NOTE: Ticket sales end on March 7 to give our chefs time to prepare their samples.
How different would our world look if we derived the four basic commodities of “grain”, oil, “dairy” and “meat” from an agriculture of perennial native trees? Could it look like Acorn crackers? Stable climate? Hickory oil chestnuts fritters? More natural diversity? Walnut ice cream? Healthier people? We are what we eat, and what we eat shapes the world in which we live. If we are to gracefully make room for the expanding human population we will need to transition to vegetable based diets that are carbon negative. That means eating perennial tree crops like nuts. Ultimately consuming products made from trees encourages the planting of them.
Come experience an inspiring tasting of creative iterations of food using native nut ingredients prepared by:
Jason Sellers of Plant
Susannah Gebhart of O.W.L.
Cathy Cleary, creator of West End Bakery.
Also, to make your mouth water in anticipation:
Our Friends from Diosis Cheese, the new kids on the vegan cheese block here in Asheville, are going to be contributing some tantalizing tastes for the upcoming taste and tell event. They will using black walnuts and acorn starch to conjure up some:
1.Walnut lemon honey French style spreadable cheese
2.Goddess Queso, creamy nacho cheese style with walnut
3. Locally sourced acorn mozzerella.
4.umami French local and fermented pear French style soft cheese
These will be served with Wisecrackers Acorn crackers.
Bill Whipple shares anecdotes about where the nuts came from, how they got to your plate, and an unfolding future braised in elegant and positive solutions.
As the light returns, many cultures focus on trees as the symbol of the abundance of life and rebirth. By mid February the tree nuts will have been gathered, cured, and are now in full swing processing. The Acornucopia Project has been hard at work innovating new ways to process native nuts and is encouraging communities around the region to initiate a culture of nut trees consisting of foragers, chefs, foodies, people concerned about their health, the health of their community, the health of the environment, and future generations. This is an invitation to get started. Let’s revive the spirit of cooperation, foraging, processing and marketing of open source wild foods, and make good, wholesome, nutritional, perennial foods accessible.
Bill Whipple
Bill Whipple has been a perennial tree crop farmer for over 30 years. He planted his chemical free pear orchards in 1987. He helped steward the edible parks and initiated 2 new ones in Asheville spawning the Buncombe Fruit and Nut club. In the last 6 years he has co-created the Nutty Buddy Collective which has provided land access for young aspiring orchardists, and the Acornucopia Project which intends to create perennially tree based industries in our region.
Each $25 ticket includes admission, sampling of nutty delights, and a $7 voucher for Acornacopia products available at the event.
https://www.facebook.com/events/575862719550028/