ASAP's Weekly Farmers Market Report - October 22, 2021

Fresh at Farmers Markets

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Many farms in the region experienced their first frost this week, which signals the end of tomatoes, peppers, and other summer veggies for the season. We may see the final harvest of these crops at farmers tailgate markets for another week or so, but it’s time to fully embrace fall. Right now we’re seeing lots of head lettuce coming back to market as well as cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.
 
Broccoli may be one of the most versatile vegetables for weeknight cooking, so add some to your market bag, regardless of your meal plans. It’s great both raw or cooked, added to salads, pastas, stir-frys, and more. For a healthy snack, try roasting it until it’s crispy at the edges and eating with preserved lemon yogurt dip. Serotonin Ferments has jarred preserved lemons at West Asheville, North Asheville, and ASAP markets. Find broccoli from Flying Cloud Farm : [link removed] and Full Sun Farm : [link removed] (both at North Asheville : [link removed] and River Arts District : [link removed] markets), Tucker’s Garden (at North and West Asheville : [link removed] markets), and Olivette Farm : [link removed] (at ASAP Farmers Market : [link removed]).
 

For another variation, try cabbage chips. Tear cabbage leaves into large pieces and toss with olive oil. Arrange them in a single layer on wire racks set on baking sheets. Bake in a 300-degree oven for 25 to 35 minutes, until they are slightly browned. Let them cool, then serve. These would also go well with a yogurt dip! Get cabbage from Full Sun Farm and Flying Cloud Farm, among others.
 

Looking for more healthy(ish) snack ideas? Make cauliflower Buffalo bites, a surprisingly satisfying substitution for chicken wings. Get cauliflower from Full Sun Farm as well as Velvet Morning Farms : [link removed], now at ASAP Farmers Market. Break cauliflower into florets and toss in a batter of equal parts milk and flour, seasoned with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Lay coated pieces in a single layer on a sheet tray and roast at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Meanwhile, make your Buffalo sauce by mixing one or two tablespoons of melted butter into half a cup of hot sauce. Traditionally Buffalo wings are made with Frank’s Red Hot, but you can look for local hot sauce vendors, such as Better Thymes at ASAP, West Asheville, and River Arts District markets. Toss your baked cauliflower bites with the sauce and bake for another 15 minutes, until crispy. Bonus local? Use blue cheese from Blue Ridge Mountain Creamery : [link removed] (ASAP Farmers Market) to make your own dressing and look for celery from Highgate Farm : [link removed] (West Asheville and River Arts District markets). 
 

At markets now you can also get potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, apples, and hardy greens like kale, collards, arugula, chard, and mustard. Markets are also stocked with farm-fresh eggs, cheese, rice, pasta, 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 : [link removed].

BBQ Benefitting the Brittains

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Visit Mills River Farmers Market : [link removed] tomorrow for a BBQ benefitting Joe and Linda Brittain of Brittain Farms : [link removed] as they walk through Joe's cancer treatment. Elliot Moss of Buxton Hall BBQ : [link removed] will be smoking a Vandele Farms : [link removed] pig, as well as generously donating the sides! Get a plate for $15 from 11am-1pm, or reserve your plate in advance : [link removed] by buying a ticket from Vandele Farms.

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

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

BBQ Benefiting the Brittains! : [link removed]
 

10/26
Racial Equity in Farm to School 2021 training series (virtual workshops) : [link removed]
 

10/28
Cultivated Community Dinner Series: Jonathan Pridgen : [link removed]
 

11/6
10th Annual Tryon Beer Festival : [link removed]
 

11/9
Farm Dreams : [link removed]

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

Local Food &  Farm News

Buncombe County voted to spend nearly $400K to preserve farmland and protect streams across county, reported the Asheville Citizen Times : [link removed]. “Agricultural land is a finite natural resource because fertile soils take thousands of years to develop, and once they are destroyed by development there is no way of getting the soils back," said Ariel Zijp, farmland preservation and soil conservationist at Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District.
 

Mountain Xpress : [link removed] checks in on Gaining Ground Farm and support in the restaurant community after Tropical Storm Fred. Said chef John Fleer, “When you buy locally from people and you have relationships, it’s a whole lot easier to make adjustments. Even though our main provider was destroyed, we did not have supply chain issues...we loved being able to keep our dollars local.”



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

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