ASAP’s Weekly Farmers Market Report - October 6, 2023

Fresh at Farmers Markets

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Locally grown rice from Lee’s One Fortune Farm : [link removed] has finally returned to markets! This week, look for sweet sticky and red rice from the Lees, with more varieties to come over throughout the season, like purple and brown rice! You can find them at Asheville City : [link removed], Black Mountain : [link removed], East Asheville : [link removed], River Arts District : [link removed], and West Asheville : [link removed] markets this week.
 
The flavor and texture of sweet sticky rice is pretty reflective of its namesake, with a taste that is subtly sweeter than typical white rice varieties and a notably stickier texture. Sticky rice can be easily substituted for white rice in any recipe, but is most commonly used in dessert recipes like rice pudding, mochi, or the traditional Southeast Asian dessert, mango sticky rice!

Cooking sweet sticky rice isn’t as straightforward as most rice varieties. While you can cook your sticky rice in a one-to-one rice and water ratio if you’re pressed for time, for the best results, you’ll want to soak it beforehand and steam. Prepare your sticky rice by washing with water until the water runs mostly clear. In a large bowl, cover the rice with lukewarm water, then soak for anywhere between four to twelve hours. Drain the rice and steam for 20 to 25 minutes. You can do this with a bamboo cone steamer or steamer rack and cloth, and if you don’t have either of these, add the rice to a metal sieve, and steam. 

Red rice has a delicious nutty flavor and aroma, with a slightly chewier texture than your typical white rice from a grocery store. Its unique flavor and high nutritional content makes it a perfect foundation for a buddha bowl prepared with other seasonal veggies from farmers markets. To decorate your red rice veggie bowl, we recommend sautéing some shiitake mushrooms from Black Trumpet Farm : [link removed] (North Asheville : [link removed] and River Arts District markets), cooking and shelling a handful of edamame beans from Bear Necessities : [link removed] (Asheville City and West Asheville markets), thinly slicing a few root vegetables like carrot and radishes, and finishing off with some locally fermented kimchi from Serotonin Ferments (Asheville City, Black Mountain, North Asheville, and West Asheville markets)! To cook red rice, add a one-to-two rice to water ratio to a pot, bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer, cover with a lid, and let cook for 40 to 45 minutes. 

At farmers markets now you’ll also find corn, winter squash, peppers, okra, muscadine grapes, Asian pears, potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, mushrooms, and greens like lettuce, kale, and bok choy. Markets are also stocked with a variety of plants, meats, cheese, rice, pasta, bread, pastries, drinks, and prepared foods. Find more details about farms and markets throughout the region in ASAP’s online Local Food Guide : [link removed].

Connect with ASAP

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appalachiangrown.org : [link removed] | asapconnections.org : [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.
 

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Through 10/29
Fall Festival and Corn Maze at Eliada Home : [link removed] 10/7-10/8
Gardening in Harmony with Nature : [link removed] 10/8
2023 High Country Farm Tour : [link removed] 10/14A Day on the Homestead : [link removed] 10/18
North Carolina Crunch : [link removed]
10/21
Carolina CiderFest : [link removed] 10/26
Forest Farming 101: Cultivating Ginseng With Jim Hamlton : [link removed] 
Find upcoming events (or post your own) at
asapconnections.org : [link removed].

News from ASAP

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Join the North Carolina Crunch on Oct. 18
October is National Farm to School Month, and one way to celebrate is by joining in the North Carolina Crunch : [link removed]. You don't have to be a student or educator to participate! Just gather a group and crunch into a local fruit or veggie (an apple or anything else that makes a crunch!) on Wednesday, Oct. 18, or another day in October. Find resources for how schools, farmers, businesses, or other groups can get involved on the Growing Minds website. : [link removed] and Farms in the News

WLOS : [link removed] checked in on the fall favorite—pumpkin ice cream at The Hop, a collaboration with Lee's One Fortune Farm. "We're using pumpkins that are grown locally that we roast and puree into the ice cream base with the spices that you would expect," describes Greg Garrison, co-owner of The Hop.

Edible Asheville : [link removed] put a spotlight on the mushroom tart at Cultura, which features local ingredients from Black Trumpet Farm, Spinning Spider Creamery, Three Graces Dairy, Gaining Ground Farm, Old North Farm, and Lee's One Fortune Farm. "There is a connection to the food in that it’s 99% sourced locally," says chef Eric Morris. “The dish represents our philosophy and approach to most of our menu at Cultura. It surpasses anything one of us could produce on our own.”



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

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