Fresh at Farmers Markets This Week

Start your days off right with locally-sourced breakfasts using ingredients purchased at winter farmers markets.

At Asheville City Market, you can find eggs from Myseanica Family FarmHap Mountain HerbalFiddler’s Green Farm, and Dry Ridge Farm. Potatoes and sweet potatoes from Ten Mile Farm make great hash browns, or grab grits from Fiddler’s Green Farm. In more of a toast mood? Crust Never Sleeps has you covered with loaves for toast or french toast. For the omnivores out there, Dry Ridge Farm has bacon and breakfast sausage. Include microgreens from Sleight Family Farm or Olivette Farm to add the color green to your meal. And on the day of market? Stop by to find baked breakfast goods from Sweetheart Bakery and coffee from Biltmore Coffee Roasters — then you’re ready to shop!

Social media is a great way to connect with farms and farmers markets, even throughout the winter. ASAP’s social media can be found at the handle, @asapconnections, and Asheville City Market, @ashevillecitymarket. Instagram is a great platform for connecting with farmers; ask farmers and vendors about their social media accounts, which sites they use and how they can be found. Once you’re a part of their social media following, you can get updates throughout the season, learn about which markets they’re at, and if they have on-farm opportunities. See where and how your food is grown, in real time. Right now farms are posting images of seed catalogs, seeding greenhouses, and planting seeds. It makes Spring feel right around the corner!

  • Asheville City Market, Saturdays 9 am-noon, in the Masonic Temple downtown.
  • YMCA Winter Market, Saturdays 9 am–noon, in the parking lot of the Woodfin YMCA.
  • The YMCA is also hosting a South market, held Wednesdays 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM in the YMCA in the lobby of the Reuter Family YMCA in Biltmore Park.

This week, consider exploring a market outside of Asheville. Here are just a few nearby to choose from:

Winter farmers 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.

(Prepared by Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project.)