Press release here:
Local apples are here. In fact, early varieties were ready for picking almost two weeks ahead of schedule this season, according to area growers. Apple season in Western North Carolina runs through the end of fall.
To help kick off their arrival, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) is featuring apples for the month of September in their Get Local program. A year-round component of ASAP’s Local Food Campaign, Get Local brings together restaurants and chefs from around the region to highlight a single local ingredient. Participating restaurants and eateries use the ingredient to create their own unique dishes that reflect the seasonal harvest.
The featured local foods are chosen because of their abundance at farmers tailgate markets, groceries, and roadside farm stands during the month. Each month’s chosen item can serve as a starting point and beyond for everyone, not just chefs, on a journey to reconnect with their food.
Find u-pick apple orchards and roadside stands, groceries, and tailgates with lots of apples to offer in ASAP’s Local Food Guide, online at buyappalachian.org. (A trip to Henderson County would be fruitful; the county grows approximately 65% of the state’s apple crop.) For more information about ASAP’s Get Local program, including a calendar of events around the month’s ingredient and a 2010/2011 program schedule, visit asapconnections.org. If you’re a chef or restaurant interested in participating, contact Marketing Coordinator Lee Seabrook at lee@asapconnections.org.