With the first of December (and the first snow!), most Buncombe County farmers tailgate markets have switched to holiday market mode, which means you’ll find more artisan and craft vendors and slightly fewer produce vendors. While you can still grab what you need to make nourishing meals this week (including greens, potatoes, winter squash, meat, cheese, bread, and more), you can also check a few items off your holiday shopping list.
First up, trees and other festive greenery. Look for Christmas trees at at North Asheville Tailgate Market’s Holiday Bazaar. Handmade wreaths are available at ASAP Farmers Market from Carolina Flowers, Fisher Branch Farm, and Appalachian Sacred Smoke; at North Asheville Tailgate Market from Flying Cloud Farm; or at Weaverville Tailgate Market from Little Creek Nursery. Thatchmore Farm (North or West Asheville Tailgate Market) has holly cuttings. Prefer a bit of greenery that will last through the year? Browse potted plants and living arrangements from Finally Farm at River Arts District Farmers Market and ASAP Farmers Market.
Need some extra special holiday cards to reach faraway loved ones? Look for beautiful watercolor and pressed flower cards from Designs by Ayla at North Asheville Tailgate Market’s Holiday Bazaar or lovely nature-focused cards from Trailpixi Photography at Weaverville Tailgate Market this week. (If you can wait until next week, Winter Magnolia Designs will be back with whimsically illustrated cards ASAP Farmers Market.)
And, of course, gifts. Many farm and food vendors have shelf-stable local food products available that make unique presents that can be shipped or wrapped up. For sweet lovers, look for local honey from Lick Log Apiary (River Arts District Farmers Market), Lucky U Honey Farm (West Asheville Tailgate Market), Dave’s Raw Honey, or Jon Christie (North Asheville Tailgate Market). Or see if you can snag a sampler pack of Root Bottom Farm’s low-sugar fruit jam, with 11 varieties available (West Asheville Tailgate Market). For those that prefer spicy to sweet, pick up farm-to-bottle pepper sauces and spices from the AppaLatin Farmstead (Weaverville Tailgate Market) or Open Ridge Farm (North Asheville Tailgate Market).
Find more details about farms and markets throughout the region, including special holiday hours, in ASAP’s online Local Food Guide.
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Our December photo of the month comes from Erica Blumenfeld, farm manager at Eliada Homes. In addition to managing all agricultural aspects of Eliada's 320-acre campus, she teaches agricultural education to students in the grow dome classroom, pictured.
Erica wrote this when she submitted her photo last year, but we can't think of a lovelier way to close out 2020: "We all grow through what we go through. Sunrise at the grow dome means the start of a new day, and the chance to shine brightly again."
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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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2020 was a challenging year for farmers markets. Hear how farmers market managers worked together to provide safe places for the community to shop for local food on this week's episode of Growing Local. You can listen to all Growing Local episodes on SoundCloud, iTunes, or on ASAP's website
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100 Days in Appalachia, a website devoted to telling the truthful and diverse stories of the region, featured Lee's One Fortune Farm (and also talked to ASAP's Molly Nicholie).
Capital at Play revisits local small businesses it has highlighted in the past to see how they're doing. Some of those, such as Fermenti, Sister of Mother Earth, and Whisk AVL, continue to sell their products at area farmers markets.
Smoky Mountain News featured female farmers and the effects of COVID-19.
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