For the 2015 year, our chapter will focus on one main theme, the Nancy Hall Sweet Potato, and all that surrounds this regionally adapted, hard to find, delicious and unique variety.
The Nancy Hall Sweet Potato is included in Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste. The Ark of Taste is a living catalog of delicious and distinctive foods facing extinction. By identifying and championing these foods we keep them in production and on our plates.
We will be working with farmers and home gardeners, providing the sweet potato slips to be grown in various locales in and around Asheville. We will be keeping up with all of the growers throughout the season, identifying challenges and opportunities, and culminating in a harvest celebration featuring the Nancy Hall. Our goal is to test the viability of this sweet potato in terms of how well it grows in our region and how much market demand exists. We will feature and learn about all things Nancy Hall Sweet Potato as we progress into the year.
Stay tuned for news, updates, and photos throughout the season, or better yet, get involved!
Get Your Sweet Potatoes
Nancy Hall Sweet Potato
Would you like to join other local growers and trial this sweet potato variety in your garden?
While our supply is spoken for, Sow True Seed is selling the variety as well and encouraging customers to take notes and photos as their Nancy Halls grow!
Read their recent blog post An Heirloom Sweet Potato, The Nancy Hall that mentions this project, and remember that Sow True has slips available by pre-order if you’d like to grow some Nancy Hall for yourself.
Would you like to join other local growers and trial this sweet potato variety in your garden? Go to Sow True Seed website (local to Asheville) www.sowtrueseed.com
Interested in volunteering with Slow Food Asheville for media and marketing, event planning, or other creative involvements with the project? If you would like to get involved, contact Ashley Epling at [email protected] or [email protected].
UPDATE:
Happy news–the first round of slips was picked up and distributed yesterday evening. Thomas is a charming young man, who is a pleasure, and in the case of sweet potatoes, a treasure!
Ashley and I dropped off the allotted amount of slips to Patrick at the Ag center, and I will be doing a drop in Fairview this afternoon.