam Bennett
2) Alpaca with kiddo at Durrant Farms by Dawn Nantz
3) Butterfly with produce at Lee's One Fortune Farm by Vinny Bonanno
4) Flowers at The Never Ending Flower Farm by Tara Spencer
5) Landscape views at The Ten Acre Garden by Chelsea Mayes
6) BBQ chef by sunset at Big Ivy Beef by Courtney Chrisman

10/05/2026

What’s in season? 🍎 🍏 October is officially NC Crunch Month! As part of the statewide celebration of (NC Farm to School), students across our elementary schools will be crunching into NC-grown crisp, deliciousness!

It’s also a perfect opportunity to thank our farmers, farm workers, distributors, nutrition teams, educators, garden coordinators, and transportation staff—who all help to make it possible. 💚

Check out these great resources:
👉 https://growing-minds.org/north-carolina-crunch/
ASAP - Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (IG: )
NC Farm Bureau "Ag in the Classroom" (IG: )

October kicks off National Farm to School Month (and in North Carolina, Farm to School and Early Care and Education Mont...
10/05/2026

October kicks off National Farm to School Month (and in North Carolina, Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month). Farm to School Month means celebrating all the local food and farm connections in the classroom. One way to engage your students is the North Carolina Crunch! Crunch into a local fruit or veggie (an apple or anything else that makes a crunch) at noon on October 21 or another day during the month of October.
Register your event to get additional resources, including an NC Crunch guide, logo, flyer template, sticker template, social media graphics, selfie photo frame, promo video, and more at growing-minds.org. No event is too small to register and you can skip the questions for schools if your event will not be held in a school. Post pictures of your Crunch activity on social media with the hashtags and !
NC Crunch is co-sponsored by the NC Farm to Preschool Network and Farm to School Coalition of NC.

It’s Farm to School Month! On Saturday, October 17, ASAP’s Growing Minds team invites you to celebrate at Asheville City...
10/05/2026

It’s Farm to School Month! On Saturday, October 17, ASAP’s Growing Minds team invites you to celebrate at Asheville City Market. The market is open 9 a.m to 12 p.m.

Come get resources, ask questions, and receive a $5 token to shop the market! ASAP’s Growing Minds team is here to help you find ways to incorporate farm to school into your classrooms. Find them near the market info booth!

Please bring your school ID to recieve a $5 token.

Find more resources at growing-minds.org.

October feels like a month of whimsy, appreciation, wonder, and creativity. It’s a time to adorn our homes with pumpkins...
10/02/2026

October feels like a month of whimsy, appreciation, wonder, and creativity. It’s a time to adorn our homes with pumpkins from this year’s harvest, wreaths made from the flower garden, drying corn husks, and garlands of wax-dipped autumn leaves. (A little seasonal creativity can help keep plastic decorations out of the landfill!) 🍂🎃

As we welcome the changing season, there’s so much to look forward to at Buncombe County farmers markets this week. Think colorful gourds, hearty squash, pumpkins, potatoes, and all the delicious possibilities that come with them. Pumpkin risotto, butternut squash soup, spaghetti squash with marinara and parmesan, roasted acorn squash and beet salad, sweet potato brownies…the possibilities are endless! 🍠🍠

Check out asapconnections.org for the full sweet potato brownie recipe in this weeks Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week.

Not in Buncombe? Search for markets across the region at appalachiangrown.org.

Harvesting photo taken at .

It's officially October which means that it's also National Farm to School Month (and in North Carolina, Farm to School ...
10/01/2026

It's officially October which means that it's also National Farm to School Month (and in North Carolina, Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month). Farm to School Month means celebrating all the local food and farm connections in the classroom. One way to engage your students is the North Carolina Crunch! Crunch into a local fruit or veggie (an apple or anything else that makes a crunch) at noon on October 21 or another day during the month of October.

Register your event to get additional resources, including an NC Crunch guide, logo, flyer template, sticker template, social media graphics, selfie photo frame, promo video, and more at growing-minds.org. No event is too small to register and you can skip the questions for schools if your event will not be held in a school. Post pictures of your Crunch activity on social media with the hashtags and !

NC Crunch is co-sponsored by the NC Farm to Preschool Network and Farm to School Coalition of NC.

Turkey time, already?! Yes, you can have a locally raised turkey for your holiday meal! Supplies are limited and farms u...
09/30/2026

Turkey time, already?! Yes, you can have a locally raised turkey for your holiday meal! Supplies are limited and farms usually sell out quickly, so now is the time to pre-order your turkey. We checked in with farms and have a list with pre-order availability on our website at asapconnections.org. We will keep this list updated with availability over the next few weeks as much as possible.

Photo courtesy of Wild East Farm.

In 2025-2026, the North Carolina (NC) Farm to Preschool Network conducted an assessment to determine the most effective ...
09/29/2026

In 2025-2026, the North Carolina (NC) Farm to Preschool Network conducted an assessment to determine the most effective design of a local food purchasing incentive (LFPI) program to support Farm to Early Care & Education (ECE) across the state. Through surveys with ECE providers and interviews with food hubs, state agencies, and other states with LFPI programs, the Network recommends a model where funding is directed to regional organizations, which then administer upfront funds to food hubs and farmers to supply ECE programs with local food. This design would reduce cost barriers for ECEs and deliver a triple bottom line benefit to children, farmers, and local communities.

Check out the full report, executive summary, and infographic at growing-minds.org/nc-farm-to-preschool-network/ under Publications.

Address

306 W Haywood Street
Asheville, NC
28801

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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