I’m going to deviate from my usual local Asheville info or events, because I came across this article about the 12 foods you should eat organic whenever possible. It says a lot of the same things my Aunt, who owns an organic, community supported agriculture farm, has told our family - so I thought I would share! The ones in bold are the ones I most whole-heartedly agree with and buy every time I grocery shop for those items. Don’t worry, at the end I’ll tie it into the local Asheville/WNC region!

1. Meat (include eggs, but eat them locally organic, free range)
2. Milk (always, always, always. Some comments on the related article seem to believe that organic milk isn’t pasteurized… pretty much all grocery store milk is pasteurized. Organic milk lasts longer, tastes better, and is ultra pasteurized to make this happen. Organic doesn’t mean straight from the cow’s udder.)
3. Coffee (also add fair trade to this requirement)
4. Peaches
5. Apples
6. Sweet bell peppers
7. Celery
8. Strawberries (I usually don’t buy strawberries because conventionally grown strawberries scare me, and organic strawberries are usually $6 and still sold by Driscoll. I haven’t done the research or anything, but I suspect that if the same grower who uses lots of pesticides also grows organic, there’s probably some cross-contamination going on there.)
9. Lettuces
10. Grapes
11. Potatoes
12. Tomatoes

Some important things to note:
Good farming practices are what’s important. Don’t buy organic from huge agri-business… period. Among other things, they overuse the soil - today it takes a handful of apples to get the same nutritional value that our parents and grandparents got out of just eating one. In addition, it may be cross-contaminated in packaging plants (remember the fiasco with spinach awhile back?).
Local food is always better. Huge corporate agri-business takes food from a CA farm, to a mid-west packaging plant, and finally to your grocery store. Go to your local co-op or farmer’s market, and your produce will taste better and last a few days longer. During the spinach crisis, we were eating lettuces grown by local/regional farmers. If you can’t eat organic, just eat local. Especially with the way gas prices are going, the prices for food traveling across the country is going to keep skyrocketing. But your local farmers’ prices shouldn’t change too much.
Independent organic certification is important! USDA organic means basically nothing, so look for another label on the packaging for an independent organic certifier.

I could probably go on, and on. But don’t take it from me - check out this resource list. It includes articles, web sites, books, and movies. Growing Awareness is among several other great documentaries on community supported agriculture and organic food.

(here’s the local part…)
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) is a great Web site for local farms, apples, tailgate markets, CSAs and U-Pick farms. Plus restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, bed & breakfasts, and other supporting organizations that sell or market local agriculture.

Today I came across this Around Asheville post about the Green Sage coffee shop, located downtown at the corner of Broadway and College Street.

I did know the Green Sage was open, and am glad to have another coffeehouse where the beloved Bean Streets used to reside. But until coming across this post, I had no idea the Green Sage’s hook is all fair trade coffee, local organic food, and ecologically minded business practices. This post also brought to my attention their roof-top solar panels, which I hadn’t noticed when driving through town (too busy trying not to run over pedestrians or rear-end other vehicles!).

Tonight the Green Sage hosts a talk about what makes a model green business, at 6:30pm.

I probably won’t make it to the talk, but after viewing the list of goals (see them also to the left) on their Web site, I’m definitely checking it out - hopefully for brunch tomorrow!

They also have great hours:
Coffeehouse
Mon-Wed 7:30am - 9pm
Thursday 7:30am - 10pm
Friday 7:30am - 11pm
Saturday 8am - 11pm
Sunday 8am - 9pm

Café (Seasonal Hours)
Breakfast until 4pm Daily
Lunch & Dinner 11am-8pm (Sun-Thurs), 9pm (Fri,Sat)

Who doesn’t love a late brunch on a Saturday!?

Cool Asheville Thing #1:
Today is Dining out for Life. Eat lunch or dinner at participating restaurant and proceeds go to the Western North Carolina AIDS Project (WNCAP), a group that helps provide a number of services to those with HIV/AIDS. See the huge list of participating restaurants (as well as more information on Dining out for Life).

Cool Asheville Thing #2:
Day in the Life of Asheville takes place each year, when anyone who wants to can take photos during the designated 24-hour period and submit them for judging. This year’s photos can be see here.

This year also included Citizen Camera, in which disposable cameras were also placed all around downtown Asheville for passerby to take any picture they chose and then leave the camera for the next person. Apparently it was a big success, and you can view Citizen Camera photos here.

If you live in Asheville or know a lot of Ashevillians, it’s worth checking out - you never know who you’re going to see (I saw my roommate from my freshman year at UNCA)!
(To read more about DITLO Asheville and also Citizen Camera, see this blogasheville post.)

See this entry on our *NEW* blog!

In a society that loves getting and staying fit, the concept of a vacation can throw your health routine into a downward spiral! Sleeping as late as you want and eating as much as you want?!

Well, even if your vacation puts your 7pm pilates or aerobics class on hold, and you want to eat your way through a new destination, there are ways to enjoy vacation and still keep your health (and weight) where you want it to be.

Asheville and the WNC area are perfect destinations for this type of vacation. Even the many delicious restaurants in town tend to be health conscious and (very, very) vegetarian friendly. In fact, I’m spoiled by living in Asheville - I can eat out at nearly any local restaurant and have several healthy, vegetarian options. When I go to most new places or other cities I forget the norm is a (chain restaurant) menu full of option synonymous to big, fatty steak dinner plates! See the restaurant links to the bottom right for local restaurants and their Ashevillian-style menus.

Aside from healthy eating your way through downtown Asheville, you can enjoy desert every now and then too without feeling guilty. This is a destination for walkers, and even those who hate exercise won’t notice they’re doing something healthy. Walk around downtown Asheville all afternoon. Walk around Biltmore Estate house and gardens (an all-day on foot event). Hike among your vast choices of trails and views from Black Mountain to the Tennessee border. The sights are plenty distraction from what your feet and legs are doing!

For novice hikers, check out this article on the benefits of hiking and getting started.

Happy (& healthy) vacationing!

Check out this entry at our NEW blog!

Sometimes the venture into downtown Asheville for lunch or dinner can be overwhelming - finding parking, paying for parking, walking in search of where you’re going, long waits once you get to the restaurant. After a long day of driving or hiking or other adventures you may not want to experience the extra hassle, especially if you’ve planned another day to ‘do’ downtown. Several restaurants in Asheville are located outside of downtown, take reservations or have shorter lines, and are just as tasty…

Marco’s Pizza
Two locations in North & South Asheville.
Great Italian family restaurant straight from NYC - awesome pizza but plenty of salads, sandwiches and entrees to please everyone’s taste buds and rumbling stomachs. The most popular pizza place in Asheville with locals, but lots of seating so there’s hardly ever much of a wait.

Urban Burrito
Four locations each side of Asheville
Huge, tasty, customizable meals - burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads, chili… the list goes on. Inexpensive, filling, and GOOD. Great lunch fare, or good for a quick dinner.

Pomodoros
Located in East Asheville.
Another great Italian and Greek family restaurant, but pricer than Marcos (jeans and tees are still welcome, but the atmosphere, dishes, and prices are a little more upscale). Best for dinner, and a regular spot for locals so expect a longer wait for dinner. Insider tip: they take reservations, sometimes even as close as an hour before your planned arrival!

Corner Kitchen
Located in Biltmore Village.
Possibly the best Sunday brunch I’ve found in Asheville (and I’ve cultivated a critical taste for brunch!). They also serve breakfast & lunch (entrees under $11) and dinner fare (entrees $18-25). Really popular with locals and visitors, so expect a pretty significant wait during peak eating times. Another insider tip: they also take reservations and will accept them fairly close to arrival!