Does having to wait make the last few fruits of summer taste all the sweeter? Find late season delights, including watermelon, cantaloupe, and figs, at farmers tailgate markets across Buncombe County.
Juicy slices of cantaloupe and figs just beg to mingle on a platter. Add some cheese, cured meat, and basil, and you have a pretty satisfying meal for a summer evening. Bonus points if you can eat it outdoors. Get cantaloupe from Sleight Family Farm at North Asheville Tailgate Market or from Chambers Farm at Enka-Candler Tailgate Market. Lee’s One Fortune Farm has the first figs we’ve seen this season. Find them at ASAP Farmers Market, Black Mountain Tailgate Market, West Asheville Tailgate Market, River Arts District Farmers Market, and East Asheville Tailgate Market.
It’s hard to go wrong with your cheese choice, but creamy goat, briny feta, pungent blue, or creamy mozzarella-style would all be great. Find Spinning Spider Creamery at ASAP Farmers Market, North Asheville Tailgate Market, and West Asheville Tailgate Market; Three Graces Dairy at West Asheville Tailgate Market and North Asheville Tailgate Market; and Blue Ridge Mountain Creamery at ASAP Farmers Market. Hickory Nut Gap has a small selection of charcuterie meats at North Asheville Tailgate Market.
Besides eating it fresh, our favorite way to enjoy watermelon this season is in a corn salad. You can grill the corn if you like. It will add a nice smoky flavor. But most local kernels are sweet enough to eat raw. Toss corn and cubes of watermelon with lime juice or vinegar, salt, and cilantro or basil. You can stop there and enjoy your salad. Or add thinly sliced peppers (we like mild shishitos) or cucumber. Feta would be another fine addition. You can find watermelon from Ten Mile Farm at ASAP Farmers Market; Green Toe Ground Farm at ASAP Farmers Market and North Asheville Tailgate Market; Gibson Berry Farm at West Asheville Tailgate Market; and Chambers Farm at Enka-Candler Tailgate Market. The Bird and the Beasts’ Farmstead should have it shortly at East Asheville Tailgate Market as well.
Markets are still abundant with peak summer produce like tomatoes, beans, peppers, eggplant, okra, squash, potatoes, and much more. Find more fruits and berries, including peaches, nectarines, pears, blackberries, blueberries, late-season strawberries, and early-season apples. Markets also offer meats, eggs, bread, cheese, fermented products, baked goods, and beverages.
Find more details about farms and markets throughout the region in ASAP’s online Local Food Guide.
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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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