ASAP | From Here | Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

In honor of Get Local lettuces month (this month!), Peter Pollay has been featuring local lettuces in salads on his menu at Posana Cafe in downtown Asheville! His favorite variety? Lolla Rossa, a loose lettuce with bright magenta-red edges.

But, he doesn’t stop there. Peter also likes to use another leafy green in his salads available at tailgate markets and select stores this time of year: frisee. Although often mistaken for a lettuce, frisee is actually an edive. It pairs well with local strawberries, still abundant at markets, stores, and roadside stands now. Thanks to Peter for sharing his recipe!

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Western North Carolina’s farmers and chefs are out to prove that lettuce can be a lofty vegetable. Farmers grow dozens of colorful, flavorful types and varieties—from Bibb to Romaine and Black Seeded Simpson to Lolla Rosa. Chefs embrace these offerings, even lesser-known heirlooms, and elevate them in all types of dishes. Farmers and chefs are joining with our May Get Local initiative to encourage showing lettuces love.

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Sunday, April 22, was all about local ramps (April’s Get Local featured food) at Early Girl Eatery! They made their way into biscuits, sticky rice, jam, you name it thanks to the talents of James Beard Award-winning chefs Andrea Reusing of the Lantern in Chapel Hill and Robert Stehling of the Hominy Grill in Charleston and Early Girl staff.

The ASAP benefit dinner, officially titled In Celebration of Ramps, featured four fantastic courses and delicious wines; BIG thanks to the farmers who provided local products—from additional produce to meat, fish, and cheese—and Sour Grapes Wine. And, of course, thanks to the chefs, Early Girl, and everyone who attended! Find a photo album from the event HERE, and keep reading for a ramps recipe from Chef Reusing.

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“I think they’re best paired with wild mushrooms and goat feta cheese over a protein, freshly picked and cooked over an open fire in a cast iron skillet with a big chunk of bacon and a few potatoes, or in a cornbread stuffing.”

What’s John Stehling—who owns Appalachian Grown™ partner restaurant Early Girl Eatery with his wife, Julie—talking about? Ramps, of course! (Keep reading for one of their favorite ramp recipes!)

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April is the only time of year for local ramps, members of the onion family found growing wild in forests and cultivated on forestland. So naturally, we’ll shine the light on the region’s beloved early-spring vegetable this month. Ramps are one of two new local forest products highlighted this year—mushrooms will be featured in June.

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Western North Carolina is home to dozens of farmstead cheese operations that produce every type of cheese imaginable: aged cheddar, Gouda, Brie, chevre (goat cheese), the list goes on and on. In fact, WNC may soon be home to a cheese trail, modeled after Vermont’s popular tourist attraction. So, it’s no surprise that we’ve given farmstead cheese its own month in our Get Local initiative!

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February mornings are a little too cold for most of us to head out trout fishing. But luckily, local trout farmers are still suiting up and braving the extra-cold mountain water, which has been said to give the fish a desirable delicate flavor. To honor their efforts, and serve as a reminder that you can eat local during the winter, we’re highlighting trout this month in our Get Local initiative!

To celebrate the fishy focus, Tupelo Honey Café-Southside, an Appalachian Grown™ partner and Get Local participating restaurant, will officially dedicate their February Tuesdays to trout. Each Tuesday, they’ll offer special dishes featuring fish from Sunburst Trout Farms in Canton. Proceeds from the dishes will benefit ASAP.

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Get Local honey month is winding down. But, don’t worry, ASAP has a sweet sendoff planned for the sweet stuff! Not only is Laurey’s Gourmet Comfort Food hosting A Taste of Honey this Thursday, January 26, from 6-9 pm (click for all the details, including how to snag a ticket), but William Dissen, chef and owner of The Market Place in downtown Asheville, has put together tips for cooking with honey just for you! What’s more, he has given us an amazing Market Place coupon to share with our FromHere e-newsletter subscribers! (More deals will follow in the future, so it’s never too late to subscribe!)

“Local honey has a much deeper richness than its store-bought counterparts,” William says. In other words, it’s a must-have in the kitchen. Here are his top three tips for cooking with the natural sweetener:

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We’re exactly one week away from A Taste of Honey, our very first Get Local event of 2012 (and an ASAP benefit)! The exciting evening, 6-9 pm,  will be hosted by Laurey Masterton of Laurey’s Gourmet Comfort Food; tickets are $35 and can be purchased at the restaurant. Expect tasting stations of local and regional honey with accompanying hors d’oeuvres. Attendees will be asked to record their thoughts about the selected honey and could end up in Laurey’s forthcoming book Every Third Bite. Cool, huh? Even cooler, in honor of the event, Laurey is allowing us to share a first look at the book’s content!

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ASAP’s Get Local initiative, which highlights a local food (or group of foods) every month, will shine the spotlight on three new ingredients in 2012: ramps, mushrooms, and potatoes! Local favorites like tomatoes and apples remain on the new calendar, along with honey. The sweet stuff is being featured on area restaurant menus right now, and it gets a special celebration called A Taste of Honey at Laurey’s Gourmet Comfort Food on January 26 from 6 until 9 pm.

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