Get Your Pass for ASAP’s 2024 Farm Tour

By Emma Castleberry

Passes are on sale now for ASAP’s 2024 Farm Tour, a weekend of guided tours, tastings and demonstrations at farms throughout the region. This year’s tour will take place Saturday and Sunday, September 21-22, from 12–5 p.m. both days. The tour is organized into “clusters,” collections of farms in the same area that make planning your visits easier. This year’s clusters are centered around Barnardsville, Candler/Canton, Henderson County, Polk County and McDowell/Rutherford counties.

“The farm tour is a fantastic way for people to learn about the amazing agricultural activities happening in our area,” says Laura Ruby, founder of The Ruby Ranch, which is part of the Candler/Canton Cluster. “It allows people to connect with farms and farmers and learn more about the ways they can plug into our bustling local agricultural scene.”

The Ruby Ranch, a farm and horse facility, will offer greenhouse tours, opportunities to meet horses and a sneak-peek of the farm’s u-pick pumpkin patch. “This cluster is nestled in the beautiful Hominy Valley, at the base of Mt. Pisgah,” says Ruby. “There is such a peaceful, calming presence in this valley, which is located at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains. Being in a valley, the area also boasts some amazingly rich and beautiful soil.”

Stump Farms, a stop on the Henderson Cluster of the Farm Tour, will provide samples of food and drinks made with produce grown on-site, as well as the opportunity for visitors to leave with a kit and instructions for growing their own microgreens or plants at home. “We feature small-scale farming with large capabilities, using indoor hydroponics and outdoor traditional organic farming on a mixed-use commercial lot,” says owner/farmer Alicia Stump. “The Henderson County cluster offers diversity in food and farms. We showcase everything from large-scale fruit orchards, our urban family farm, to backyard growers turned market producers. Visiting our farm cluster highlights the various levels of farms and techniques in food production. You will find legacy farmers as well as cross paths with passionate first-generation farmers continuing to make changes in our area.”

Volunteers are present at every farm, facilitating the experience by directing traffic, signing people in, answering questions and explaining what’s available on the farm and how to navigate it. Volunteers Nelson and Debra Copp attended their first ASAP Farm Tour in 2012 and have participated for many years as volunteers. “We learned that by volunteering, we could help the community meet the farmers and introduce them to the operation of the farm,” says Debra. “It’s fun and you can visit a lot of farms that offer animal experiences, wine tasting and pick-your-own fruit or vegetables. It’s a good way for locals and tourists alike to visit all the wonderful areas of WNC.”

Lyric East, co-owner at Wild East Farm in the McDowell/Rutherford Cluster, says that the Farm Tour is a two-way street: the public brings fresh energy to the farm, and it’s an opportunity for farmers to demystify rural, agricultural life. “It’s a special time to share what we’ve been up to all season directly with the folks who eat our food, or are interested in exploring local foods,” she says. “September is a magical time at the farm as summer wanes to autumn and we begin the gentle transition into the slower season.”

A $35 pass provides access for all passengers in a single vehicle to visit all farms on both days of the tour. Pending availability, the pass price goes up to $45 on September 21. Learn more and purchase passes at ASAPConnections.org/find-local-food/asaps-farm-tour.