Since 2002, skyrocketing demand for local food has been recorded in the Local Food Guide published annually by the Asheville-based Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. The number of local farms listed in that guide has grown from 58 to 691—a startling increase of 1,091 percent. So they decided to try something different: touting the economic and environmental benefits of local food. By 2011, more than eight in 10 consumers said they bought locally to contribute to the local economy and support local farms. It’s pretty good proof that local, sustainable food in Appalachia isn’t just a passing trend.