Food Life

SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

1

2

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

3

first look / issue 01

summer 2014

cover photos by Tiffany Welsh

★ design by adalee elkins

14

16

12 featured 11 s t orm rhu m b a r & b is t ro Get to know Executive Chef Owen McGlynn

12 Lo c a l b y Des i gn Katuah Market’s business structure puts local first

18 Sh a d y P l a c e Fa r m Something delicious is grazing in the pastures of this multigenerational farm in Leicester

24

33 h e a lth y h arv est n at ur a l fo o ds Get to know the owner, Stella Godwin

in every issue 15 u- p i c k fa r m s All about raspberries

19 fa r m e r s ’ Mar ket All about summer squash

22 Q& A Get to know Sherri Brooks Vinton

healthy living 8

25 Sow What?

A guide to planting and harvesting in the Southern Appalachians

20 Lo cal Meal P lan n i n g Kimberly Kirstein provides insight on how CSAs can become the inspiration for your weekly meals

26 Gr o wi n g Mi n ds @ Mar keT ASAP’s summer activity series for kids is back this summer

q ui c k ti ps 10 tips for shopping local markets

the guide

32

34

P lan ti n g Ahea d fo r Ho n eyb ees Betty Sharpless shares the benefits of planting bee friendly gardens

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

31

C a l e n d a r o f Ev en ts Find out what’s going on in WNC this summer

17 Home ste ad Kristina Urquhart shares her experiences with chicken predators on the homefront

Hyper - Lo cal Fo o d Get to know rooftop agriculture specialist, Lauren Mandel

Nor t h R iv er Fa r m s The Davis family’s passion for agriculture and family values helped grow their success

S m ok ing J’ s Fiery Food s A hobby of making homemade hot sauces quickly turned into a thriving entrepreneurial endeavor for the Mowreys 4

8

Back yard Chi ck e ns 101 Carrie Harder shares some basic info about raising and keeping chickens

14

27 Ea sy to Grow He rbs Betty Sharpless suggests starting with the basics

28 co ld be rry de sse r ts Tiffany Welsh has 4 refreshing treats that are sure to cool you off this summer

28

SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

5

JeanAnn Taylor and Tiffany Welsh

Letter from the Editors We are proud to be a part of the first publication in WNC focused on farm to table living: flowers supporting bees, which pollinate fruits and vegetables for farmers to sell to restaurants, grocers and consumers - everything working together to build a food community.

Western NC was not the starting point for the local food movement, but we are certainly leading the way. With significantly higher than average number of farms per capita, we live in an area where locally grown food is abundant.

Thanks to the work of organizations, like ASAP, grocers, like Katuah Market (p.12), and countless local farmers, we have the freshest and healthiest food right outside our doors. We are in agreement with author Sherri Brooks Vinton (p.22) in hoping the fad of shipping our dinners halfway across the world is a passing one.

Not only do we have access to all of this wonderful food, but we are able to support our neighbors in their farming endeavors while enjoying it. So pull up a chair and dig in y’all!

6

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

Publisher Vincent Grassia Editors Tiffany Welsh JeanAnn Taylor Art Director Adalee Elkins Production Manager Lisa Gallagher Creative Services Specialists debi manfre Randy Whittington Contributors Betty Sharpless Carrie Harder Kimberly Kirstein Kristina Urquhart Lauren Mandel Maggie Cramer Proofing Diva karen shepard Director of Advertising Patricia Martin Betts Advertising Consultants Jennifer LeBlanc Kimberly White LuAnne Sheffield Maggie Leftwich Meg Hale Brunton pam hensley Rick Jenkins Rose Lunsford Teri Reedy Distribution Manager Mark Graham S oph i e Magaz i ne 22 Gar f ie ld S t re e t, S u it e 1 0 0 As h e vill e , NC 2 8 8 1 3 8 2 8 .2 1 0 .0 3 4 0 Food Life, a publication of Sophie Magazine, has accepted contributions which may not reflect the opinion of the publisher. No portion of Food Life may be reproduced without permission of the publisher.

SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

7

healthy living /

hyper-local food Implementing Rooftop Agriculture

by Lauren Mandel, MLA, ASLA

S

trolling through the fluorescentlit aisles of my local market I peruse the fine print on the packaged produce: vine-ripened tomatoes from California, organic Mexicangrown avocados, pesticide-free Idaho potatoes. Disillusioned by the noticeable lack of “local,� I leave my basket and walk out the door. uncommon ground in Chicago 8

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

Now let’s get one thing straight. I love to eat. There’s nothing better than a delicious home-cooked dinner with friends and a few bottles of red. Any chef worth her weight in beans, though, will tell you that the secret to a delicious meal is fresh ingredients. Freshly harvested fruits and veggies bring intense flavors, crisp textures, and plentiful nutrients. These prized qualities decline in many types of produce after harvest, which means that if you want fresh, you better buy local.

In Philadelphia – where I work as a landscape architect and green roof designer – local is fairly easy to find. Farm-tofork restaurants, accessible CSAs, and a strong farmers’ market scene means that urbanites in my city know the taste of good food. In recent years, the quest for local has inspired many Philadelphians to take it up a notch by growing their own food; an idea that harks back to the victory gardens of World Wars I and II, but with a modern twist. Back yards, front stoops, fire escapes, windowsills, and community gardens provide the space today’s urban gardeners need to cultivate freshness.

GRAZE THE ROOF in San Francisco

But what if you don’t have a yard or a community garden plot? What if your fire escape doesn’t get enough sun to grow your beloved eggplant? Urbanites across North America have converged on a creative solution to this common predicament: rooftop agriculture.

This hyper-local food movement is gaining momentum as urban gardeners and farmers realize the potential of the empty acres above us.

Rooftop agriculture allows food to travel 50 feet rather than 50 miles, or 500 miles!

The movement provides an avenue for homeowners, students, restaurateurs, and urban farmers to grow their own fresh, delicious food close to home while repurposing underutilized space and getting a little sun-kissed exercise. Cities like Philadelphia, New York, Toronto, and Portland, applaud rooftop agriculture for its ability to manage storm-water runoff.

urban apiaries in Philadelphia

eagle street rooftop farm in Brooklyn SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

9

sand residence in Philadelphia

Alarcon Residence in Philadelphia

During the past four years, I traveled around North America visiting rooftop gardens and farms and meeting the inspiring growers behind each skyline gem. I spoke with women and men, kids as young as four, and people of all ethnicities who are invested in rooftop agriculture, each for a different reason. Whether growing rooftop crops in containers,

raised beds, a row farm, or greenhouse, one thing is clear: rooftop agriculture reconnects us with our food.

This message of reconnection rings true at Graze the Roof, where neighborhood kids learn about gardening and healthy eating atop a church roof in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. The message is clear at Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Brooklyn, where volunteers reach deeply into the soil. The message speaks magnitudes at Lufa Farms, which provides Montreal residents with year-round, local produce from hydroponic rooftop farms. The message may resonate with you, as you harvest perfectly ripened fruits from your own rooftop garden.

Now is the time to reconnect with our food. Whether this means buying local or growing your own, remember that you can make a difference while enjoying the taste of freshness. Bon appétit!

Lauren Mandel is a project manager

Debbiemandel Zach Cohen lauren photoPhotography

by Debbie Zach Cohen Photography 10

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

and rooftop agriculture specialist at the Philadelphia-based green roof firm Roofmeadow and founder of EAT UP, LLC. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from Skidmore College. Lauren authored “EAT UP | the inside scoop on rooftop agriculture” (New Society Publishers, 2013), the first full-length book about rooftop food production. She is a contributing writer for Urban Farm and Grid magazines and blogs about rooftop agriculture at eatupag.com. Lauren previously worked as a US Forest Service Wilderness Ranger in Linville Gorge Wilderness, NC.

restaurant /

Storm Rhum Bar & Bistro Local farmers and foragers round out the fare at Storm most days by coming to the kitchen door with their bounty.

by Chef Owen McGlynn

E

xecutive Chef Owen McGlynn loves the challenge of adding the fresh flavors and textures that are necessary to create the complex, yet simple dishes which have become Storm’s signature.

Generating a satisfying taste explosion is one of the many features of restaurant life which fuels his inventiveness, especially when he uses these ingredients, along with his wide-ranging knowledge of flavor profiles, to combine to create a special plate.

Hailing from culinary school at Johnson & Wales in Charleston, where he went to school and worked full-time, Chef McGlynn is no stranger to long hours in the kitchen. Spending twelve years in Charleston, ending at High Cotton, he moved to the upstate in Greenville for five years. It was from there that he was tapped to open STORM RHUM BAR & BISTRO in Asheville, and he has never looked back.

His skills in butchery, using an entire cow, lamb, fish or even goats and rabbits sourced from local farmers, allow him to creatively use each part of the animal in different offerings. Breaking down

advertisement

a pig, for example, can mean pork chops, shoulder or belly, or pork tacos on the late-night menu.

This resourcefulness leads to almost no waste.

Yet another passion of McGlynn’s is the ancient traditional art of charcuterie, the preparation and curing of meats prior to the invention of refrigeration.

The charcuterie plate at Storm, while varying in its selections, has remained a permanent fixture on the menu since they opened three years ago.

The atmosphere inside Storm, reminiscent of a world traveler’s den, results in a comfortable, vintage style which is matched by the food and drink. Craft and classic cocktails, rum flights and cordials, along with ample wine and beer selections, are served at the long, curved bar, which welcomes guests who can also order from the full food menu. Here McGlynn comes full circle in his use of fresh ingredients, whether it’s the ginger mixed with simple syrup for the Perfect Storm mojito, the local honey in the Brown Derby or the mint grown on the outside patio, muddled for the Purple Haze.

SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

11

Katuah Market’s unique business structure puts local first

by Maggie Cramer

photographs by Kirsten Fuchs

Fresh produce, meats, cheeses, beverages, recycled paper towels, soaps and supplements: To be sure, six-month-old Katuah Market in Biltmore Village has all the trappings of the average natural foods store, or a typical supermarket for that matter. It’s what you don’t see that founder and CEO John Swann says really sets them apart from the big grocery guys—starting with a reason d’être.

“Core to what they are is making profit for the next quarterly Wall Street report; that’s what drives those companies,” Swann says. “What drives this company is our dedication to the local food economy and to the agriculture and development of this area.”

In order to deliver on the mission of local first, Swann started building a unique, unchained business structure before the first shelf even went up in the space—one accommodating to the small local farmers and producers who would be Katuah’s supply chain. First, he recruited expert department managers excited to hop on board with the company’s core value. Then, he created a buying system that put the power in their hands.

Decisions, Decisions “Our decision making is all made right here in this store, mostly on the floor,” shares Swann. Buyers have almost complete free reign 12

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

as to what they purchase, they’re given permission to make choices on the fly, and they’re encouraged to be flexible with their criteria; in other words, they can do business on local producers’ terms and not demand suppliers do business on theirs.

“We really have virtually no barriers to sell here,” notes Produce Manager Bridget Kennedy, who says she can often get a local farmer’s product out to customers a day or two after talking with them—an impossible turn-around time for corporate stores where buying offices and managers may be cities away.

What’s more, she says, she can work with extremely small producers who may only be able to sell her something once or twice a year when they have a bumper crop and need the help. “I can integrate their product right into my system and then pick up from a distributor where I left off with them.” Kennedy helps in other ways, too, using her background as a program director for the local food

LOCAL BY THE NUMBERS

john swann, owner nonprofit ASAP to help educate farmers about selling wholesale to a retailer. “I put as much time toward that component as I do the conversation of what do you have, how much are you selling it for, how much can I get, and when can you deliver.”

Local Defined: Bonafide Not Certified Just because they break down barriers for farmers and producers doesn’t mean Katuah’s buyers let anything and everything go when it comes to the products. All follow a strict set of standards regarding location origin and ingredients (they have a list of nearly 300 ingredients they won’t carry).

“We’re always looking at how we can minimize the distance a product has traveled and are making sure the quality is where we need it to be,” says Swann.

That means starting, of course, by sourcing locally. Katuah uses ASAP’s definition of local: Appalachian Grown™, coming from within a 60-county area in the Southern Appalachians of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia.

If buyers can’t get something locally, they look to the next best option of the close region and then on to the entire Southeast, barring pineapples, coffee, and the like which have to come from far off. “We’re not strictly local,” explains Swann, “but we’re dedicated to it, and if we have a local option, that’s what we’re going to take.”

Team members are also committed to sourcing organically whenever possible.

However, they know small local producers can’t always take on the process of organic certification. Swann says often the decision comes down to what he calls choosing “bonafide not certified.”

“It’s important to our customers, as much as being certified, that they know where the product is coming from. That there’s integrity in the supply chain.” Although a product from another country may be certified organic, there’s no way to know exactly how it was grown, he emphasizes.

When a product is local, shoppers can talk with its grower or maker at area tailgate markets, and Katuah’s buyers are able to know their story. Kennedy says, “I let the producers tell me the truth about how their products are grown.” She draws out as much information as possible so that if shoppers have questions, she has a long narrative to tell. To be fair, some of the store’s sourcing standards can be seen; look for product signage containing location details and information about growing practices.

The take home message, Swann and Kennedy underscore, is that customers can have confidence in the products on the shelves, in the deli cases, and on the salad and hot bar. Confidence that the store’s rare structure allows for truth and transparency in its offerings.

In produce: Manager Bridget Kennedy worked with around 10 local farms this winter and spring. Now that summer’s coming on, she expects that number to climb to 40.

In grocery: When it comes to packaged products like jams and sauces, Katuah stocks selections from upwards of 50 local producers.

In meat: The case is packed with bacon, chicken, sausages, and steaks from nearly a dozen farms, making 90% of its offerings local.

In cheese: Find options including spreads and curds from about cheesemakers.

10 local

“We’ve done our homework,” stresses Swann. “They can count on us buyers to do the pre-screening of products for them,” echoes Kennedy, who hopes customers say: I know I can go to Katuah, and I don’t have to over think it.

Katuah Market is located at 2 Hendersonville Road in Asheville.

Visit them online at katuahmarket.com.

SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

13

the guide /

honey bees planting ahead for

by betty sharpless

Honeybees are an indicator species. What does that mean? It means that if the honeybee population keeps mysteriously declining, the human race will be right behind them, dying of starvation. No honeybees for pollination, no food. Fortunately everyone can make it easier for the honeybees to thrive, just by planting more flowers and using fewer chemicals. In fact, improving the honeybee’s life will improve yours at the same time.

H

oneybees are active from very early in the spring until late fall, gathering pollen to keep the hive happy and healthy through the winter. The honey that we love to spread on our toast is the “extra” produced by this effort. When you are planting a garden or even an empty roadside or field for the bees, you want to make sure your “all you can carry” pollen restaurant is open for business from early spring until the first frost in the fall.

The earliest pollen for bees comes from trees and shrubs. Early blooming trees such as serviceberry and redbud are a good source of pollen. In fact, filling your environment with flowering trees like the tulip poplar, sourwood and fruiting trees is a wonderful gift to our environment. Early blooming shrubs such as honeysuckle bush and mahonia are also a favorite of spring bees.

By the time the mahonias have bloomed out it is warm enough for the flower garden to pitch in to fill the bee tasting menu.

An easy addition to roadside or fields is to add plenty of pink or scarlet clover for an early and prolific bloom. Add Queen Anne’s lace, purple coneflower and black-eyed Susans and you

14

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

have a year long source of pollen and lovely bouquets for your home. I also am fond of bee balm, in several colors, crocosmia (a hummingbird favorite as well) and members of the hollyhock family. Add in easy to grow annuals like larkspur, love-in-a-mist and poppies, and you have both year round color and year round bee food. The best thing about all of these plants is that they are easy to grow. Just get them started and stand back.

Now that Asheville is an official Bee City, it’s time for all of us to plant every open empty space with as many bee foods as possible.

Remember, the bee life you are saving may save a child’s life in the next generation. Do we need more of an excuse than that?

Come to think of it, do we really need an excuse to plant more flowers? I don’t! betty sharpless is a professional free-lance gardener who uses her job as an excuse to “test” new perennials in her own bee friendly garden…

U-PICK FA R M S

Raspberries

Pick berries fresh from the plant available at over 40 local u-pick farms:

in season: July - August Raspberries belong to the rose (Rosaceae) family of plants,

Wright-Way Nursery and Landscaping Waynesville, NC • 828-507-5176

which houses some of the world’s most beloved fruits including

Queens Produce and Berry Farm

apples, apricots, blackberries, cherries, loquats, peaches, pears,

Pisgah Forest, NC • 828-884-5121

plums, and strawberries. Among U.S. consumers, raspberries are the third most popular berry and follow right after strawberries

Austin Family Farm

and blueberries.

Burnsville, NC • 828-682-4544

The diversity of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients in raspberries is truly remarkable, and few

Hickory Nut Gap Farm

commonly eaten fruits are able to provide us with greater

Fairview, NC • 828-628-1027

diversity. Raspberries help lower our risk of chronic diseases including: obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and

Zimmerman’s Berry Farm

arteriosclerosis.

Marshall, NC • 828-656-2056

Purchase berries at full maturity, keep them refrigerated at all times and consume them within 1 to 2 days.

For additional u-pick farm listings, pickup an ASAP Local Food Guide or visit appalachiangrown.org

SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

15

the guide /

by CARRIE HARDER ★ photos by Tiffany Welsh

backyard chickens 101

With more and more urban areas allowing citizens to raise chickens for eggs, there has been an explosion of backyard chickens. Chances are, you know someone who has their own little flock. Here is some basic info about raising and keeping chickens.

in and provide safety from predators (hawks, raccoons, cats, etc.) Coops can be bought commercially, DIY projects, or something you cobble together from scraps (how about that old doghouse you’re not using anymore?)

Whichever kind you choose, make sure that you will be able to clean it without too much trouble. Rule of thumb is to allow about 3-4 square feet per chicken inside the henhouse and 10 sq/ft per chicken in an outside run.

Getting Started Chicks Or Hens?

What Do Chickens Eat? Common chickens are

First you’ll need to decide what type of chickens you’re going to raise - there are lots of varieties! Next, you’ll decide if you’re going to raise them from chicks (requires a brooder for about 5-8 weeks until they develop feathers) or start with full-sized hens that can be let outside right away.

What Kind Of Coop? Even if your chickens are going to range free, they’ll need to have a coop to roost 16

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

descendents of an omnivorous Asian jungle bird that fed on bugs, snakes, fruit, seeds, greenery, and small rodents.

So chickens will eat pretty much anything! That said, you’ll want to provide your flock with a good balanced commercial feed and then treat them to your scraps including bones, veggies, fruits and more. Your yard will hopefully provide some seed and bugs, but be sure to include some grit (which chickens use in their

gizzards to grind up grains, seeds, and bugs) and a calcium source, like oyster shell.

What About Cold Weather? With colder than usual temperatures this year, you might wonder what to do to keep chickens warm.

Chickens actually do better in the cold than extreme heat.

Just be sure to cut off any drafts by closing windows and doors, but be sure to leave some ventilation to prevent moisture build up, which could lead to frostbite. You may also want to supplement with plenty of cracked corn and other foods that will up their metabolism and help keep them comfortable.

Ok, What About Hot Weather? As mentioned, chickens have more problems in hot weather than in cold. Heat stroke, heat-induced stress and death can result when a chicken is overheated. There are plenty of things you can do to help keep your birds cool. First, make sure they have plenty

tip Temperatures, feed and stress can all factor into egg production. A healthy flock will typically produce one egg per hen every 1-2 days in warmer months. of shady spaces to rest in.

You may want to put a fan in their coop or a shady spot to circulate the hot air. Some have found their chickens enjoy a sprinkler or kiddie pool when the mercury rises.

You can also freeze milk jugs full of water to give them something cool to sit next to, and you may want to add ice to their water too. Also be sure to provide a spot where they can dig in the dirt and take dust baths to cool down.

Chickens and the garden. Chickens can complement your garden in many ways! Their droppings make an excellent composting fertilizer and they are great for keeping garden pests at bay. You’ll want to be careful to block off areas that they may trample if given

Sip, Dine, Explore IN ONE OF THE NATION’S TOP CULINARY DESTINATIONS.

arthur (above) is a Bearded Auracana rooster and Zelda (left) is a Dominicker full access to. Some people construct “chicken moats” that range from a fenced path around the garden to chicken wire “tunnels” between garden rows. Moats are a great way to get the pest control benefits without sacrificing the delicate plants. It can also reduce the need to weed around the edge of the garden.

Enjoy! Chickens make entertaining backyard residents, each with their different funny personalities.

They are also a relatively low maintenance pursuit and in exchange for a little bit of your time and effort, they’ll help you out with weeds and pests and, oh yes, occasionally provide you with delicious eggs! ★

HOMESTEAD

by KRISTINA Urquhart When I first started writing about chickens several years ago, I told my readership that they could build the Fort Knox of chicken coops and they might still lose birds to predators, all the while smugly thinking that it would never happen to me, or my flock. Chickens predators can be some of the wildest animals, like foxes and hawks, or our very own domesticated pets, like cats and dogs. No matter the predator - wild and feral or domesticated and trusted - chickens are the quintessential prey.

Everything (except your friendly, neighborhood vegetarian, of course) wants to eat them.

I did build the Fort Knox of chicken coops. I did everything right. But I also chose to let my birds live a life of freedom, ranging on our property, enjoying the sunshine, the summer breeze, and all the bugs they could eat in addition to that security. Early on, I made the choice between freedom and a bit of risk over confinement, boredom and total safety.

Even with all the pieces in place, sometimes you have a particularly young rooster (who doesn’t know what he’s doing), or particularly bold hens, unafraid of anything, and everything can still go wrong. It was perhaps this combination of factors that lead to us recently losing three of our hens in a fox attack.

Years ago, I might have been absolutely distraught over this event - and believe me, we were sad. We raised these birds from day-old chicks - but today it was a somber reminder of life on the homestead.

Life on the homestead is glorious, graceful, and sometimes heartbreaking, but it leaves you full of gratitude for those that simultaneously depend on you and provide for you.

Elixir

Sweet

Grand Tasting

Thursday, August 21 A craft cocktail experience Aloft

Friday, August 22 An evening of decadent desserts & sips Grove Arcade

Saturday, August 23 A celebration of Asheville’s food & libations U.S. Cellular Center

AUGUST 21‐23

FOR TICKETS AND HOTEL PACKAGES

www.ashevillewineandfood.com

SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

17

farm /

Shady Place Farm Specializing in Naturally, Locally Raised Beef

by Ava Morgan

W

elcome to Shady Place Farm! We are a family owned and operated beef cattle farm nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in Leicester, NC. Our healthy, happy beef cattle graze in lush pastures and eat feed produced from our fields.

We are a multi-generational farm dedicated to raising flavorful, tender, naturally produced beef. Over 70 years of excellent animal husbandry practices go in to producing well-muscled black angus and hereford mixed beef.

Why Buy Shady Place Farm Beef?

• You know where your meat comes from! We are a local farm located in Leicester, NC that has been raising cattle for over three generations.

• Our beef has been raised in a stress-free environment.

Our cattle are born and raised on over 200 acres of pastures

and woodlands and drink from granite mountain streams.

• Our cattle are humanely raised and given no hormones nor antibiotics. The finishing grains they eat are raised here on the farm. Supplemental feed is in the form of distiller’s grains from local breweries.

• Variety! We offer freezer beef in whole, half, and quarter choices as well as specialty boxes of cuts.

• Safe and healthy. Our meat is USDA inspected and vacuum packed for optimum freshness.

Deep Roots Shady Place Farm has deep roots and they keep getting deeper! Neal worked the farm beside his grandfather and his father when the farm was a full-scale dairy farm. Over time the dairy cattle were replaced with primarily black angus beef cattle. All the while attention was given to excellent husbandry practices with the

on the farm Neal and Ava Morgan

herd and good stewardship practices with the land. The daily operations are performed

by Neal and Ava. And the fourth generation of Morgans, sons Eli and Nathanael, actively share the love and work of farming. Daughters-inlaw Kinsey and Kaytlin can be found helping out with various aspects of the farm, too. You may also find Neal’s father, Don, (who is 91 years young) out on the farm lending his expertise, weather permitting!

We recently received a grant through the WNC AgOptions program, which is funded through the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, to construct

an on-farm building where customers can purchase our freezer beef. The hours will mainly be by appointment only. Customers can also purchase beef from us at the Madison County Farmers and Artisans Markets on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., located on the campus of Mars Hill University beside the tennis courts on Highway 213. Or customers can email us at shadyplacefarm@gmail. com or call us at 828-691-1728 or 828-768-4547 for ordering questions. We’re also on Facebook (facebook.com/ shadyplacefarm) Come get a taste of our farm!

Your local source for naturally raised angus beef Family Owned and Operated Beef Cattle Farm Leicester, NC 828-691-1728 828-768-4547

shadyplacefarm.com 18

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

advertisement

FARMERS’ M A R K ET

Summer Squash

in season: June - August The delicate flavor, soft shell and creamy white flesh of summer squash is a perfect addition to any summer meal. While each variety may have a distinct shape, color, size and flavor, all varieties share some common characteristics.

Regardless of variety, all parts of summer squash are edible, including the flesh, seeds and skin. Some varieties of squash also produce edible flowers.

As an excellent source of manganese and a very good source of vitamin C, summer squash provides us with a great combination of conventional antioxidant nutrients. But it also contains an unusual amount of other antioxidant nutrients, including the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin.

These antioxidants are especially helpful in antioxidant protection of the eye, including protection against agerelated macular degeneration and cataracts.

Available fresh from the field at over 100 local tailgate and farmers’ markets

Look for squash that are heavy for their size and have shiny, unblemished rinds. Summer squash should be stored unwashed in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for about seven days.

For locations, pickup an ASAP Local Food Guide or visit appalachiangrown.org

SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

19

healthy living /

Local Meal Planning

by kimberly kirstein It happens every week — the day rolls around that you open the refrigerator and you realize you have to go grocery shopping. The questions start rolling through your head: what should we eat this week, what vegetables will we have with dinner, should I try a new recipe, which one? And then you start writing the grocery list. It is like a blank slate that can be both overwhelming and uninspiring.

But there is so much food available locally to help with this task!

Each week you could be delivered a box of fresh, local produce that becomes the inspiration for Monday’s dinner and Thursday’s lunch.

Farms with CSA Shares Available

According to the ASAP Local Food Guide, there are over 100 farms locally that sell CSA shares. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture as in the people in the community are supporting the farms and farmers. The customer (or grocery list writer) buys a share and then receives fresh produce (or chicken, flowers, or herbs) each week. What they receive is based on what is growing locally, so it is truly food at its freshest and closest. Each farm’s CSA is different, so it is important to find the farm that fits you: a convenient pickup location and time, food you enjoy, and a share quantity that you can consume, but don’t run out of too soon! Often people worry about what to do when they receive food they don’t normally eat, but this is where the CSA helps with that grocery list and weekly meal planning! Suppose you get two bunches of swiss chard and an eggplant in your weekly share. A quick ingredient search on allrecipes.com reveals 62 recipes with chard and 283 with eggplant! Scroll through the recipes to find one to your liking and you have a new recipe and the start of a meal planned with fresh, local produce! Win!

Adelbert Farm

So, purchasing a CSA share has obvious personal benefits: fresh, local, healthy food delivered to you weekly plus inspiration for your weekly meal planning. But, purchasing a CSA share is one way to contribute to the local food movement. Farms have a significant spring financial outlay in seeds and soil amendments, plus the time that is put into planting, sometimes months before the product is actually sold at a market. The money used to purchase a CSA share is an investment in a local farm. It is a good faith purchase telling farmers that you are investing in their farm and their product because you believe in it.

Vegetable CSA

Most farms in western North Carolina begin selling CSA shares at the beginning of the year. ASAP hosts a CSA fair in March to give buyers the opportunity to meet the farmers and learn about what each farm offers in their CSA share. But, that doesn’t mean that you have missed your chance for a 2014 CSA share! Farms around here really get growing in June and farms that have already begun their CSA offer prorate CSA shares for people who buy in after the shares have started being delivered. So, get moving and find that farm that has the CSA for you!

canecreekvalleyfarm@gmail.com 828-338-0188 canecreekorganics.com Pickup Locations Asheville, Hendersonville, Fletcher, Flat Rock, Pisgah Forest, Mills River

20

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

Organic Chicken CSA adelbertfarm@gmail.com adelbertfarm.com Pick Up Locations: Oakley Tailgate Market, Black Mountain Tailgate Market

Blue Meadow Farms

Produce CSA (Not certified organic, but uses organic practices) info@bluemeadowfarms.com 828-712-9166 BlueMeadowFarms.com Pick Up Locations Hendersonville, Asheville City Market, West Asheville Market, Black Mountain

Cane Creek Asparagus & Company CaneCreekCSA@gmail.com CaneCreekCSA.com Pickup sites all over Buncombe County six days a week. See web site!

Cane Creek Valley Farm

CSA includes USDA Certified Organic Vegetables, Herbs and Fruits, All Natural Free Range Eggs, Pork and Beef.

Dry Ridge Farm

CSA includes meat (Pork, Lamb, Chicken) & eggs wendy@dryridgefarm.org 828-319-5656 dryridgefarm.org Pickup Locations French Broad Food Coop Tailgate Market, Asheville City Market

Flying Cloud Farm

CSA includes vegetables and fruit plus an extra flower share is available flyingcloudfarmnc@gmail.com 828-768-3348 flyingcloudfarm.net Pickup Locations Wednesdays at the Montford Market or the farm, Saturdays at the Asheville City Market, North Asheville Market or at the farm

Gladheart Farm

CSA includes vegetables (certified organic) jeff@gladheartfarm.org gladheartfarm.org Pick up locations Asheville City South Market (Biltmore Park), Oakley Farmers Market

Long Valley EcoBiotic Farm

CSA includes 100+ vegetables, fruits, herbs & flowers longvalleyfarm@frontier.com 828-689-3606 Pickup Locations West Asheville Tailgate Market, Weaverville Tailgate Market, Madison Co. Farmers’ Market, or at the farm.

Experience local farms first hand!

1PASS 2 DAYS LOCAL FARMS

$25 carload pass

asapconnections.org

September 20 & 21, 2014 SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

21

Q&A

Sherri Brooks Vinton author of the best-selling Put Em Up! series weighs in on local food and all of the ways we can enjoy and preserve it.

Q

For many years you have been an advocate for “real food”, why is this issue important to you?

In the summer of 2000, my husband and I took a cross-country motorcycle trip. I’ve always enjoyed experiencing new places through their cuisine and I was really excited to get out there and “eat America.” Nothing fancy, but mom and pop diners, and local favorites and apple pie, you know? Fact is, we didn’t see much of anything edible being grown anywhere—it was all corn and soy across much of the farmland that we saw. It got me thinking about where our food actually does come from, how it gets to us and how that process affects the quality—the flavor—of what we eat. When I got back home, I started doing research and I found an alternative food system full of farmers’ markets, CSAs and local farms that were making well-raised, terrific tasting food available everywhere—and I wanted to tell everyone about it.

Q

Why do you think local food has become so popular in recent years?

I don’t think local food has become “popular”, I just think that eaters are tired of bland, flavorless food that’s jacked up on chemistry and they want to get back to the way food used to taste—when it was raised by farmers, not in a lab. Industrial agriculture is the recent invention; organic, chemical-free food was the default until about the mid-1900’s. We’ve always had local food sheds—shipping our dinner halfway across the world is the fad—and hopefully one that is passing.

Q

To date, you’ve written three books on food preservation.

What inspired your interest in this topic? Is it a family tradition?

Home food preservation is just a natural extension of eating locally—particularly in the Northeast where the growing season is fleeting and you don’t want

to wait another three seasons to taste strawberries again! But really, no matter where you live, preserving food when it is abundant is a terrific way to save seasonal surplus.

Q

Your books are very informative about the preserving process.

Do you have recommendations on other ways people can learn more about the topic?

I think it’s important to find a really reputable, trusted resource for learning about the preserving process. I’ve been to a lot of workshops and read a number of books that are putting out info that is less than safe. All of my recipes are put through a vigorous testing protocol that ensures safety, and everything I teach is in line with safe, modern practices. You should demand that of any resource that is providing preserving advice.

Q

What is the best advice you could give someone who is new to food preservation?

Don’t be afraid to jump in! You can start simple and small with a fridge pickle, for example. You’ll be extending the shelf-life of your produce, getting great flavor and be on your way to building a tasty pantry.

Q

Why do you think it is important to use local food in your preserve recipes?

Flavor first. Locally grown food is allowed to ripen on the vine and doesn’t have to endure long shipping times, so it is going to be the tastiest you can get. But it’s also important to use local food in your preserving because it hasn’t been coated with the waxes and fungicides that are used for shipped produce. Those coatings can prevent syrups and brines from fully penetrating your food, giving you less desirable results. I would also add that preserving local food gives you another opportunity to support local

agriculture—when you buy a flat of berries or a bushel of peaches from your local grower, you’re not just preserving great taste, you’re preserving local farms.

Q

How can someone who is not great in the kitchen still support the local food movement?

It’s one of the saddest and false myths of our time—that feeding yourself is a difficult chore that requires a chef’s toque to accomplish. The second saddest myth is that local food is expensive and precious.

Cooking a good, local meal is simple and affordable. The secret is to throw away your grocery list. You can’t go to the farmers’ market and expect to find everything, all the time. Respond to what’s available—what looks fresh and lovely? What’s at the peak of its season and abundant? Prices will always be at their lowest when the supply is highest, so work with your farmers to enjoy foods when they are flush. Then prepare them simply—there aren’t many items in the market that will suffer from nothing more than a quick sauté with butter or oil and a little garlic.

Q

What is your favorite preserve recipe?

I love to make strawberry jam. My great-grandmother used to make it and I first had it when she served it to me on her homemade biscuits fresh from her oven in her South Carolina home. I also really like to have chutneys and relishes on hand to add to a cheese platter, or serve with low and slow braises, on sandwiches, even on a spoon.

Delicious!

mixed berry jam Makes about 5 cups

This is a good solution for those turn-of-the-season times when one berry is coming into season and one is going out, or simply when you find yourself with a bit of this and that. I like to combine berries of similar hues to give a visual cue as to what’s in the jar, but you needn’t stick to this script — a berry jumble is equally as sweet.

ingredients 4 cups sugar 1 tablespoon Pomona’s Universal Pectin 2 quarts assorted berries (about 3 pounds), such as blackberries and blueberries, or raspberries and strawberries ¼ cup water ¼ cup bottled lemon juice 1 tablespoon calcium water (from the Pomona’s Universal Pectin kit)

prepare 1. Combine the sugar and pectin in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Combine the berries and water in a medium nonreactive pot and slowly bring to a boil over low heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the berries completely break down.

Add the lemon juice and calcium water, stirring to combine. Slowly add the pectin mixture, stirring constantly to avoid clumping. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, continuing to stir constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved.

3. Remove from the heat. Allow the jam to rest for 5 minutes, giving it an occasional gentle stir to release trapped air; it will thicken slightly. Skim off any foam.

preserve Refrigerate: Cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

Can: Use the boiling-water method by ladling the jam into clean, hot 4-ounce or half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace between the top of the jam and the lid. Run a bubble tool along the inside of the glass to release trapped air. Wipe the rims clean; center lids on the jars and screw on jar bands until they are just fingertip-tight. Process the jars by submerging them in boiling water to cover by 2 inches for 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and let the jars rest in the water for 5 minutes. Remove the jars and set aside for 24 hours. Check the seals, then store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

“Excerpted from Put ‘em Up! Fruit © by Sherri Brooks Vinton, used with permission from Storey Publishing.”

Sherri Brooks Vinton’s writing, talks and handson workshops teach fellow eaters how to find, cook and preserve local, seasonal, farm friendly food. To find out more, visit sherribrooksvinton.com or visit her on her YouTube channel!

farm /

North River Farms

by Emry Trantham

F

arming is in Jason Davis blood. Some of his earliest memories involve dusty tobacco barns, tractors, and watching his grandfathers work cattle herds. As he grew older, he mowed lawns, plowed gardens, and bush-hogged for his neighbors—in other words, he did whatever he could to be outside working the land.

When Jason and his wife Chae started North River Farms in April of 1999, it was a small operation. Starting a farm is no easy task, and Jason was blessed to have the help of his community. The Whitaker and Moore families, both prominent Mills River farmers, helped Jason get North River Farms off the ground. The sense of cooperation and friendship that helped grow North River Farms remains; farming, especially at North River Farms, is all about community.

“Sometimes farmers are forced to compete in tight markets or to tug at available crop land, but at the end of the day farmers are farmers,” says Davis. “We are a community of hardworking individuals with a passion for agriculture and family values.”

By keeping those values close to his heart, Jason Davis has helped North River Farms grow from a small operation to one of the most successful farms in our area. On 1,250 acres spread throughout Western North Carolina, North River Farms grows the highest quality produce and hay.

In Mills River The farm’s home base in Mills River, North Carolina, is evidence of how far North River Farms has come in the 24

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

last 15 years. On 15 acres off of North Mills River Road, the farm is home to equipment, silos, and acres of produce.

Farm tours are available to groups of people, by appointment, and consist of an hour-long hayride full of education about the workings of agriculture.

Aside from education, North River Farms also offers a great place to relax and have fun.

For families looking for ways to pass the hot summer days, North River Farms runs guided tube rides, horseback riding, a corn maze, fishing, and a great picnic location. North River Farms offers a way to go back in time a few decades, when times were simpler and tubing down a river was the best way to spend a Saturday.

North River Farms also offers U-Pick vegetables. They grow squash, sweet corn, peppers, tomatoes, and broccoli on-site.

Their food is farm-to-table in the truest sense of the term. In a time when food is shipped from California to North Carolina regularly, when labels are required to inform consumers of an apple’s country of origin, biting into an ear of corn that was picked hours earlier is a simple, priceless luxury.

the youngest additions to the farming community that their dad values so highly, but they’re the most important to him.

“It is my prayer that following a great education, they would have the opportunity to do what Dad does,” says Davis of his boys.

the davis family

Jason and Chae Davis with their three sons: Harrison, Payton, and Grayson.

Farming for the Future As North River Farms has grown in the last fifteen years, so has Davis family. He and Chae now have three sons: Harrison, Payton, and Grayson.

They’re growing up on the farm, learning the trade of agriculture and gaining an appreciation for the way Western North Carolina grows food. They might be some of advertisement

Key How to plant space between plants / planting depth Plant seeds Plant transplants, shoots, or roots Recommended planting dates

Harvest Days to maturity Winter Spring Summer Fall

A Guide to Planting and Harvesting in the Southern Applachians PLANT

Fruit / Vegetable

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

beans

blueberry

broccoli

cabbage

carrot

corn

cucumber

melon

onion

pepper

raspberries

strawberries

sweet potatoes

tomatoes

squash

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

6-10 years*

Nov

*seedlings

2 years

15” apart / 6” deep

50-55 days

3” apart / 1” deep 2 years

4-5 ft apart / plant same depth as nursery 18” apart / ½” deep

70-80 days

12” apart / ½” deep

70-80 days 85-95 days

2” apart / ¼” deep

85-95 days

12” apart / 1½” deep

85-95 days

10” apart / 1” deep

90-100 days

60” apart / 1½” deep 75-80 days

4” apart / ½” deep

75-80 days

18” apart / ½” deep 95-120 days

10” apart / ½” deep

potatoes

pumpkin

May

15-18 ft apart / 12-18” deep*

apple

asparagus

Apr

115-120 days

48” apart / 1½” deep

2 ft apart / ¾ inches deeper than transplant soil 10” apart / 4” deep

2 years

2 years 95-125 days

12” apart / 5½” deep

75-85 days

18” apart / ½” deep 24” apart / 1½” deep

50-60 days designed by adalee elkins

Compiled from research provided by the University of North Carolina Cooperative Extension, ASAP, and the Farmers’ Almanac, this guide includes suggested dates for several crops.

SUMMER 2014 Note: The Southern Appalachians are diverse, and growing seasons vary. The months above are approximate.

FOOD LIFE

25

healthy living /

ASAP’s Growing Minds @ Market This June, July, and August, bring the kids to one of three Asheville farmers markets to learn where their food comes from, discover the excitement of eating healthy fresh fruits and veggies, and get active.

It’s time for the FREE summer activity series Growing Minds @ Market, created by ASAP! Each week, different community partners will offer activities ranging from local food tastings, to physical activities and games.

Find us at these Markets Asheville City Market

Saturdays 8am-1pm Kid’s activities: 9am-noon

Public Works Building 161 South Charlotte Street

North Asheville Tailgate Market

Saturdays 8am-noon Kid’s activities: 9am-noon

UNC Asheville (commuter lot C)

West Asheville Tailgate Market

Tuesdays 3:30-6:30pm Kid’s activities: 3:30-6:30pm

718 Haywood Road

growing-minds.org/market Bring your EBT, credit, or debit card to market!

Cards can be swiped in exchange for tokens to spend with vendors.

Taking the bus?

All markets are conveniently located on city bus routes.

26

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

by emily jackson

What does hula-hooping and local taste tests have in common? Both are the types of activities offered at Growing Minds @ Market!

B

ack in 2009, ASAP began accepting Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT, or electronic food stamps) at the Asheville City Market on Charlotte Street. Knowing that kid-friendly farmers markets would attract all families, ASAP launched Growing Minds @ Market (originally called Kids Corner Market). Growing Minds @ Market is a space set aside at a farmers market to promote fun projects focused on local food and farms. What started at Asheville City Market has now expanded to West Asheville Tailgate Market and North Asheville Tailgate Market and is reaching thousands of kids and their families.

Growing Minds @ Market looks a bit different at the three locations (because farmers markets all have their own personalities!) but all are focused on engaging the community and enhancing the market experience. At the Asheville City Market, GM@M works with a different community partner each week to provide a hands-on activity. Partnering with various community organizations also exposes children and their families to different community services.

In 2013, the three GM@Ms provided experiences to 1126 kids and 1007 family members. Eliada, 4-H, and the Girl Scouts were the organizations that provided the activities.

Growing Minds @ Market accomplishes many goals for ASAP and area farmers markets – families feel welcome at market, attracts new market shoppers, exposes kids and families to healthfocused activities, it’s an avenue for community collaboration, and an opportunity to recruit market volunteers.

Find out more about Growing Minds @ Market and check out the Growing Minds @ Market guide on ASAP’s Growing Minds website (growing-minds.org). Contact Jessica, Jessica@asapconnections. org, if you’d like to volunteer or find out more.

Garden Plot Crackers One of the creative activities offered at Growing Minds @ Market. Children prepare, design, and make a “garden plot” using various local produce found at the martket that day.

Flavor your life with

easy to grow

by betty sharpless

All of us know that herbs enhance our cooking with layers of flavor; but how many of us have tried to grow and use our very own fresh herbs? In this “eat local” age, your sunny front porch is about as local as you can get!

H

erbs are basically weeds that taste good. Somewhere back in the early hunter gatherer period, a cave woman chef, tired of eating the same old bison, tried throwing some good smelling plants into the stew and voila! Seasoned foods were invented.

Herbs are a great way to enter the world of gardening because they are as easy to grow as, well, weeds. All they need is plenty of sun, good drainage and a drink of water once a week.

What should you plant? Well there are so many herbs to pick from, I would suggest starting with the basics: thyme, oregano, parsley, chives, basil and sage. With these herbs, you can boost the flavor of every dish you make. With the exception of basil, which is a summer annual, all of the rest are perennials; so one planting will give you happy herb returns for years to come. The more you pinch them for cooking, the more they will branch and grow.

Start with a good pot. Since these are perennials, the pot you choose should last for at least 5 years. It should have drainage holes and be resistant to freezing and breaking. The new fiberglass pots that look like pottery work really well. While you are at it, invest in a wheeled saucer to move the big heavy pot around easily. Use a coffee filter to cover the holes in the bottom. Then add a 2” layer of pebbles. If the pot is especially deep, I usually invert an empty smaller pot inside the big one to take up room and save weight and potting soil. Herbs only need 8-10” of soil to grow well. Again, invest in good potting soil. It should have built in fertilizer and water savers. If you are going organic, be sure to add sand and compost to your organic mix.

Choosing your herbs is easy. Beginning gardeners and experienced alike should take advantage of the 4” pots of herbs available in every farmers market, hardware store, and nursery in town. Again, with the exception of basil, you can plant anytime after mid March. I would recommend that you hold off on basil until after Mother’s Day, unless you plan on rolling the planters in and out of your living room all during April. Notice that chives, parsley, basil and sage grow upwards, while oregano and thymes grow down. You can make a beautiful planter by planting the sprawling plants on the outside and the tall ones in the center.

While you are at it, add in edible flowers such as nasturtiums, pansies and marigolds. I actually add basil to every single porch flowering pot I have (6!) to make sure I have enough!

As to how to use your herbs, experiment with pinches in soups, salads, egg dishes and grilled meats. You can make a delicious dinner from freshly cooked pasta with fresh basil, oregano and parsley and fresh parmesan. Easy, fresh, local.

It doesn’t get any better than that. This fall harvest all of your basil for pesto and freeze it in small containers to take out and savor all winter. I promise you will double your basil plantings next year! betty sharpless is a professional free-lance gardener, quilter and writer in Asheville, NC. She lives with a cat, dog and 8 spoiled hens in the best town for foodies.

SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

27

4 fresh-from-the-freezer-treats for those hot summer days. They’re cold, sweet and refreshing — and best of all, they’re super easy to make at home. courtesy of Tiffany Welsh

28

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

Drunken popsicle s

Blackberry-Amaretti Ice Cream Sandwiches

blueberry sorbet

raspberry lemonade popsicle s

SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

29

Blackberry-Amaretti Ice Cream Sandwiches M AKES

12 s a ndw iche s

drunken popsicle s M AKES

Ice cream: 1 C Fresh Blackberries 6 Tbsp Amaretto 1 pint Vanilla Ice Cream (homemade or store-bought) In a small bowl, crush blackberries with a fork. Pour Amaretto over blackberries and stir. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to steep. During that time, allow your ice cream to thaw a bit, so it will be soft enough to mix. Once steeped, mix blackberries and amaretto into the ice cream and return to the freezer to harden, because of the alcohol this will take several hours.

Cookies: 3 C Almonds, blanched & slivered 1 ½ C Sugar 1 tsp Almond Extract 3 Egg Whites Add almonds and sugar to food processor. Process until it becomes a fine powder. Add almond extract and egg whites and continue to process until it turns into a dough ball. Roll into balls about 1 ½ inch in diameter. Place onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Wet hand with cold water and flatten balls to about ¼” thick. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Edges will be crisp and center will be chewy. Cool completely before assembling sandwiches.

8 -10 p op s icle s

1 c water ½ c sugar ½ c peaches (about 1 peach) 2 tbsp bourbon ½ c strawberries

1. Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Stir frequently until sugar is dissolved. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

2. In a small bowl, combine peaches, bourbon, 1/3 of lemon juice and ½ C of cooled simple syrup. Puree in food processor or blender until smooth. Strain to remove excess chunks of fruit (if desired). Pour into Popsicle molds, insert sticks, and place into freezer for 2 hours.

3. In a second small bowl, combine strawberries, rum, 1/3 of lemon juice and ½ C of cooled simple syrup. Puree in food processor or blender until smooth. Strain to remove excess chunks of fruit (if desired). Pour into Popsicle molds on top of frozen peach level. You will have to pour carefully around the sticks. Freeze for 2 hours.

4. In a third small bowl, combine blackberries, tequila, remainder of lemon juice and remainder of cooled simple syrup. Puree in food processor or blender until smooth.

Strain to remove seeds (if desired). Pour into Popsicles molds on top of strawberry level. Freeze for 4-6 hours.

5. Run warm water over the outside of Popsicle molds to make it easier to remove pops.

courtesy of tiffany welsh

raspberry lemonade popsicle s M AKES TOTAL

8 -10 p op s icle s TI M E 6 hou rs

PREP TI M E

10 m i n

1 ½ c sugar 2 c water ¾ c raspberries, fresh plus more for garnish 1 c lemon juice (about 4 lemons) 1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to boil, stirring often. Once sugar has dissolved, remove from syrup heat and allow to cool.

2. Place ¾ C Raspberries in a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Work mashed berries through a sieve to remove seeds and skins. Combine the raspberry juice, simple syrup and lemon juice together.

3. Pour raspberry lemon mixture into Popsicle molds. Add a few fresh berries to each mold. Insert Popsicle sticks.

Freeze for approximately 6 hours.

2 tbsp rum ½ c blackberries 2 tbsp tequila 2 lemons, juiced

courtesy of tiffany welsh

blueberry sorbet M AKES

a b out 10 me d iu m s i z e s c o op s of s orb et

5 c blueberries, fresh, rinsed, stems removed ¼ c sugar ¼ c honey 1 tsp lemon zest 1 tbsp lemon juice 1. Place the blueberries, sugar, honey, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Stir to coat blueberries with the sugar. Mash with a potato masher.

2. Put the mashed blueberry mixture into a blender or food processor and puree.

3. Working in batches, press the pureed mixture through a sieve with a rubber spatula to remove blueberry skins and lemon zest.

4. Chill the mixture for at least an hour in the fridge.

Follow the directions on your ice cream maker to prepare the sorbet. Serve immediately.

TIP If you plan to prepare this ahead of time, add 1-2 Tbsp of corn syrup to the mixture before pureeing, which will keep the sorbet from getting too hard in the freezer.

courtesy of tiffany welsh 30

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

courtesy of tiffany welsh

quick tips /

Shopping Local Markets photo by Tiffany Welsh

Create a meal plan. Just like shopping at a grocery store, you will spend less by planning ahead.

Get there early. Most of the best quality produce is purchased first and popular items may sell out early in the day.

Walk the entire market before you buy. This way you can find the best looking items at the best price. Plus, you won’t have to carry your purchases as far on your way out.

Bring your own bag. Some vendors may offer plastic bags, but they often can’t hold up to the weight of a lot of fresh fruit and veggies. Save your food from hitting the sidewalk by bringing a reusable bag to carry your purchases. If you purchase a lot of perishable items, like meats and cheeses, you may want to carry a second insulated bag to keep those items cold.

Bring cash in small denominations. Some vendors accept debit or credit cards, but many don’t. Bring cash in small denominations, so there is less need to make change.

Know what’s in season. Talk to the vendors and find out what they will have available in coming weeks. This will help you plan your meals, as well as let you know when you should stock up on extras at the end of the season. Check our harvest guide on page 25 to find out what’s in season in our area.

Buy in bulk. In the peak season, you will get the best prices by buying in bulk. Don’t know how you can use it all up before it goes bad? Try freezing, dehydrating or canning (see the Mixed Berry Jam Recipe on page 23) to save seasonal fruits and veggies for the off-season.

Leave room for spontaneity. Even the most prepared shopper might be surprised with an unexpected delight at the market - a fruit or vegetable a little early to market or a new preserve you have to try. Discovering new foods are part of the excitement of buying at the market.

Ask questions. Maybe you have spotted a new item you’re interested in trying, but you don’t know how to prepare it. Ask the farmer for advice on cooking or maybe for a favorite recipe.

Bring the kids. Let them help you pick out what to buy and use the opportunity to teach them about eating fresh healthy food.

SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

31

farm /

smoking j’s farm in Candler, NC

Smoking J’s Fiery Foods

by Teri Reedy

W

hen Joel and Tara Mowrey moved to their 10 acre farm in Candler in 2003, they had no idea that life would lead them into the fiery foods business. What started out as a hobby of making homemade hot sauces has quickly turned into a thriving entrepreneurial

endeavor. “My friends loved the hot sauce creations we came up with and it seemed that the more creative the better” Joel says.

The beautiful farm, surrounded by Pisgah National Forest, consists of two large greenhouses where over 30

www.smokingjsseryfoods.com 32

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

different varieties of chile peppers are seeded and grown until they are put outside into the ground in one of four production fields. “In 2009 we started with 800 plants and now this year we will produce over 50 thousand” Joel says. From planting in May, and tending the plants all summer, to harvesting from July to October and sometimes November, the farm employees up to a dozen people who help get the job done. Once the peppers are harvested from the farm, the magic has just begun; then they chop, mash, and mix into a variety of creative gourmet products. Joel says that “Currently the hottest peppers are the most popular, like the Bhut Jolokia aka Ghost Pepper or the new hottest pepper in the world, the Trinidad Scorpion”. To give you an idea of how hot the Ghost and the

Scorpion are, consider that the Jalapeno is measured at 5,000 Scoville units and the Trinidad Scorpion is over 2 million Scoville units. A Scoville Unit is a measure of how hot a pepper is. Better have the glass of milk handy. Some of Smoking J’s popular products are their Roasted Ghost Salsa, Jamaican Jerk Dry Rub, Carolina Cayenne Hot Sauce, and their very popular Black Mocha Stout BBQ Sauce, which they partnered with Highland Brewing Company to release.

They sell their products to both wholesale and retail clients, as well as online.

“We are a real farm to table product” Joel says. Smoking J’s works with area restaurants to complement the creations of local chefs, as well as local stores and tailgate markets.

They are the “hottest” farm to table experience around! advertisement

Healthy Harvest Natural Foods

by Stella Godwin

L

ocated in Brevard, NC, a beautiful and magical little town nestled within the Blue Ridge Mountains, amongst hiking trails and waterfalls, Healthy Harvest Natural Foods is a delight to those who find living organically a cause for celebration! Healthy Harvest is a natural foods store, providing only the best in whole food dietary supplements, local organically grown produce, local humanely raised meats, local honey and eggs, organic foods, health and beauty products, books and more.

But what sets Healthy Harvest apart from other stores is the enthusiasm and authenticity of its owner Stella Godwin.

Stella was raised on an organic farm in the mountains of western NC and was taught the ways of plants and herbs by her mother, Janet. They worked together from dawn to dusk many days, preparing the soil, turning compost, and when the heat of midday prompted a break, they would take walks through the forest, identifying native plants, medicinal wild foods and herbs, then trek down to the creek where they’d dip their toes and play with the crawfish. After a nice cool off, it was back to the farm for more planting or harvesting. Whatever the farm needed, they would do.

“It was a knowing of what the plants needed and wanted as we were so close with what was going on with the life around us, this is what made it so much fun and it is this same principle that makes my work here at the store and within the community so much fun! It is this connection to the earth that was instilled within me as a child that has stayed with me and inspired me to have, not only a store

advertisement

here, but a space in which to facilitate knowledge and well being. To me, a health food store isn’t just about the latest trends, but a place in which people come to get the highest quality and life affirming foods, as well as food based dietary supplements; but what they also get here is knowledge, care and understanding. As we become connected to the earth, we become more connected to one another; as we become more connected to one another, we become more connected to the earth. It is a two way street, so to speak, we begin to care and understand the needs of our fellow beings and of the ground which gives us life. I truly love the folks who come in and am so grateful to live and thrive in such an amazing area as this.” Stella has expanded her business to now include a farm, where, with the help of a few good friends and family, she grows seasonal produce and is very adamant about the source of seeds and the methods which are utilized.

Organic and non-GMO, no exception to these high standards, and it shows in the beauty and taste of the foods grown on her farm.

“I have been asked, why organic, and the simple answer is that it just plain tastes better.” She goes on to say that organic is not new, it is how food was grown for centuries, before industrial agriculture.

Stella beams as she tells of how good her great grandmother’s creamed corn tasted, before GMOs and when the cream was fresh. “Good food, grown and produced with love, made available to our community, is what we are all about at Healthy Harvest!” (see ad on back page) SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

33

calendar/ scrumptious desserts and specialty comfort foods will also be available. The festival is packed with fun for the whole family, including a full schedule of live entertainment daily featuring national, regional and local acts. There’s more action with Piggy’s Kids Fun Zone, The Ribfest Arts & Crafts, Commercial Exhibits, Custom and Classic Car Show (Sun.11am-3pm). wcpshows.com/ribfest.html

j uly Beats , B u rg ers & Br ew s at th e Old R oc k July 4-5, July 11-12, July 18-19, July 25-26 at Chimney Rock Park – Chimney Rock, NC Relax outdoors while listening to bluegrass, Americana, folk, blues and other genres and enjoying a regional craft brew or glass of wine on the riverside deck. Talented local musicians and singersongwriters liven up the scene on Friday & Saturday evenings in July at this popular burger joint in Chimney Rock Village.

The Old Rock Café features 34

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014

one of the 2014 Zagat-rated “Must-Try Burgers Across the Country” with Hickory Nut Gap Meats’ 100% grass-fed beef burger. Admission is FREE. chimneyrockpark.com/events Carolina M o un ta i n R i bfest July 11-13 at WNC Ag Center & Fairgrounds – Fletcher, NC The festival features World Class professional barbecue competition Chefs from all over the country. They will be serving mouth-watering, award winning BBQ Ribs, Chicken, Brisket, and Pulled Pork with all the traditional side dishes. A variety of

13th An n ua l NC Bl a ckber ry Festi val July 12 in Downtown Lenoir, NC - In Caldwell County, blackberries are a part of every day life – children beg to go pick from the wild berries lining every bank and mothers take what isn’t eaten during the day for cobblers. Blackberry cobblers and jam are a strong part of local heritage. The North Carolina Blackberry Festival offers summer fun to all visitors! Killdeer Farms will be on hand during the day with fresh blackberries for sale, along with other blackberry items. Arts and crafts and a variety of food vendors will also be available. FREE BLACKBERRY COBBLER will be available, while supplies last. Please join us... It will be a BERRY good time! ncblackberryfestival.com

au gu st 37th An n ua l So urwo o d Festi val Aug 9-10 in Black Mountain, NC The Sourwood Festival fills downtown Black Mountain each year. Over 30,000 people from all over America will be in attendance. Music, dancing, arts & crafts, super food, kid’s rides and games, face painting and more in a no alcohol environment make it the perfect event for you and your entire family. With about 200 vendors, you will discover lots of local and

unique arts and crafts and there will be something to please every palate with BBQ and vegetarian faire, customcrafted ice cream and funnel cakes and jellies. Add to that the honey and bee demos as well as the gourmet sourwood honey - you don’t want to miss this event! sourwoodfestival.com Ashev i lle Wine and Fo o d Fe stival Aug 21-23 in Downtown Asheville, NC Launched in 2009, the Asheville Wine & Food Festival celebrates all that’s worth savoring in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This year’s festival offers several signature events. The WNC Chefs Challenge takes on some exciting new twists and comes to a heated close during the festival.

ELIXIR brings an elaborate cocktail party and mixology competition on for the second year. SWEET offers a decadent evening of desserts on Friday, again at the Historic Grove Arcade. And the Grand Tasting on Saturday is a smorgasbord of food, wine, beer, and spirits, plus cooking demonstrations, and a chance to meet cookbook authors, farmers, chefs, winemakers, brewers, and much, much more. Come sample the best of Western North Carolina’s food scene! ashevillewineandfood.com NC Apple F e stival Aug 29-Sep 1 in Downtown Hendersonville, NC - Enjoy 4 days of fun, including one of the best-known Street Fairs in the Carolinas with Freshly Picked Apples, Arts & Crafts, Festival Food and FREE Entertainment at the Historic Courthouse on Hendersonville’s Beautiful Main Street. Admission is FREE. ncapplefestival.org

SUMMER 2014

FOOD LIFE

35

36

FOOD LIFE

SUMMER 2014