ASAP's Weekly Farmers Market Report - January 31, 2020

Fresh at Farmers Markets

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It’s common for chickens to slow down their laying in January and February, meaning that eggs can rise to a new level of scarcity at winter markets. If you’re looking to score a dozen (or more), it’s best to get to market early and head straight for one of the following vendors. 
 
At River Arts District Winter Market : [link removed] on Wednesdays, look for eggs from Lee’s One Fortune Farm : [link removed], Lick Log Apiaries, Black Trumpet Farm : [link removed], and Headshrink Farms. At Asheville City Market–Winter : [link removed] on Saturdays, you can find eggs from Hickory Nut Gap Farm : [link removed], Lee’s One Fortune Farm, Fiddler’s Green Farm, and Dry Ridge Farm : [link removed]. 
 

After scaling up in 2019, Dry Ridge Farm has one of the biggest egg-laying operations around, and should be back to having enough eggs to go around in a few weeks. In the meantime, ask about their pullet eggs, which are smaller and come from hens in their first few months of laying. You’ll never find these eggs in traditional grocery stores, as they don’t conform to standard sizes, but they are often considered to be richer with brighter yolks. Pullet eggs poach or fry up beautifully, but you can also use them for baking. Just aim for a ratio of one-and-a-half pullet eggs to one regular size egg (so a recipe calling for two eggs would require three pullet eggs). 
 

At the other end of the spectrum, you can find duck eggs from Lee’s One Fortune Farm. Duck eggs are about fifty percent larger than standard chicken eggs and have a thicker shell, which means they stay fresher longer. With bigger yolks and a higher fat content, they are generally found to be creamier than chicken eggs and are prized by bakers for fluffier cakes and more stable meringues. 
 

It’s worth seeking out eggs of any size right now, as they are the perfect accompaniment to the winter greens and starchy root veggies abundant at winter markets. A simple but delicious weeknight meal can be made of rice or grits with roasted sweet potatoes, sauteed greens such as Swiss chard, bok choy, or turnip greens, crowned with a poached or fried egg. Maybe add a little kimchi or fermented hot sauce from Sweet Brine’d (River Arts District Winter Market) or Serotonin Ferments : [link removed] (Asheville City Market–Winter) on top. 
 

In addition to eggs, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens, market vendors are stocked with potatoes, apples, turnips, carrots, radishes, fennel, cabbage, snow peas, salad greens, mushrooms, meat, cheese, bread, baked goods, and much, much more.
 

Area farmers tailgate markets take place throughout the region, even through the winter. As always, you can find information about farms, tailgate markets, and farm stands, including locations and hours, by visiting ASAP’s online Local Food Guide at appalachiangrown.org : [link removed].

: [link removed] save on your Business of Farming Conference registration? Make sure you register by tomorrow! Rates go up on Feb. 2. Find out more about the conference—including workshop descriptions and schedule, speakers, Grower-Buyer Meeting participants, and more—and register at our website : [link removed].

Connect with Us

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appalachiangrown.org : [link removed] | fromhere.org : [link removed]
asapconnections.org : [link removed] | growing- : [link removed] : [link removed]
 
Donate to support local food, strong farms, and healthy communities today! : [link removed]
 
ASAP's mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food.



Upcoming Events

2/1
Holistic Crop Management: Managing Weeds Holistically : [link removed]
 

2/3
What do we call it? Organic, etc. : [link removed]
 

2/6
Advanced Enterprise Development : [link removed] 
 

Sierra Club: Preserving A Picturesque America : [link removed]
 

2/8
Farm Dreams Workshop : [link removed]

2/11
Friends of Ag Breakfast : [link removed]

2/13
Burke Small Fruit Production Workshop : [link removed]

2/22
ASAP’s Business of Farming Conference : [link removed]
 

View the full calendar : [link removed] of events.

ASAP on the Air

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Aaron and Nicole Bradley of Colfax Creek Farm have generations of farming experience in their families. Now they're carrying on the family’s commitment to raising pastured livestock. Hear more about their journey on this week's Growing Local : [link removed].

 
You can listen to all
Growing Local episodes on SoundCloud : [link removed], iTunes : [link removed], or on ASAP's website : [link removed].

Local Food & Farms in the News

Asheville ranked number one on Yelp's list of best food destinations : [link removed], calling out the "restaurants, breweries and food businesses powered by generations-old family farms." (Food and Wine : [link removed] checked in with its take on Asheville as well.)


The Asheville Food Fan Awards honored local food businesses, including Gaining Ground Farm as farm of the year and Meg Chamberlain of Fermenti as food maker of the year. The Asheville Citizen-Times : [link removed] has the complete list. 


Several upcoming local events feature truffles, including a truffle farm visit at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville, reports the Asheville Citizen-Times : [link removed].

In The Laurel of Asheville : [link removed], Robert Turner considers ideas for farmland preservation in Western North Carolina.



ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) - 306 W. Haywood Street - Asheville - NC - 28801

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