September 27th, 2022

Join us to support FEAST!Our FEAST program reaches over 1,150 students a year in Asheville, Buncombe County, and Madison County with hands-on cooking and gardening classes in schools and afterschool programs. Help us fully fund this important program this fall! 
Bountiful Cities FEAST teachers work within Asheville City and Buncombe County schools, Hot Springs Elementary and Francine Delany New School to give students  hands on experience. We are not funded by the school systems, and yet we integrate with the grade level curriculum to provide history, science, reading, math, and art education in addition to gardening and cooking. Our goal is to give students tools that will last a lifetime. If they have seeds they will know how to have food.

Bountiful Cities is a Now Grant Recipient!

Thank you to the WNC Bridge Foundation for contributing to our important Long-Term food security work! Bountiful Cities goal is for Everyone to have access to fresh food and food sovereignty in this community, and we are so glad to have support from our funding partners. ​

New Shed for Hot Springs FEAST Program!

The garden grant received from the WNC Food Justice Planning Initiative covered about 40% of the cost of materials for the build which was a really amazing contribution toward this much-needed construction to establish our program.
The shed has been CRITICAL for tool storage and expansion of lesson supplies! ​

FEAST style Panzanella Salad

In FEAST cooking classes with kids we start with a framework of a recipe, then use what we have on hand and make substitutions. We try to teach them how to be creative when cooking with the ultimate goal of reducing food waste and eating delicious fresh food. A traditional Panzanella salad is made with torn bread, tomatoes, basil, parmesan cheese and cannellini beans. At the Community Garden Network event (in true FEAST style) we didn’t have a lot of these ingredients, so we made some delicious substitutions. Use this recipe as a framework and use some of the substitutions suggested below or make up your own!
 Ingredients
6-8 cups torn bread (older bread is ideal for this)
1 cup finely chopped cheese (parmesan is traditional but any kind of cheese works)
2-3 cups chopped tomatoes (substitute roasted peppers, roasted carrots, roasted eggplant, cucumbers or squash)
2 cups fresh spinach leaves ( substitute any leafy green)
1 cup fresh basil leaves (substitute ¼ cup oregano, thyme, cilantro, or chopped rosemary)
1 ½ cups cannellini beans (substitute any kind of bean or field pea)
¼ cup chopped olives, or onions (optional)
Italian style salad dressing or pesto dressing to taste
 Pesto Salad Dressing
¼ cup prepared pesto 
¼ cup cider vinegar
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
 Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. If making your own pesto dressing combine salad dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. Drizzle about ½ cup dressing on salad and toss well. Taste and add more dressing if desired. ​