Crazy about cukes? Then you’ll want to rush out to your neighborhood farmers tailgate market this week. Vendors tables are covered in captivating cucumbers—from slicers to pickling varieties in every shade of green, even white.
Montford Farmers Market
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
Not ready to say ‘so long’ to spring produce? Then head out to area farmers tailgate markets this week and stock up before summer officially arrives!
Garlic scapes will begin waning with heat on our heels. Luckily, the flower stem of the garlic plant can easily be preserved to enjoy throughout the year. Scapes pickle well and make a great pesto, which can be frozen. If going that route, also pick up basil for a batch. The herb is available from many vendors now; Fisher Branch Farm (Asheville City Market) even has three kinds of basil starts if you want to plant yourself.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
It’s the best of both worlds—rather, seasons—at area farmers tailgate markets now! Spring strawberries can still be found among exciting newcomers like mushrooms, summer squash, and sunflowers.
Chanterelles were a crowd pleaser at Asheville City Market this past weekend. In fact, the mushrooms flew out of Paper Crane Farm’s booth fast (see pic above; also find Paper Crane at West Asheville Tailgate Market). Expect to see more chanterelles along with other wild and cultivated mushrooms, from chicken of the woods to shiitakes, at markets this month. June is officially dedicated to mushrooms in ASAP’s Get Local initiative, and local mushroom expert Alan Muskat shares it will be the peak time for favorite wild varieties like chanterelles. Your farmer may grow and/or forage their mushrooms; just ask!
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
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!
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
There has definitely been a broccoli buzz lately at area farmers tailgate markets! Expect that buzz to build and build in the coming weeks.
Broccoli is most prominent at markets in early summer, and again in the fall, but farmers have been offering up the veggie ahead of schedule this year. At the French Broad Food Co-op Wednesday Tailgate Market alone, three vendors brought broccoli last week: MiLo Acres, Tucker’s Garden, and Old Ground Farm. Find broccoli at other markets this week as well, but do get there early to shop. Harvest amounts are limited and going fast.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
Been bit by the holiday decorating bug? Then head out to area farmers tailgate markets this week for festive farm-fresh flourishes!
Weaverville Tailgate Market kicks off their holiday season Wednesday, November 30th. Vendor Lyda Farms promises lots of holiday greenery, as well as decorative branches of Curly Willow and Pussy Willow. Weaverville’s holiday markets run the next four Wednesdays, through December 21, from 2 until 6 pm inside the community center near Lake Louise.
Corners Knob Farm will bring their just-cut Fraser Firs and handmade Fraser wreaths to Asheville City Market Saturday. They’ll remain through the final holiday market. But, don’t rest on your laurels; they could sell out before then.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
Attention last-minute Thanksgiving shoppers! Here’s what you need to know:
West Asheville Tailgate Market’s final tailgate of the season is tomorrow, November 22nd, from 2:30 until 5:30 pm. Find all the produce, meats, cheeses, and baked goods you’ll need for your big meal, as well as holiday baskets chock-full of goodies from market vendors.
Both the Wednesday Co-op Tailgate Market next to the French Broad Food Co-op and the Montford Farmers Market are open Wednesday, the 23rd, from 2 to 6 pm with an abundance of produce, meats, and cheeses, along with flowers and wreaths for your tablescape. It’s the last full market of the season for the Wednesday Co-op Tailgate (some vendors will remain through December), and it’s the final market for Montford before the site becomes home to the 9th Annual Holiday Bazaar, December 3, 10, and 17.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
Thanksgiving is the ultimate meat (or meat-alternative!) and potatoes meal, and who says spuds can’t be the star? Area farmers tailgate markets have the varieties you need to make the quintessential side stand out—whether you plan to mash, roast, or bake.
Look for fingerling potatoes, including the chef-favorite Russian Banana. These yellow banana-shaped ‘taters are known for their firm texture that holds up well to boiling, baking, and beyond. Also look for Green Mountain potatoes, spotted recently from Full Sun Farm at Montford Farmers Market and North Asheville Tailgate Market. Green Mountain was once the country’s most-popular baking potato, before the Russet took over the top spot. While only a few farmers grow the variety now, Full Sun promises that its unique buttery flavor is still the same.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
It’s a veritable pumpkin patch at area farmers tailgate markets now that October is here! Pick pie pumpkins for your favorite recipe. They’re smaller, sweeter, and less grainy than their carving counterparts, making them perfect for, well, pie!
Of course jack-o-lanterns can be “picked,” too. At Asheville City Market, visit Hugh Wright of Arbor Studios. He brings a selection of already carved pumpkins that are truly works of art. What’s more, he carves live at his booth and offers custom designs. He’ll keep his patch packed through Halloween, but his intricate designs should last until well after the spooky day. Vendors also sell Indian corn, colorful squash, and gourds for decoration.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
You could say that the bases are loaded now at area farmers markets. And that the shift is on; the seasonal shift, that is. Summer’s heavy-hitters—tomatoes, eggplants, and more—remain, while fall’s rookies are being called up to play.
This week, McConnell Farms plans to have some of the last of summer’s peaches at Asheville City Market South (Wednesday) and downtown (Saturday). He should still have sweet corn, too. But the cobs are sure to go fast.