Bundle up! With pandemic precaution still critical, winter farmers tailgate markets are mostly staying outdoors (or partially indoors with ample airflow). Though there are fewer of these markets, you can still find a solid mix of seasonal fruits and veggies. Expect to see plenty of storage crops, like sweet potatoes, potatoes, apples, winter squash, turnips, beets, and carrots. Some farms make use of greenhouses or high tunnels to continue producing salad mixes, lettuces, and dark, leafy greens throughout the colder months. Meats, eggs, cheeses, bread, and artisan foods are also widely available.
In Buncombe County, the following markets will continue through winter:
ASAP Farmers Market: Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the parking lot beside the A-B Tech/Mission Health Conference Center (16 Fernihurst Dr.). Because the market is staying outdoors for the winter, it will actually be able to include more vendors than the winter version of Asheville City Market inside the Masonic Temple. The 40 vendors will include 8 to 10 produce farms each week as well as multiple options for meat, seafood, bread, cheese, fermented goods, and more. Prepared foods, such as Rio Bertolini’s pasta, dumplings from J. Chong Eats, and pot pies from Barnhouse Kitchen, will also be available.
River Arts District Winter Farmers Market: Wednesdays, 3 to 5:30 p.m., indoors and outdoors at Plēb Urban Winery (289 Lyman St.). Look for produce from Highgate Farm and Lee’s One Fortune Farm throughout the winter along with specialty products like mushrooms from Black Trumpet Farm, bread from Hominy Farm, ferments from Sweet Brine’d and Serotonin Ferments, goat cheese from Spinning Spider Creamery, vegan cheese from Darë, and much more. You can also pick up to-go wine by the can, bottle, or growler from Plēb.
WNC Farmers Market: Daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., year-round at 570 Brevard Rd. Farmers Truck Shed #1 is designated for farmers who sell only what they grow.
Need more options? Take a winter road trip to visit a market you’ve never been to before! Find a list of winter markets here. You can also find information about farms, tailgate markets, and farm stands, including locations and hours, by visiting ASAP’s online Local Food Guide.
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ASAP has several networking and educational events coming up for farmers. Check them out!
Jan. 12 - Farmers Roundtable on Zoom, hosted by ASAP and Mountain BizWorks. Talk with your Appalachian Grown farmer peers about what threw you for a loop in 2020 and how to be even stronger in 2021. It's free, but registration is required.
Jan. 14 - Resources for New and Beginning Farmers, a free webinar presented by ASAP, A-B Tech Small Business Center, NC Cooperative Extension, and Farm Service Agency. Get an overview of regulatory and planning pieces to consider in building a farm business.
Feb. 25-27 - Registration is now open for ASAP's Business of Farming Virtual Conference! Our annual conference will go virtual in 2021 to safely bring together professional and aspiring farmers for workshops, networking, one-on-one consulting, and more.
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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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The Asheville Citizen-Times took at a look at food trends for 2020—what experts correctly predicted and where they missed the mark—as well as what to expect in 2021.
In an article in Carolina Public Press, MANNA FoodBank cited a 20 percent drop in food donations with a 68 percent rise in need in 2020. Federal programs like Farmers to Families have come up short.
Morning Ag Clips featured the ASAP's upcoming Business of Farming Conference.
Robert Turner gave a shout out to ASAP's Growing Minds in his column on local, healthy eating for kids in The Laurel of Asheville.
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