March is Eggtastic

Fun puns abound in this release from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. Check out the news about farms in Alexander and Barnardsville.

Local eggs get eggstra special attention this month in Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s (ASAP) Get Local campaign—a year-round initiative that brings together farmers, chefs, and community members in celebration of a featured local food. And it’s not just area producers who are eggstatic about the nod. Their chickens, ducks, and quails are also on board, laying even more eggstraordinary eggs for us to enjoy as spring nears.

Local chefs and bakers are excited, too. Many source local eggs year-round for their menus but see this as a chance to make eggs the star of the show. “We plan to make some fantastic March specials,” shares Cathy Cleary, co-owner of West End Bakery in Asheville, a Get Local participating restaurant that sources their eggs from Farside Farms in Alexander. “On the savory side, we’ll be making fresh egg salads with spring herbs and our famous egg sandwiches on homemade biscuits and bagels. If dessert is what you want, look for our banana pudding, lemon custard pie, or chocolate chip meringue cookies!”

Want to scramble, poach, or fry at home? Local eggs are widely available now at area grocery stores and farm stands. You can also buy direct from the farm. Headwaters of Poverty Farm defies eggspectations by selling duck eggs direct to customers from their farm in Barnardsville. While eggs will be out of the Get Local spotlight when markets begin opening for the season next month, they’ll certainly be available at tailgates as well—you may even find vendors with quail eggs.

Browse the more than 350 regional farms and businesses offering up local eggs, including those mentioned above, in ASAP’s Local Food Guide at buyappalachian.org. Find the 2011 calendar of featured foods, as well as a list of Get Local restaurants, at asapconnections.org/getlocal.html. There, you can also download a Get Local school calendar, where this month the focus is on apples.