With flooding earlier this week, some farms in our region are experiencing additional loss and frustration in this already uncertain time. You likely already know that shopping at farmers markets is one of the best ways to support local farms. Preordering what you want can also add a level of stability for farmers right now. Many farms are offering a preorder option at markets (some require it). This can take a little more advance work on your part, but it’s worth it to know that you will get what you want—and that you are helping farmers plan as well. Here’s a guide to the process.
To get a rundown of which farms and vendors will be at market each week, follow the market on social media and subscribe to its e-newsletter, if it has one. Markets are operating with fewer vendors to comply with social distancing directives and some are alternating week to week to create more opportunities, so getting a regular update is useful. Some markets include a list of vendors offering preorders and the best way to connect with them, making the process even easier. If not, you can find contact information for farmers in ASAP’s online Local Food Guide. Check to see if the farm has posted an availability list and deadline for preorders on its website or social media, or contact the farmer directly to ask. Make your order and pay according to the farmer’s chosen method (usually an online store or service like PayPal or Venmo). Confirm where you will pick up your items—at the vendor’s tent or at another location within the market. Relax, knowing you will have fresh produce, meat, eggs, or whatever else you’ve preordered come market day.
New spring produce is coming in, including asparagus (you might find it from Root Bottom Farm at West Asheville Tailgate Market), spring onions and leeks (look for them from Full Sun Farm at River Arts District Farmers Market), pea tendrils (from Lee’s One Fortune Farm at ASAP Farmers Market Saturday and Thursday, River Arts District Farmers Market, and West Asheville Tailgate Market), and arugula (from Green Toe Ground Farm at ASAP Farmers Market Saturday). Strawberries are just around the corner. You’ll continue to find kale, collards, mustard greens, spinach, bok choy, turnips, radishes, lettuce, and herbs, as well as mushrooms, eggs, cheese, pork and beef products, bread, baked goods, and more. Plant starts will be widely available at all markets over the next several weeks.
Updates on Buncombe County markets open this week (find updates on markets in other areas here):
Asheville City Market (downtown and south locations) and Riverside Tailgate Market (at Zillicoah Beer Company) are closed until further notice. North Asheville Tailgate Market will reopen at UNC Asheville on May 2.
ASAP Farmers Market: Saturdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to noon, at A-B Tech’s Asheville campus, in the parking lot at the end of Persistence Dr. Pay online after shopping. SNAP is accepted with Double SNAP in effect.
River Arts District Farmers Market: Wednesdays, 3 to 6 p.m., at Plēb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St.
Weaverville Tailgate Market: Wednesdays, 2:30 to 6 p.m. at an alternate location in the lower parking lot behind West Funeral Home, 17 Merrimon Ave. Customers are asked to reserve the first hour, from 2:30 to 3:30, for elderly and at-risk shoppers. No cash transactions.
West Asheville Tailgate Market: Tuesdays, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., at Grace Baptist Church, 718 Haywood Rd. Enter on Haywood Rd. by the church. No cash transactions; SNAP is accepted.
We will do our best to keep you posted on market schedules, but information can change quickly as markets adjust to new directives or recommendations from public health and local governments. It’s best to check directly with your market to confirm if it will be open or if it has changed shopping procedures. Contact details for farms and farmers markets across the region, as well as links to social media where the most up-to-date information is often posted, can be found in ASAP’s online Local Food Guide.
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We've added new search functions to our online Local Food Guide so you can now use it to find farms offering online ordering, delivery, and COVID-19 pickup options, in addition to existing search options for CSAs, farm stands, and much more! (If you're an Appalachian Grown farmer, make sure you update your listing with this new information.)
Still looking for a CSA? We have a list of farms in the region with shares still available at asapconnections.org/find-local-food/csa (we'll update this as best we can).
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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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School and summer programs are on hold, but kids can still explore and learn with Growing Minds Day by Day. Hear how ASAP’s new online resource is being used in Western North Carolina and beyond on this week's Growing Local.
You can listen to all
Growing Local episodes on SoundCloud, iTunes, or on ASAP's website.
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How the pandemic is affecting the financial stability of farms—and what ASAP is doing to help—was covered the Carolina Public Press, Smoky Mountain News, and the Asheville Citizen-Times.
Local grocery delivery services have expanded significantly, many of them with products from farms. Read about Mother Earth Produce in the Mountain Xpress as well as Carolina Flowers and more in the Asheville Citizen-Times.
WLOS checked in on devastating flooding at Root Bottom Farm and community efforts to help.
Chefs Hanan Shabazz, John Fleer, and Mark Rosenstein team up with Gaining Ground Farm to reopen Southside Kitchen for community meals with donated CSA shares. BPR News reports.
Wondering if local dairies are having to dump milk, as some national stories have discussed? The Citizen-Times's Answer Man investigates.
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