Have you ever wandered through a farmers market and felt the thrill of discovering something new or something you’ve never cooked with before? Get adventurous and don’t overlook these uncommon yet nourishing finds that are hardly found in grocery stores. Plus, farmers love to chat about what they are growing and how to cook with it, so don’t be afraid to ask for tips and ideas.
One fall foraged food that you can start finding at markets is chestnuts. While classically roasted around the holidays, chestnuts have been used as a staple food source for centuries and is considered one of the first foods eaten by humans. While native chestnut trees once towered across North America, a blight decimated most of the American Chestnut population. These days, most of the chestnuts you will find are hybrid or Chinese varieties. Chestnuts are similar to potatoes in flavor and texture but have twice as much starch. Chestnuts can be pureed into soups, added to casseroles, baked into desserts, and more, so long as you’re willing to get a little adventurous.
Chris Parker, of The Forest Farmacy, prefers to eat them chopped into a chestnut bread. Similar to a tamale in taste and appearance, this chestnut bread is dense, delicious, and full of Chris’s Cherokee traditions. Start by gathering a half pound of chestnuts. Make an “x” cut at the lighter colored part of the chestnut and boil them for ten minutes so the skin can easily peel off from that “x” cut. Chop up those boiled chestnuts and mix with two cups of masa, a pinch of baking soda, and a little bit of water, mixing until it forms a stiff dough. Separate and shape your dough into patties, looking similar to a beef or black bean burger patty. Wrap the chestnut dough patties in hickory leaves and secure with food safe string before simmering or steaming for 45 minutes. Chris says that you can find the best leaves for wrapping these chestnut breads by picking hickory leaves, scratching them, and whichever ones have the best aroma are the ones to use. Eat your chestnut bread warm or cut it into slices to fry in a skillet. Find chestnuts from The Forest Farmacy (Asheville City and West Asheville markets) and Lee’s One Fortune Farm (Asheville City, Black Mountain, West Asheville, River Arts District, Weaverville, and East Asheville markets).
By now, it is well known that Lee’s One Fortune Farm is growing an assortment of Asian produce along with special varieties of crops. From bitter melons to caterpillar beans, the Lee’s have multiple exciting fall foods coming in season including jicama, native passion fruit, and jujube. Yes, jujube! Essentially, jujube is a fruit native to South and East Asia that is similar to a date. Often called red dates or Chinese dates, jujube fruit can be eaten fresh, dried, as juice, or incorporated into other foods like cakes, syrups, jams, and more. When fresh, jujube is more green and similar to an apple in crunch, color, and texture. When dried, the fruit is red and is sweet and chewy like a raisin or date. A simple and traditional way to enjoy jujube is to add it to tea as a natural sweetener. Bring slices of fresh ginger, a couple of jujubes, and a cinnamon stick (optional) to a boil and simmer for an hour. Strain and serve warm!
Last up in our uncommon finds includes Imladris Farm. Imladris makes homegrown fruit jams and apple butter and their production facility was completely flooded during Helene. To mark the flood and honor the nearing year anniversary, Imladris recently released a new seasonal fruit butter called Flood Mud. This fruit butter has everything in it and Imladris shared that, “Helene dumped a little bit of everything into our commercial kitchen, so we've dumped a little bit of everything into this new fruit butter, and named it appropriately.” This buter has apples, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Head to North Asheville Tailgate Market to give it a try!
At markets now you’ll also find collards, beets, carrots, figs, apples, mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes, okra, peppers, eggplant, garlic, onions, green beans, microgreens, many types of fresh herbs, and more. Markets offer an abundance of farm-fresh eggs and meats, including chicken, pork, beef, and lamb. You can also get bread, cheese, pastries, fermented products, drinks, and prepared foods. During springtime, find annual and perennial plant starts for your gardens along with fresh flowers. 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.
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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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Get your Farm Tour pass and visit a diversity of farms this weekend! Passes are $35 through today, then increases to $45 tomorrow.
This Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., pick your own fruit or flowers, feed friendly farm animals, learn about regenerative agriculture, sample locally made cheese and beverages, and much more! This year’s Farm Tour is especially important as a part of Helene recovery as it helps the local food economy rebound, strengthens the relationships between farmers and consumers, and encourages tourism from outside of Asheville.
Farms are organized by cluster to help you plan and maximize your time on the farm. Spanish-language tours will be offered at seven farms. The Farm Tour is appropriate for attendees of all ages and abilities. Purchase a car pass, good for everyone in a vehicle, and view all participating farms at asapconnections.org.
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