The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving can be hectic, with one shopping list after another. Knowing that, vendors at area farmers tailgate markets pledge to help you get through this time with ease—and, of course, lots of local food.
Order dessert this week and check an entire course off your to-do list! Take the Cake! Cupcakes A-Go-Go will have a special holiday menu and ordering form Saturday at Asheville City Market. (Find them select Tuesdays at the West Asheville Tailgate Market, too.) Sweetheart Bakery also plans to offer holiday ordering. Owner Aimee Mostwill will make samples available at her market booths this week/weekend (Asheville City Market, North Asheville Tailgate Market, Montford Farmers Market) and share her contact information. She’ll accept orders by phone or email.
Don’t see an order form? Don’t be shy! Ask if a vendor will take special holiday orders. If not, see if they’ll spill the beans on the treats they plan to offer the weekend before and week of the big day.
While the time to pre-order local turkeys has passed, there’s still plenty of local protein to be found—from beef to chicken, lamb to pork, and rabbit to tempeh. Consider starting a new tradition this year with seafood! The Wild Salmon Company (Asheville City Market, North Asheville Tailgate Market, Montford Farmers Market, West Asheville Tailgate Market) joined markets last month and offers wild sockeye salmon, and Sunburst Trout Farms (Asheville City Market, North Asheville Tailgate Market) offers rainbow trout raised right here in our mountains.
Of course, side-dish perfect produce can be found now. Stock up (and cross off!) onions, potatoes, root veggies, and winter squash now. Then grab apples and greens like collards, lettuce, kale, and bok choy next week.
More stressed by what you’ll make after Thanksgiving and Christmas, once tailgates have closed for the season? For the next two weeks, Winter Sun Farms will have signup sheets at area markets for their winter CSA. Find them this week at West Asheville Tailgate Market, Asheville City Market South, and North Asheville Tailgate Market. Next week, find them at West Asheville Tailgate Market, Montford Farmers Market, and North Asheville Tailgate Market.
Tomorrow, November 8, West Asheville Tailgate Market hosts a Winter Wellness event. Special healing arts vendors—from herbalists to massage therapists to yoga instructors and more—will sell products/services and provide demonstrations. Many tailgates have changed hours and/or moved indoors to extend their season. And, many tailgates begin their special holiday markets just before Thanksgiving. For all the details about market moves, hours, special holiday events, closings, and more, read THIS post.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
