Press release here. Sounds like fun.
ASHEVILLE, NC (May 13, 2009) – The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) The Family Farm Tour is your invitation to visit 38 farms and gardens throughout six counties in Western North Carolina. The region is home to agriculture of all kinds, ranging from century farms cultivated by the same family for generations, to certified organic farms, to urban gardens. Tour your choice of a wide selection of the area’s most outstanding farms and gardens during The Family Farm Tour, June 27 and 28, 2009, from 1:00p.m. to 6:00p.m.
The tour is organized by Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), and partner organizations.
Here’s how it works: Get a farm tour map and button. Gather your friends, fill a car, choose the farms you want to visit, and plan a route. There are more than enough choices to fill a schedule for Saturday and Sunday.
Come with a cooler and your appetite. A variety of vegetables and fruits, trout, beef, pork, lamb, eggs, artisan cheeses, herbs, mushrooms, honey, preserves, and much more are available to sample or for sale. Products including yarn, soap, and crafts are offered as well.
Watch animals such as bison, llamas, baby lambs, and bunnies. See traditional skills in practice—and even try them out yourself—during demonstrations of border collie shepherding, outdoor apple butter making, milking, the maple syrup tapping process, and wool spinning. Or, learn about new ideas during a tour of renewable energy systems, see a hydroponics system, visit an edible landscape, and explore a garden labyrinth. Eat bread fresh from a wood fired oven and artisan ice cream, and stop for a picnic at one of the many beautiful farms along the way.
”Family farms are an essential part of our local economy and food system, as well as our agricultural heritage and rural landscape,” says Libby Hinsley, program coordinator for ASAP. “The Family Farm Tour is a great opportunity to connect with the people who grow our food, and learn about working farms.”
Purchase a button for admission for $20 plus $2 shipping at www.familyfarmtour.org, or see the website for stores and restaurants selling buttons. One button admits everyone in your car. You may also purchase buttons at farms on the day of the tour for $25. If you only wish to visit one farm, pay $10 on-site. Or, support the Family Farm Tour and get free admission by volunteering. Sign up to volunteer at www.familyfarmtour.org.