ASAP's Weekly Farmers Market Report - July 9, 2021

Fresh at Farmers Markets

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As eggplant joins the march of summer produce available at farmers tailgate markets, our thoughts are turning to Middle Eastern meze. You can easily fill several platters with a colorful combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted squash and beets, babaganoush, hummus, tzatziki, eggs, olives, pickles, and pita for a feast. Or you could toss everything into a single pita for thoroughly satisfying sabich sandwich.


Sabich is an addictive Israeli street food usually centered around fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg, and tomato-cucumber salad. You can assemble just about everything you need from farmers market vendors, starting with pita from Hominy Farm (North Asheville : [link removed], Black Mountain : [link removed], and River Arts District : [link removed] markets). 

Slice eggplant (both Asian or Italian types will work) into ½-inch rounds. Salt the rounds and let them drain on a wire rack
or paper towels for 30 minutes. Press with a towel to remove some of the moisture. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and fry eggplant in batches for about five to seven minutes. Alternatively, you can roast or grill your eggplant. Feel free to add other veggies, like yellow squash or zucchini, as well. (Eggplant is available now from Flying Cloud Farm : [link removed] and Full Sun Farm : [link removed] at North Asheville and River Arts District markets as well as Jake’s Farm : [link removed] at ASAP : [link removed] and Enka-Candler : [link removed] markets.)

Fill the bottom of a slightly toasted pita pocket with a generous spread of hummus, either homemade or store bought. Layer in slices of eggplant and hard-boiled egg. Top with a salad of diced tomatoes and cucumbers tossed with lemon juice, parsley, and salt. Some recipes also include shredded cabbage. Sabich traditionally calls for dill pickles and amba, a pickled green mango sauce, but you can substitute other pickled or fermented condiments, such as Serotonin Ferment’s beets or preserved lemon. (Find Serotonin at ASAP, North Asheville, West Asheville : [link removed], and River Arts District markets.) Drizzle a tahini sauce over your sandwich and dig in.

At farmers markets now you’ll also find blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, green beans, new potatoes, corn, carrots, broccoli, lettuce, microgreens, mushrooms and much more. Markets are also stocked with bread, cheese, pastries, drinks, and prepared foods. There are more than 100 farmers tailgate markets throughout the Appalachian Grown region. Find them, as well as farms and other local food businesses, in ASAP’s online Local Food Guide : [link removed].

Sponsor the Farm Tour!

Do you want to gain visibility for your business and connect with the region’s passion for local food? Be a Farm Tour sponsor! ASAP's annual Farm Tour : [link removed] has more than 1,500 participants who are eager to engage with their community and take part in fun experiences. Contact ASAP Development Director Nora Scheff : mailto:[email protected] or more information on how your business can partner with ASAP!

Connect with Us

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appalachiangrown.org : [link removed] | fromhere.org : [link removed]
asapconnections.org : [link removed] | growing- : [link removed] : [link removed]
 
Donate to support local food, strong farms, and healthy communities today! : [link removed]
 
ASAP's mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food.

Upcoming Events

7/24
Homegrown Dreams Online : [link removed]

7/26
Fall Organic Gardening Series : [link removed] Western NC Strawberry Pre-Plant Meeting : [link removed]
 
7/27
Racial Equity in Farm to School 2021 training series (virtual workshops) : [link removed]
 

7/31
NC Foothills Farm Tour: Looking Glass Creamery and C-Saw Hill : [link removed]
 

9/18-9/19
ASAP’s 2021 Farm Tour : [link removed]
 

Find more upcoming events (or post your own) at fromhere.org : [link removed].

Local Food &  Farm News

The Yancey County Farmers Market has a new permanent home, reported the Mountain Xpress : [link removed]. “We are such a rich agricultural community, and we have so many small-scale farms here that need whatever platforms they can get. The more opportunity we can give our vendors and farmers and new young farmers, the better,” says market manager Cheri Lee.

The Asheville Citizen Times : [link removed] featured the farm-and-forest-to-glass amaro produced by Eda Rhyne Disillery. "Some ingredients are grown on co-founder and farmer Rett Murphy's land. Others are more exotic, included in the recipe because they help the fernet hew closer to tradition."



ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) - 306 W. Haywood Street - Asheville - NC - 28801

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