From [ASAP] Sarah Hart <[email protected]>
Subject Salsa Fever + Save the Date for ASAP's Local Food Experience
Date July 19, 2019 7:00 PM
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ASAP's Weekly Farmers Market Report - July 19th, 2019

Fresh at Farmers Markets

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Corn, tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos—it’s officially salsa season at farmers tailgate markets!
 

Two markets are offering special events capitalizing on salsa fever: West Asheville Tailgate Market : [link removed]’s Pepperpalooza : [link removed] will take place this Tuesday, July 23, featuring a hot pepper eating contest, hot sauce tasting, demonstrations of ristra (a traditional Spanish method for drying peppers), and more. Weaverville Tailgate Market : [link removed]’s salsa competition and fundraiser is the following week, on Wednesday, July 31. Register to enter via the market’s Facebook page : [link removed]—or just show up to taste the contenders and vote your picks.

 

What salsa ingredients should you look for at markets? Tomatoes and peppers are plentiful. You can find heirloom tomatoes in mixed hues, sweet cherries, or meaty slicers. All make an excellent base for pico de gallo. Choose peppers with your preferred level of heat, and don’t hesitate to ask the farmer which are spicy or mild. Red onions or scallions to round out your salsa are also widely available.

 

You may find cilantro by the bunch (Lee’s One Fortune Farm : [link removed], at many markets, had it last week), but for the most part, that crop has bolted in the summer heat. Micro cilantro can be a good alternative; look for it from Asheville Microgreens : [link removed] (River Arts District Farmers Market : [link removed]) or other microgreen sellers. 

Corn made its first appearance this past week from Lee’s One Fortune Farm and Creasman Farms : [link removed] (Asheville City Market : [link removed], Black Mountain Tailgate Market : [link removed], River Arts District Farmers Market). You can add kernels raw to your salsa or grill the ears first for a charred flavor (the same goes for your peppers). 

 

Gaining Ground Farm : [link removed] (North Asheville Tailgate Market : [link removed], River Arts District Farmers Market)  has tomatillos, another member of the nightshade family that makes great salsa. Tomatillos look like green tomatoes wrapped in a papery husk, but are less watery, with a brighter, more acidic flavor. Remove the husks and rinse them to remove the slightly sticky film. As with corn, you can eat them raw or cooked—sliced in half and grilled or roasted works well. For a zippy salsa verde, pulse them in a food processor with cilantro, white onion, and hot green peppers such as jalapeño or serrano. 

 

Husk cherries, related to the tomatillo, are a rare find, but Bear Necessities Farm : [link removed] (Asheville City Market, West Asheville Tailgate Market) has them. Also called ground cherries or strawberry tomatoes, these fruits look like tiny, yellow-orange tomatillos, but are much sweeter, with a tropical, pineapple-like flavor. Use them raw in a fruity salsa (if you can resist snacking on them all). 

 

And speaking of fruit salsas, there are myriad fruits at markets now you can use, including peaches, nectarines, blueberries, and blackberries. Use them in place of tomatoes, or combine them with less traditional salsa ingredients, like cucumber.

 

As you’re planning your salsa feast, be sure to pick up some corn tortillas from J Bread : [link removed] (Asheville City Market, East Asheville Tailgate Market : [link removed]). The bakery, which sources grains exclusively from Carolina Ground and Farm and Sparrow : [link removed], is using traditional nixtamalization process, which involves cooking dried corn kernels in a limewater solution, to produce tortillas from completely local grain.

 

Area farmers tailgate markets take place throughout the region. As always, you can find information about farms, tailgate markets, and farm stands, including locations and hours, by visiting ASAP’s online Local Food Guide at : [link removed] : [link removed].

Save the Date: 
ASAP's Local Food Experience!

Treat yourself to a fun and delicious evening celebrating where our food comes from at ASAP’s Local Food Experience : [link removed], Friday, Aug. 15, 6-8:30pm at New Belgium Brewing Co. : [link removed]
 

Meet local chefs, artisans, and farmers while sampling small plates highlighting seasonal foods grown and raised in the Southern Appalachians. Cast bids in a silent auction to win private farm-to-table dinners, farm tours, workshops, farm stays, and other fabulous local food experiences. Enjoy connecting with your local food community at the beautiful New Belgium Brewing Co. Brewhouse overlooking the French Broad River.
 

Proceeds benefit ASAP’s programs to help local farms thrive and build healthy communities through connections to local food. Learn more and purchase tickets. : [link removed] 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

7/19
ASAP Benefit Concert at Hickory Nut Gap featuring Jesse Barry & the Jam : [link removed]
 

7/23
PEPPERPALOOZA Festival at the West Asheville Tailgate Market : [link removed]
 

7/26
Tryon Sip and Stroll : [link removed]
 

7/28
EmpTea Bowls, 7th Annual : [link removed]
 

8/15
ASAP’s Local Food Experience : [link removed]
 
View the full calendar : [link removed] of events.

ASAP on the Radio

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A new program aims to increase access by doubling SNAP benefits at farmers markets in Western North Carolina. Here more on this week's Growing Local episode : [link removed].

 
You can listen to all
Growing Local episodes on SoundCloud : [link removed], iTunes : [link removed], or on ASAP's website : [link removed].

Local Food in the News

The Asheville Citizen-Times : [link removed] looks at ASAP's Double SNAP program at Asheville City Market.


Ashleigh Shanti, chef de cuisine at Benne on Eagle, was featured in The New York Times : [link removed], in an article on 16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America.

West Asheville Tailgate Market's Pepperpalooza, along with a few other local food events, is featured in the Mountain Xpress Small Bites column : [link removed].

The Laurel of Asheville : [link removed] in with Asheville City Market vendor Carolina Flowers.



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

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