Spring salad ingredients are stealing the spotlight at area farmers tailgate markets now. And we’re not just talking about the standards—although crisp local lettuces and radishes abound. Find everything you need for specialty side salads: slaw, pasta salad, even potato salad!
Market representatives from Waynesville Tailgate Market, which recently opened for the season at 171 Legion Drive, share that new potatoes could be arriving as early as Wednesday and most likely by Saturday. What’s potato salad without fresh herbs?! Look for dill, peppermint, chives, and more.
Veggies in the Brassica family are also plentiful. At Montford Farmers Market and Asheville City Market last week, Blue Ribbon Farm brought large heads of napa cabbage along with kohlrabi; pair together for a seasonal slaw. Family member broccoli can also be found, ready to be served up as a traditional Southern-style side salad.
To add crunch to your green or pasta salad, think sugar snap peas. Folks have been snapping them up from vendors like Ivy Creek Family Farm (North Asheville Tailgate Market, Weaverville Tailgate Market) and Harvest Table Farm (West Asheville Tailgate Market, Black Mountain Tailgate Market). They’ll stick around markets for several more weeks but be gone once summer’s heat arrives.
Don’t miss spring’s BIG blooms! Bunches of peonies have been spotted from Tucker’s Garden (West Asheville Tailgate Market, French Broad Food Co-op Wednesday Tailgate Market). And, Waynesville Tailgate Market’s dynamo dahlia vendor will have tubers this week ready for planting. Of course, there are smaller blooms, too, like snapdragons from Full Sun Farm (Montford Farmers Market, North Asheville Tailgate Market).
Thursday, May 24, marks the soft opening of the new Oakley Farmers Market (Fairview Road, 2-6 pm). They’ll hold their grand opening May 31 with live music, baby goats, and a children’s balloon activity.
Speaking of children’s activities, Family Art at the Market at the Jackson County Farmers Market has begun. The program is offered Saturdays, (10 am-noon; market opens at 9), by Western Carolina University’s Fine and Performing Arts Center. ASAP is also gearing up for our Kids Corner Market (KCM) at Asheville City Market. KCM begins in June and runs Saturdays through the end of August.
To learn about more markets already open and opening, as well as market events, visit our online farmers market calendar and browse our online Local Food Guide.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
