New local food guide published

Release about a new local food guide from Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. For more go to www.asapconnections.org.

The 2010 Local Food Guide will be available throughout Western North Carolina in May 2010. The highly anticipated guide, published by the nonprofit organization Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), is in its ninth year of publication. This year, the Local Food Guide lists almost 400 farms, as well as dozens of farmers tailgate markets, wineries, grocers, restaurants, caterers and bakers, farm stores and stands, farms to visit, B&Bs and farm lodging, apple farms, u-pick farms, CSAs, and distributors.

Nearly 100,000 copies of the free guide will be distributed in 2010. Copies are available at more than 400 area locations including grocers, bookstores, libraries, welcome centers, tailgate markets, doctor’s offices, and newsstands throughout the region. A searchable online guide is available at www.buyappalachian.org. Search for specific ingredients, by location, or for services such as lodging or CSAs. New, improved search functions and other online features will soon be available.

Farms and businesses in the mountain counties within 100 miles of Asheville are included in the Local Food Guide.

One hundred farms were added to the Local Food Guide this year, and the number of listings throughout the publication continues to multiply every year, evidencing the growing market for local food. A recent survey by the National Restaurant Association indicated that local sourcing of ingredients will be the hottest trends on restaurant menus in 2010. Western North Carolina restaurants—as well as farmers markets, businesses, and institutions—are at the forefront of the local food movement. The region’s strong local food system makes the guide one the largest and most comprehensive publications of its kind anywhere in the United States.

“As local food become more popular, consumers will need more information on how to identify authentically local products,” ASAP’s Executive Director, Charlie Jackson, says. “That’s what this guide does. The expanding number and diversity of listings show that we live in an area with outstanding local agricultural resources.”

Funding for this project is provided by local sponsors and by the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA).