Sure, the image is a little trite: Dad in his battleworn apron, presiding over the Weber. But since Sunday is both Father’s Day and the first day of summer, we’re going to lean into the stereotype and devote this column to grilling. Grillable veggies like summer squash, spring onions, and mushrooms are plentiful at farmers tailgate markets right now, in addition to a wide assortment of steaks, sausages, chops, and birds.
tomatoes
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
We’re continuing our tips for preserving your end-of-summer farmers market bounty this week, even if you can’t get your hands on any canning equipment. (You can thank the COVID-19 combination of boredom and prepper mentality for a nationwide shortage.) This week we’re focusing on oven drying. For a guide to air drying, look for last week’s post on fromhere.org.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
The humble tomato pie. Is there a better purpose for the scores of tomatoes piling up on farmers tailgate market tables right now? Not to be confused with the tomato pie of Italian-American descent, the Southern tomato pie revolves around three ingredients: tomato, cheese, and mayonnaise. Everything else—including the crust—is optional.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
It’s that time of year again—break out your canning jars and start preserving the end of the summer season! Mid-September is an ideal time to put up tomatoes, which are still abundant at markets now, but will start fading out over the next month. Remember, you can ask farmers if they have large volumes of tomatoes (or other produce) that you can purchase in bulk.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
Is there a more quintessential summer experience than eating a popsicle in the sun, with sweet fruit juices dribbling down your chin? Farmers tailgate markets offer a wealth of popsicle ingredients, including some options for thinking outside the tried and true mold.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
Corn, tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos—it’s officially salsa season at farmers tailgate markets!
Two markets are offering special events capitalizing on salsa fever: West Asheville Tailgate Market’s Pepperpalooza will take place this Tuesday, July 23, featuring a hot pepper eating contest, hot sauce tasting, demonstrations of ristra (a traditional Spanish method for drying peppers), and more. Weaverville Tailgate Market’s salsa competition and fundraiser is the following week, on Wednesday, July 31. Register to enter via the market’s Facebook page—or just show up to taste the contenders and vote your picks.
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
The first tomatoes have arrived at farmers tailgate markets! If you acted quickly this past week, you may have snagged an early variety from Thatchmore Farm (North Asheville Tailgate Market, West Asheville Tailgate Market), Full Sun Farm (River Arts District Farmers Market, North Asheville Tailgate Market), Olivette Farm, or Headwaters Market Garden (both at Asheville City Market).
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
There’s at least one hue of every color represented at area farmers tailgate markets. Farmers’ booths are vibrant and polychromatic. There’s a saying that goes: “Eat your colors.” Variety in the colors of your diet, may or may not live up to this advice, but it sure will make your fridge drawers look beautiful!
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
Fixings for summer salads of all kinds, veggies fit for frying, and so much more can be found at area farmers tailgate markets now. July is high time for everything summer, light, delicious salads and scrumptious fried delights are some highlights this week! Not to mention all the fruits, snacking veggies, root veggies, meats, cheeses, breads, baked goods, and more that are just waiting for you to discover!
Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week
Kohlrabi is a beautiful, unique, and delicious vegetable, that is arguably vastly undervalued and sometimes misunderstood. It has a funny sounding name, a peculiar shape, and it’s a fairly uncommon vegetable in standard American cookbooks. At area farmers markets, that may be changing.