cilantro

Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week

While we’re forever grateful for winter farmers markets and farmers who find ways to extend their growing seasons, we do sometimes experience midwinter doldrums. Less variety can leave cooks feeling uninspired. When this happens, it’s time to mix things up—literally, in a blender or food processor. We’re talking about winter green sauces! Green tahini sauce … Read more

Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week

cucumbers

With a heat wave gripping most of the Eastern United States this week, it’s too hot to cook! Luckily, we’re entering the season of chilled soups and gazpacho. These dishes are essentially vegetable smoothies to eat from a bowl—or even drink from a glass if you prefer! They require no heat to prepare, but pack … Read more

Chef Jen Pearson’s Lime Crema

Jen Pearson

Jen Pearson opened Guadalupe Cafe in Sylva, NC, in 2004 with a handful of farmer contacts and a passion for creative and delicious cuisine. “Fresh, Local, Organic” isn’t just a motto—it’s a creed. The restaurant has built relationships with local producers so that the food comes straight from their fields to the kitchen. This recipe … Read more

Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week

bamboo from Lee's One Fortune Farm

Farmers tailgate markets often provide entertainment in the form of musicians or even, on occasion, dancers or flash mobs. But sometimes the performance can come from the farmers. This week, stop to watch for a few minutes as Tou Lee of Lee’s One Fortune Farm demonstrates how to peel fresh bamboo shoots at his booth. You can … Read more

Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week

The forecast for the weekend is begging you to ditch the heavy winter coat, pack a tasty sandwich, and head outside! Banh mi, a Vietnamese street food staple, includes many ingredients available at winter markets right now, including daikon radish, carrots, lemongrass, and cilantro. Our recipe takes a bit of advance prep time for marinating and pickling, but the actual active work is fairly simple. 

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Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week

chicken and veggies from Fiddler's Green Farm

As temperatures continue to rise, more farmers and others vendors are returning to fill out farmers tailgate markets—and a few more markets are ready to open! Enka-Candler Tailgate Market, at the A-B Tech Small Business Center in Enka, opens this Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. Black Mountain Tailgate Market will open next Saturday, May 8, from 9 a.m. to noon. (If you’re looking for a market outside of Buncombe County, here’s a full list of opening dates throughout the region.)

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Plant-Based Tacos

purple cabbage

As part of ASAP’s Farm Fresh for Health initiative, we partnered with community health professionals to bring you virtual demos to inspire cooking for yourself and your family. Dr. Brian Asbill of Ruckus Health demos a family favorite recipe. Ingredients Taco filling: Cashew cream: Directions

Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week

pozole

Did you dry peppers earlier in the season? Or are you still finding fresh ones at farmers tailgate markets? Many farms will continue have them, probably until the first frost. Try making red or green pozole. This simple-but-satisfying Mexican soup showcases local peppers, as well as peak fall produce and local meats. 

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Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week

Hominy Farm's man'oushe flatbread

Hominy Farm is a new vendor at River Arts District Winter Market, selling naturally leavened, wood-fired breads produced in the Candler bakery formerly used by Farm and Sparrow. Their collection includes ciabatta-like gan au levain, whole grain rustic boule, sesame rye, and apple toast tatin (from Creasman Farms apples). But it’s the man’oushe—a flatbread slathered with za’atar spice and olive oil—that might inspire you to pick up ingredients for a Middle Eastern–style platter while shopping at farmers markets this week.

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Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week

An all-local Thanksgiving dinner is a lofty goal, but probably impractical (and could add some additional stress to the holiday for sure). Some traditional ingredients, like green beans or corn, have passed their peak harvest season here in Western North Carolina, so if you didn’t freeze some back in September, you might be out of luck now. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find local cranberries or pecans. But there are ways to feature something local in each dish, if you’re up for the challenge!

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