ASAP's Weekly Farmers Market Report - October 8, 2021

Fresh at Farmers Markets

: [link removed]
 
Late summer and early autumn produce continues to mingle on farmers tailgate market tables, giving shoppers a panoply of options. You can get ripe tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, okra, beans, and potatoes alongside winter squash, apples, the earliest sweet potatoes, and hardy greens like kale, collards, arugula, chard, and mustard. With this abundance, you might be thinking about preserving a little bit for later. Not sure where to start? DIY hot sauce is one of the easiest ways to savor local flavor all winter.
 
Making your own shelf-stable hot sauce can be as simple as blending your favorite hot peppers with vinegar, salt, and maybe a hint of sweetener, then cooking the puree for about 15 minutes. Start with a ratio of about one pound of peppers to a half a cup of vinegar and half a tablespoon of salt, and increase vinegar and salt to taste. Cool the puree and divide into bottles, or strain first for a thinner sauce.
 
You can also ferment peppers for hot sauce, which takes a bit more time but is just as simple. Fermentation offers a deeper, more complex flavor. Remove stems and halve or rough chop one pound of peppers. Place in a clean mason jar or crock, leaving one inch of head space. Make a brine by mixing three tablespoons of salt with one quart of warm, unchlorinated water. (Chlorinated water may hinder the fermentation process, so use filtered water or let your water sit overnight to dechlorinate.) Pour the brine over the peppers, pressing down to remove any air bubbles. Use a weight to keep peppers completely submerged in the brine. Screw on the lid and set out of direct sunlight for one to two weeks. You will need to “burp” the jars by unscrewing the lid slightly to let out gases every few days. Once your fermentation starts to taste slightly sour, you’re ready—or you can keep fermenting for longer! Strain the peppers, reserving the brine, and blend with about a half a cup to a cup of brine. You can also replace some of the brine with vinegar, if desired. As with non-fermented sauce, you can strain your hot sauce or use the thicker puree.
 
No matter which method you choose, you have lots of options for experimentation. Thin-walled peppers, like habaneros, result in a looser sauce, while thick-walled peppers, like jalapenos, have a higher pectin content and will be thicker. Looking for a milder sauce? Combine one or two hot peppers with bell or other sweet peppers. Add in spices, like cumin, cinnamon, or coriander, or aromatic veggies like onion, garlic, or carrots. You can also include berries or other fruits—the natural sugars will aid in the fermentation process.
 
Farmers have a wide variety of peppers available and you can make sauce with any type or combination. A few to look out for: chimayo peppers, available from Sleight Family Farm : [link removed] at North Asheville Tailgate Market : [link removed], have medium heat and a sweet and smoky flavor; Ten Mile Farm : [link removed], at ASAP : [link removed] and Black Mountain : [link removed] markets, has cherry bomb peppers, which are piquant with thick flesh; for a mild sauce, get a heatless habanero variety from Flying Cloud Farm : [link removed] at North Asheville and River Arts District : [link removed] markets; and for extreme heat, look for bird’s eye chilies from Lee’s One Fortune Farm : [link removed], at ASAP, Black Mountain, West Asheville : [link removed], River Arts District, and East Asheville : [link removed] markets.
 
At farmers markets now you’ll also farm-fresh eggs, cheese, bread, 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 at appalachiangrown.org. ASAP’s online Local Food Guide : [link removed].

Take a Double SNAP Survey

: [link removed] : [link removed] : [link removed] : [link removed]

ASAP is seeking feedback and impressions about our Double SNAP program : [link removed] from community members, SNAP participants, market vendors, and market managers. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey : [link removed], which will help us improve and sustain this program. All answers will be kept confidential.
 
In 2021, ASAP supported Double SNAP at eight farmers markets in Western North Carolina, including ASAP Farmers Market : [link removed], East Asheville Tailgate Market : [link removed], Enka-Candler Tailgate Market : [link removed], Hendersonville Farmers Market : [link removed], Mills River Farm Market : [link removed], North Asheville Tailgate Market : [link removed], Transylvania Farmers Market : [link removed], and West Asheville Tailgate Market : [link removed]. This program increases access to fresh, local food in our communities while supporting farmers and local food businesses.

Connect with Us

: [link removed] : [link removed] : [link removed] : [link removed] : [link removed] 
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

10/13-10/14
Lifelong Gardening : [link removed]

10/14
Creating a Farm Newsletter : [link removed]
 

10/17
Seed Saving 101 : [link removed]
 

10/20
2021 NC Crunch : [link removed]

10/23
NC Foothills Farm Tour: Belflower Farm and Colfax Creek Farm : [link removed]

1026
Racial Equity in Farm to School 2021 training series (virtual workshops) : [link removed]


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

Local Food &  Farm News

The Asheville Citizen-Times : [link removed] checks in with several farms about the effects of Tropical Storm Fred and the need for resilience planning in the face of climate events. “We’re all in this together,” said Ed Graves, co-owner of Tiny Bridge Farm in Hendersonville. “Our economic survival as farmers is connected to the economic survival of restaurants and working people. If we could all get on board with how to better evolve and adapt to these weather events, we’ll be better off in the future.”

Sugar & Snow, first introduced via pushcart at local tailgate markets, has moved into a brick and mortar space at 99 Riverside Drive, reported the Mountain Xpress : [link removed]. “A few years ago, we started doing wholesale by the pint and gallon to local restaurants and specialty stores, but the overreaching vision was getting awesome gelato in the hands of more people,” says owner Amy Pickett. “We’ll still take the cart to events and weddings, but I’m really excited to have a home.”



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

Subscribe to this newsletter:
[link removed]
Unsubscribe [email protected]:
[link removed]
Change your preferences:
[link removed]
Forward to a friend:
[link removed]
Report this email as spam:
[link removed]

This email was sent using MyNewsletterBuilder.com.