It’s berry season! You can now find blackberries, raspberries, and an ample amount of blueberries at Buncombe County farmers tailgate markets. Whether you’re eating them in handfuls, including them in your baked goods, adding them to salads, or creating refreshing frozen treats, you’re going to want to get to a market near you to embrace this season of berries.
Find blueberries from Tiny Bridge Farm (Asheville City and West Asheville markets), Two Stones Farm and Mill (North Asheville and River Arts District markets), Wild East Farm (Black Mountain and River Arts District markets), Lyda and Sons Orchard (Weaverville Tailgate Market), and Bear Necessities Farm (West Asheville Tailgate Market). Bear Necessities and Bright Branch Farm (East Asheville Tailgate Market) have blackberries and raspberries, too! You can also find the first peaches from Bright Branch Farm (East Asheville Tailgate Market) and McConnell Farms (North Asheville Tailgate Market).
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement over these sweet, sun-ripened fruits, and you may let your eyes get a little bigger than your market bag. If you find you’ve come home with more than you can eat before they start to get overripe, don’t despair. Fruits of all sorts are particularly easy to preserve or process into longer-lasting treats. Freeze them for later by sorting them (pulling out any overripe ones), laying them out on a tray in the freezer to flash freeze (and so they don’t all stick together), then transferring them to a freezer bag and squeezing all the air out (so they don’t get frostbite). You can store frozen fruit for six months to a year. Make jam from these frozen fruits or add them to your morning smoothie routine.
Hand pies or turnovers are great for sharing on summer days, as they are individually portioned and easily portable, ready to grab and go, whether that’s to the backyard or out on the trail. You can mix and match whatever fruits you want, but we’re partial to berries. Make an easy compote by simmering a pound of berries or fruit with about one-half cup of sugar, more or less. Give it a squeeze of lemon or lime, add herbs, or just stick with berry simplicity. You can use a standard butter-and-flour pie dough, but a pastry dough with buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream can be a bit more forgiving as you roll it out and form mini pies (just remember to chill well first to keep the butter from melting too quickly). Cut vents in the top layer of your pies to let steam escape as they bake.
Also spotted at markets in recent weeks: slicing and cherry tomatoes, fennel, garlic scapes, green garlic, onions, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, carrots, beets, greens, zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, and much more. Markets offer an abundance of farm-fresh eggs and meats, including chicken, pork, beef, and lamb. You can also get bread, cheese, pastries, fermented products, drinks, and prepared foods. Find more details about farms and markets throughout the region in ASAP’s online Local Food Guide at appalachiangrown.org.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
