Asheville – The largest herb event in the U.S. and Canada will kick off its 35th year on Friday, April 25, at the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher. The three-day festival will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday (April 25-26) and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, at the Davis Exhibition Center, located at 761 Boylston Highway, south of Asheville Airport (I-26 Exit 40). Food trucks sourcing local products will be available, and admission and parking are free.
Asheville’s annual Spring Herb Festival brings over 70 vendors to the area from various farms that specialize in growing herbs, heirloom vegetables, native shrubs, trees, and other plants. The event is always well attended. Recognized growers from around the region will be present, including Our Friendly Allies in Marshall, The Flower Peddler Greenhouse in Greensboro, N.C., and Lexington Shades of Green Irises in Lexington, S.C. This market’s timing is perfect for spring planting. Barry Farms in Mills River will offer fresh flowers, succulents, and herbs, while Blazing Star Flowers in Alexander will provide pre-made bouquets of specialty cut flowers. Earthen Organics will bring worm castings to assist with soil amendments.
Dancing Woods Farm will showcase their durable, hand-crafted stoneware that is dishwasher and microwave safe, along with handmade soap made from organic herbs grown in Mars Hill. More than two dozen vendors will offer locally made natural herbal products ranging from salves and ointments to soaps, body washes, culinary extracts, and medicinal supplements. The Asheville Tea Company experienced a devastating loss in Biltmore Village during the flood but still plans to attend this market and bring delicious teacup blends from the area, such as Pisgah Breakfast and Mountain Chai.
Additionally, there will be free workshops and informative classes on various subjects. You might be interested in topics like Preserving Herbs for Year-Round Use, Medicinal Mushroom Cultivation, or Backyard Wild Edibles—Eat Your Weeds! A full listing of these workshops can be found at http://www.ashevilleherbfestival.org/festival-2024-workshops. The Buncombe County Extension Service will also have a booth with detailed information about soils, planting locations, and conditions.
Nutritious Local Breads found at Asheville Bread Festival
The Asheville Bread Festival will take place on Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27, at the New Belgium Brewery outdoor pavilion, with this year’s theme being “Sense of Place.” On Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., the public can sample and purchase freshly baked bread and pastries, along with bakers’ tools, specialty ovens, and culinary books featuring authors present. Various special bakery classes will also occur throughout the weekend, many of which are already sold out.
Commodity breads are milled with industrial rollers that strip nutrients from grain, while cold stone-milling retains more of the grain’s character, flavor, and nutrients, resulting in a notable taste and nutritional difference. Added ingredients enhance shelf life but do not improve flavor or nutrition.
The Asheville Bread Festival celebrates baking that begins at the source and highlights the flavor of whole grain, freshly milled flours. Similar to the local farm-to-table movement, grains are an agricultural product, and the milling process determines whether flour maintains its character, flavor, and nutrient profile or is mass-produced for shelf life, devoid of its bran and germ.
Carolina Ground, owned and operated by Jennifer Lapidus, is a boutique flour mill in Western North Carolina. Lapidus is a lead organizer of the Bread Festival and the author of Southern Ground: Reclaiming Flavor Through Stone-Milled Flour. All flours at her mill are stone ground and cold milled, unbleached, and unbromated. Stone ground flour uses traditional stone mills to preserve the entire grain (bran, germ, and endosperm) along with its nutrients.
Saturday’s festivities will conclude with a panel at White Labs, moderated by Amy Halloran, author of The New Bread Basket. This free public talk will focus on the baker’s foodshed and feature panelists including Susanah Gebhart of OWL Bakery in Asheville, Laila O’Boyle of The Early Rise Baker in San Francisco, and Jonathan Stevens of Hungry Ghost Bakery in Northampton, MA. The panel will begin with a Raffle for Relief drawing to raise money for the region, offering a chance to win bread and baking-related goods.
The Bread Festival celebrates WNC’s regional grain community, making it a prime event for those interested in nutritious baking and connecting with fellow enthusiasts. Visit AshevilleBreadFestival.com for more information.