We’re finally in for some colder nights this coming week, so it’s a good time to stock up on stew ingredients to fortify you against the chill. Whether your preferred simmering method involves an Instant Pot, slow cooker, or good, old-fashioned Dutch oven, your first step is to gather everything you can at a winter farmers tailgate market. We’ve got a few ideas to get you started.
The warming spices of a Middle Eastern tagine (coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, paprika) are a great match for sweet potatoes and cauliflower, both available from Ten Mile Farm (Asheville City Market–Winter). Round it out with chickpeas and add a bit of dried fruit, like apricots or golden raisins, and green olives. Top with cilantro (from Lee’s One Fortune Farm at Asheville City Market–Winter and River Arts District Winter Market) and a dollop of yogurt and serve over couscous or rice.
Grab some greens for a hearty white bean soup. You can find bunches of kale and mustard greens from Highgate Farm (River Arts District Winter Market), collards from Wildwood Herbal, Jake’s Farm, or New Moon Herbs Farm (Asheville City Market–Winter), and rapini from Lee’s One Fortune. Whether you are using a meat or vegetarian stock, adding hard cheese rind to this base gives it richness. Look for hard cheeses at Blue Ridge Mountain Creamery at Asheville City Market–Winter. Fennel, available from Ten Mile Farm, is another nice addition, alongside onions and garlic. And if you want to include meat, you can’t go wrong with Italian pork sausage from Dry Ridge Farm or Hickory Nut Gap Farm (both at Asheville City Market–Winter).
And since this is Asheville, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention at least one stew that makes use of that bottle of beer hiding at the back of the fridge. If it is, perchance, a stout, porter, or other dark beer, we suggest an Irish beef stew filled with root vegetables like carrots, turnips, and potatoes, available from multiple farms. Chuck, brisket, shank, oxtail, and short ribs are all great cuts for a beef stew (check for availability with Dry Ridge and Hickory Nut Gap), and you can start by browning your meat with bacon or bacon drippings. Remove the meat, cook onions and garlic, then return it to the pot with vegetables, your beer, and beef or chicken broth, and simmer slowly for several hours, until the meat is tender. Enjoy with buttered bread from one of the many bakers at markets, including J Bread, Simple Bread, and Crust Never Sleeps at Asheville City Market–Winter, and Walnut Schoolhouse and Urban Peasants (gluten free) at River Arts District Winter Market.
Area farmers tailgate markets take place throughout the region, even through the winter. 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 appalachiangrown.org.
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Save the Date for 2020 CSA Fairs!
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CSA fairs are great opportunities to find out about CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) programs in your community and see if there is one that is a good fit for you. There are three fairs scheduled for the Appalachian Grown region this year. Find one near you!
Farm Fresh Appalachia CSA Fair
Saturday, Feb. 29, 10 am-1 pm, Kingsport Farmers Market
Presented by Appalachian RC&D Council with CSA farms from Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
Asheville CSA Fair
Thursday, March 12, 3-6 pm, New Belgium Brewing Co., Presented by ASAP with CSA farms offering pickup locations in Buncombe Co., NC.
High Country CSA Fair
Thursday, March 26, 4-6 pm, Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences, Boone, NC
Presented by ASAP, Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, and Beaver College of Health Sciences at Appalachian State University, with farms offering pickup locations in the High Country, NC.
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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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Local Food & Farms in the News
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The Asheville Food Fan Awards, presented by Stu Helm on Jan. 27, will honor some of the 2019's local food highlights. This year's awards include a category for Farmer of the Year, alongside Chef of the Year, Best New Restaurant, Best Use of Fungus, and many more. Read more in the Asheville Citizen-Times, The Laurel of Asheville, and Edible Asheville.
Edible Asheville's winter issue devotes space to farmers who have returned to family land in Western North Carolina, including Jamie Swofferd (The Chef's Farmer), Mary Carroll Dodd (Red Scout Farm), and Marie Williamson (Bluebird Farm).
The same issue of Edible Asheville also looks at winter garden planning and the story of an Asheville woman who sourced all of her food for a month within 50 miles.
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