Warm Weather, Markets Cooking & Stawberries Getting Ripe

OK people. By this Saturday, every market in the region will be open (except the Bakersville Farmers Market which opens next Saturday). Lets be hoopin’ and hollerin’! On top of that, the weather seems to have finally warmed up. The nice hot sunshine has been making the farmer’s crops grow, coaxing strawberries to ripen, and just generally making

Beautiful Tomatoes

market-going even sweeter.

In view of the weird spring I would advise gardeners to keep an eye on the weather, but the frost date has past and it is officially safe to plant your veggie garden. Tailgate Markets are full of beautiful plant starts. Take this opportunity to buy some transplants, tuck them into your garden soil, and grow some of your very own cool crops at home…like ‘Fairytale’ Eggplant, ‘Carmen’ Peppers, and unusual tomatoes.

Gotta love Western North Carolina. There is a Farmer’s Tailgate Market every day of the week except Monday!

Tailgate Market Schedule Update…

JUST OPENED on Friday, May 17: East Asheville Tailgate Market: Fridays, 3-6 pm

OPEN THIS SATURDAY, May 18: Waynesville Tailgate Market: Wednesdays/Saturdays, 8 am-12 pm

OPENING NEXT SATURDAY, May 25: Bakersville Farmers Market: Saturdays, 8 am-12 pm

SATURDAY FARMER’S TAILGATE MARKETS:

Asheville City Market: April 6, Saturdays, 8 am-1 pm

Black Mountain Tailgate Market: May 4, Saturdays, 9 am-12 pm

Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market: April 20, Wednesdays/Saturdays, 8 am-12 pm

Henderson County Tailgate Market: Saturdays, 7 am-12 pm

Historic Marion Tailgate Market: May 14, Tuesdays 3-6 pm, Saturdays, 9 am-12 pm

Leicester Farmers Market: March 30, Saturdays, 9 am-2 pm

Madison County Farmers & Artisans Market: April 6, Saturdays, 9 am-1 pm

Mills River Farmers Market: May 4, Saturdays, 8 am-12 pm

North Asheville Tailgate Market: April 13, Saturdays, 8 am-12 pm

Transylvania Tailgate Market: April 20, Saturdays, 8 am-12:30 pm

SUNDAY FARMER’S TAILGATE MARKETS:

Sundays On The Island, Marshall, Sundays, 12-4

TUESDAY FARMER’S TAILGATE MARKETS:

Historic Marion Tailgate Market: May 14, Tuesdays 3-6 pm, Saturdays, 9 am-12 pm

West Asheville Tailgate Market: April 9, Tuesdays, 3:30-6:30 pm

WEDNESDAY FARMER’S TAILGATE MARKETS:

Asheville City Market South: April 3, Wednesdays, 1-5 pm

French Broad Food Co-op Wednesday Tailgate Market: April 3, Wednesdays, 2-6 pm

Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market: April 20, Wednesdays/Saturdays, 8 am-12 pm

Montford Farmers Market: May 1, Wednesdays, 2-6 pm

Spruce Pine Farmers Market: May 1, Wednesdays, 2-5 pm

Weaverville Tailgate Market: April 10, Wednesdays, 2:30-6:30 pm

THURSDAY FARMER’S TAILGATE MARKETS:

Flat Rock Tailgate Market: May 2, Thursdays, 3-6 pm

Oakley Farmers Market: May 9, Thursdays, 3:30-6:30 pm

FRIDAY FARMER’S TAILGATE MARKETS:

Yancey County Farmers Market: April 20, Saturdays, 8:30 am-12:30 pm

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Fresh Turned Soil ~ Contemplating Boston

Relatively weed-free. That’s what I thought until I generated a huge pile of weeds in my garden. What a thrill to be outside today – soaking up the warm air – working in my garden. I even harvested some dinner as I cleaned up the last of my winter garden. Potatoes, lettuce, and onions…those fresh potatoes are cooking as I write.

One Last Harvest From My Winter Garden

Couldn’t resist grabbing a minute to lay down on the earth and watch the white puffy clouds traveling the blue sky. Robins hopped in the grass, safely distant and waiting for my departure to explore the potential for worms in the newly-bare dirt. A soft grey bird boldly flew down and started pecking. I become a statue. She adventured toward me checking for tidbits, an immature mocking bird.

Awed by the magic of the day, the bird & insect song, the bumblebee hedging along the honeysuckle-covered fence, the horsetail equisetum that rooted in my vase, the dogwood flowers I picked in my yard, and the optimism of planting a spring garden – I am mystified by bombs in Boston and how we have come to this. I want to know the recipe for healing our country and whatever seems to have gone so wrong with our world.

I feel lucky for my own fearless childhood where bad things (except me getting in trouble) were not on my radar screen. I can’t help but wonder if the people who do these crazy things would be so crazy if they spent more time outside. Without even trying we are surrounded by Beauty. No matter where we live there is always the sky, the sun, the rain, birds flying, plants sprouting in the sidewalk.

I am beginning to think that the human race is the worse invasive species on the planet. Not because of our numbers, but because of our greedy care-less attitudes. We are all so busy. It’s sincerely hard to snatch moments of calm and serenity, to slow things down a notch, and find ourselves blown away by the wonder of creation. I wish I could ensure that kids went outside everyday, or I wish I knew THE answer. I don’t.

But things like local farmer’s markets do weight the game towards personal relationships with our food and the people

Dinner From The Last Winter Harvest

who grow it. Even if we don’t consciously sense this, I think our bodies know the difference and they thrive on food grown with love and care. Let’s get out there and embrace this season of new fruits from our earth. Visit the market. Plant your own garden. Bring magic and wonder to your children any way you can. Celebrate that we are here. Share the love.

Click here for the farmer’s Tailgate Market 2013 schedule.

More thoughts…on hearing this morning’s news…it sounds a bit naïve to suggest that people like this would be transformed by exposure to the outdoors. Its crazy the way we humans are; killing our own on a regular basis. Seems the whole planet needs some serious grounding in the basics of what truly matters during our short lifetimes. All the while though, the Beauty surrounds us with such unimaginable complexity. It’s there, waiting, always ready to show us the way.

And at work today, my boss Wilma Penland wrote this about Earth Day for our eNewsletter – but it fits these thoughts perfectly:  “Studies from around the world have shown that when adults interact with nature and plants, they have less stress and depression in their lives and that children are less hyperactive and more creative. Research has also shown there is less crime in cities with parks and nature areas.”

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Local Oven Fries for the Superbowl

The Ingredients

Mix Everything Up In A Bowl

OVEN FRIES with CREAMY DIP Recipe

Listening to “The Splendid Table” on Saturday inspired me to make some oven fries for the Superbowl party at M and T’s. I used potatoes

Potatoes From My Garden

and herbs from my own garden, and concocted a dip to go along with the oven fries. The fries were a bit spicy for my friend M, but her husband loved them. I probably shouldn’t have added the last few shakes of cayenne pepper! I don’t usually follow recipes for this sort of thing…so I will give you the general idea and you can change it up to suit your own tastes.

OVEN FRIES

Potatoes – enough to fill a large cookie sheet. Mine were harvested from my garden, a mix of Yukon Golds, French Fingerlings,, and Kennebecs.

1 Onion

Rosemary – 4 long sprigs from my plant, chopped with tough stems removed

Basil – I used dried basil harvested from my summer garden

Olive Oil

Salt, Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, and Cajun Seasoning to taste

Paprika

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut up potatoes into French fry shapes and put in large bowl, leaving skins on. Chop onion and add to bowl. Chop and add rosemary. Crush dried basil and add to bowl, removing stems. Add a generous amount of olive oil. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Toss everything well. Spread evenly on a lightly greased cookie sheet, ideally in a mostly single layer. Sprinkle with paprika. I added a bit more salt at this point also, and that (too spicy for M) last bit of cayenne. Bake until done. I like to cook them until they are browning on the edges. Try it with sweet potatoes too!

Ready To Go In Oven

_____________________________________________________________

My daughter (as a 6-year-old) and I loved the white dip served with the fried eggplant appetizer at Barracas restaurant in New Orleans, and I have always wanted to try making it. The waiter gave me an idea of what was in the dip. On Superbowl Sunday I was missing one critical ingredient…horseradish…and I didn’t want to go to the store, so this recipe has no horseradish. That may have been good since the fries were spicy, but the horseradish adds a really nice snap.  I didn’t measure anything, so these measurements are pure guesses. I just tasted and adjusted accordingly.

WHITE DIP

Sour Cream, about ½ cup

Mayonnaise, a couple of tablespoons or so

Parmesan Cheese

Tabasco

Balsamic Vinegar (best quality you have), about 2 teaspoons

Salt

Pepper

Cajun seasoning (I used some called ‘Slap Your Mama’)

Horseradish, if possible

Mix everything up. Taste and adjust. Serve dip with oven fries. Enjoy.

 

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Winter Garden Treats & Market Reminder

January has been wishy-washy…first cold, then warm, then ice and snow, then flooding rain, then fierce winds, then sunshine and calm. But no matter what, we ARE one month closer to spring and that always makes me happy. Winter jasmine is blooming, forsythia buds are swelling, and I saw one or two quince flowers last week. We even heard the sound of frogs during a warm spell.

Cilantro in January, Grown Under Floating Row Cover

Surprise! Cilantro is thriving under row cover in my garden. What an awesome addition it made to the mango/avocado salsa we concocted for fish tacos last weekend (thanks to Amelia & Drew). Until this winter, I had no idea cilantro could take that much cold weather. In fact I hadn’t checked my garden lately and was astonished to find such happy cilantro. Conclusion: Plant cilantro in fall and enjoy it hopefully until the following summer.

I have two patches of arugula. The arugula under row cover is huge and starting to bolt. The other arugula patch is out in the open and, along with the unprotected spinach, clings to the ground for warmth.

Chives are Peeking Out

Chives are starting to pop up (they are happy that spring is coming too!).  Its time to start thinking about planting sugar snaps (on Valentine’s Day) and sneaking in some potatoes in March.

And of course, seek out the winter markets for a LOCAL fix. Get up on Saturday morning, down some coffee, blast yourself off your cozy sofa, and get there early-ish. You’ll be surprised by the selection, even in January, uhh I mean February.

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Basic Garden Maintenance

This was originally published in the Organic Growers School May 2012 eNewsletter:

http://organicgrowersschool.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/ask-ruth-basic-garden-maintenence/

Sugar Snaps in Early Spring

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Pretty Market Weather, Market Updates, and Tomato Planting Time

Great market weather is predicted for Saturday, so all the Tailgate Markets should be cranking. A broader range of offerings are showing up with each week. Be absolutely sure to get strawberries before they are gone for the season. We had our third batch of Strawberry Shortcake last night. It is SO simple to make and so delicious. Make it a springtime tradition!

This weekend is also prime time for planting your own veggie

B & L Organics’ Tomato Plants

garden. Market farmers have super-healthy tomato and pepper transplants for sale. Look for all sorts of veggies and herb plants to tuck into your garden…and you will enjoy a delicious harvest later! The farmers’ prices beat box store prices and the quality is ten times better (in my humble opinion). You can tell how healthy they are just by looking. Hey – these plants are raised with love, good dirt, and quality seed.

 

MARKET UPDATES:

OPENING NEXT FRIDAY, May 18:

East Asheville Tailgate Market, Grace United Methodist Church parking lot, 954 Tunnel Road, Asheville, Fridays, 3-6 pm, opening May 18

THIS SATURDAY, May 12:

Madison County Farmers & Artisans Market

TIME CHANGE THIS WEEK ONLY

Because of graduation at Mars Hill College this Saturday, the Market will be held from 1-4 in the afternoon this Saturday only – at the same location with the same wonderful offerings. Next week the Madison County Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market hours will return to their normal morning hours.

North Asheville Tailgate Market

SPECIAL EVENT for Mothers Day:

The NATM will be in its normal location this week. For the third year in a row B & L Organics will host a kids planting activity to celebrate Mother’s Day. Laura Bower – with her friend Cheri Hoefelmeyer – will set up a potting table for kids to plant seeds in an arrangement for Mom. Laura and Cheri have made up their own organic potting mix and will be using untreated and organic seeds. Bring the kids out to visit Laura’s booth (across from Frank’s booth and the seafood) for some hands-in-the-dirt fun and a chance to make something for Mom.

NEXT SUNDAY, May 20

SUSHI MAKING CLASS

To benefit FEAST, a program of Slow Food Asheville

Learn how to make homemade sushi and support an excellent cause! FEAST director Kate Justen will teach a hands-on Sushi making class on Sunday May 20^th at Francine Delany New School for Children in the Dogwood Building from 4-6 pm. You will learn the proper way to prepare the rice, sushi vegetables, smoked fish, and tempeh (we will not be working with raw fish in this class). Then practice and hone your skills at rolling them all together into a sushi roll! All of the proceeds will go to support FEAST – a program of Slow Food Asheville – empowering youth by teaching them hands on cooking skills and encouraging healthy eating habits. Contact Cathy Cleary at cathycleary@gmail.com to sign up and pay, or more information call Cathy at 828-545-1295.

$25 pre-payment required. Class limited to 15 people, so sign up now!

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Support a Farmer for Earth Day

From the Earth comes our food – with the help of farmers and the grace of God. As if by miracle, from that tiny seed grows the food that feeds and sustains us. A tentative wiggle and a push and…poof! Life bursts forth sending leaves up and roots to snake down through the soil and find water and nourishment.

Lets celebrate our bountiful planet by being kind to it. Replenish it. Heap goodness upon it and demonstrate to our children how its done.

Perhaps it is time to start that garden as a way to celebrate Earth Day. Any size garden – even your little pot of lettuce – will reflect your care and eventually become food. Contemplate digging up a little patch in your yard and turning in some compost. Scan your flowerbed for an empty spot that can produce a little food to feed your belly or some flowers to feed your soul.

When you visit your favorite Tailgate Market, pick out a few veggie plants for

Purple Haze Carrots

your garden and pop them in the ground. Get it going! I am late getting my own garden in, but there is still plenty of time to plant a really productive garden, Don’t hold back. Every farmer out there has bedding plants for sale. Laura Bower already has her tomato poster up showing all the different kinds of tomatoes she has for sale. Herbs too.

Not planning on gardening? No way, no how!? Then go to the Tailgate Market and buy something delicious to eat – something that comes to us with mountain soil clinging to its roots. Support a farmer for Earth Day!

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Friday Night Market, Organic Growers School, Market at Y

Dillingham Family Farms in Barnardsville will have a special Friday night market this week on March 2. (Many of the vendors plan to attend the 19^th Annual Organic Growers School Spring Conference, so they have switched their market time from Saturday morning to Friday night for this week only). The Friday night market, held from 5 to 8, will feature live music. Matt & Reva will be coming too, and of course wonderful food will be available. Expect to find eggs, beef roasts, hamburger, chicken, a full variety of lamb, a full variety of pork, spicy salad mix, romaine lettuce, and coffee. Weather permitting, bring a camp chair…otherwise festivities will be held inside.

If you have not already signed up to attend the 19^th Annual ORGANIC GROWERS SCHOOL Spring Conference…do it now! It is an awesome event with almost 100 gardening, farming, and sustainable living classes to choose from. The weather has been super-inspiring, so get juiced about gardening and lots of other stuff too. Check out the schedule at http://www.organicgrowersschool.org/ .

Between Classes at the Organic Growers School

Many people I know attend the conference almost every single year. There is always something new & fun to learn. It is a great opportunity to catch up with some of my buddies that I don’t manage to see very often too. Saturday registration is full, but you can register at the door on Sunday. Held on the UNCA campus in Asheville; the conference costs just $55 per day. Look for signs to direct you toward parking and registration. Arrive a little early on Saturday because the campus is hosting a number of events on Saturday, including UNCA’s basketball game.

Remember the INDOOR TAILGATE MARKET this Saturday, located upstairs at the Woodfin YMCA from 10 to noon. Support your favorite vendors and enjoy everything they bring for us…meats, cheeses, eggs, some veggies, flowers, coffee, pottery, and incredible baked goods.

Spring is almost here!

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Black Gold…And It Ain’t Oil!

Finally, finally, finally…my worms are back in gear with nice new bedding and some munchies to enjoy. In the hot of summer, my worms crank through kitchen scraps…turning out compost in no time. BUT it’s nearly February and activity in my worm bin was indiscernible. My friend Stacia recently sent me home with a bag-full of worms just in case dire things had occurred in my

Chunk of "Black Gold"

worm bin. Despite the mild winter, I was worried that my worms were dead or dying. Today though, I turned the contents of my worm bin out onto some plastic – nice big chunks of black gold and plenty of worms were evidence that the worms are hanging in there!

NEXT STEPS:

(1)   I examined the black compost chunk-by-chunk looking for worms. I dropped the worms into a small bucket, and the compost into a five gallon bucket. Lots of people use a screen to separate the finished compost and worms – which is more time efficient. I don’t like the idea of squashing the worms accidentally.

(2)   I left lots of uncomposted eggshells in with the good compost. Worms love calcium (found in eggshells) but they don’t have teeth – so they can’t really break it down much. I crush eggshells with my hand before adding them to my worm bin, but my Uncle Tanny would pulverize his eggshells in a blender so that his worms could enjoy them to the max.

Separating the finished compost, unfinished compost, and the redworms

(3)   Most of my bin was full of finished compost (it filled two five gallon buckets!). I put the food that still needed composting back in the bin and added a layer of bedding. Bedding can be dried leaves or shredded paper or cardboard. James McGee, local worm expert, likes using nutrient-dense leaves rather than paper. Another friend likes to add Nature’s Helper. Stacia uses shredded paper as bedding, and she has an awesome little compost project going on under her deck.

Two Types of bedding for the Worms

(4)   Next I added Stacia’s worms and the compost/bedding layer they were living in. Then I added a bit more bedding and some more food bits. My leaves and the uncomposted matter were very moist so I did not add additional moisture. If the bedding and other material are very dry, you should moisten it a bit…but you don’t want it overly wet. The idea is to get the carbon (leaves, shredded paper, etc.) and the nitrogen (food scraps) ratio just right for maximum compost production. If things are moving too slow, you probably need either more nitrogen (most likely) or more carbon.

The Wormies Look Happy!

(5)   Also redworms don’t like temperatures below 50 degrees. In cold weather they are trying to stay warm so don’t expect them to crank through compost until the weather warms up. They can die outside in the wintertime, and it is best to put them in your basement for protection. Some folks even keep worm-bins under their kitchen sink – which would mean zero excuses for not “taking the compost out”.

(6)   I topped the bin off with a black plastic bag full of leaves as a winter blanket. If it gets really cold, I will move the wormies inside. “Black gold” was successfully collected for my spring gardening projects AND the worms are back to making more compost. Mission accomplished!

A Blanket of Leaves

For the record…worm compost is NOT worms that have been composted. Worms eat your kitchen scraps and – as the scraps pass through the gut of the worm something magical happens  – “black gold” (or vermicompost) comes out the other end. So we are talking about worm poop. It does not have an odor and cannot burn your plants. Worm compost has mega-microbial activity, is super-beneficial, and makes a great addition to any garden. I conserve my “black gold” to put directly in the planting holes or for making compost tea.

The Worm Bin has Holes on the Side and Bottom

Redworms are a non-native worm. Some gardeners choose not to use them due to concerns that they will create an imbalance in our native ecosystems. This may be a worry in warmer climates, but personally, I am not currently concerned because of the cold temperatures typical of the Asheville area. My perspective could change if our climate becomes noticeably warmer.

 

© Ruth Gonzalez 2012

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Mushrooms Sprout in My Kitchen

Oyster mushrooms magically appeared on my kitchen counter!

Rodney Webb, of Madison Farms Mushrooms, gave a Mushroom Growing Workshop at the OGS True Nature Country Fair in October. At the end of the workshop, Rodney provided some inoculated substrate for attendees to take home and try growing mushrooms themselves. Trouble is…I had been in the archery booth and hadn’t attended the workshop. I stuffed some of the substrate in a bag, but wasn’t sure how to make them grow. My friend Nicky, who did attend, said to press most of the air out of the bag and tie it shut.

I couldn’t remember what to do after that, so I just left the inoculated bag sitting next to my coffee grinder. Critical steps of the mushroom-growing procedure had surely been left undone due to my complete ignorance. I doubted anything tangible would happen ~ except possibly witnessing an unsolicited science project like compost-in-the-making on my kitchen counter.

Kitchen Counter Oyster Mushroom Farm

A month or so later…in the blur of grinding beans for my morning coffee, my eyes refocused to see…actual mushrooms growing right out of the bag. Whoa. Magic does happen! And what happened next? I am just going to admit it…lust for more magic kicked right in. I stabbed a bunch of holes into the plastic bag so that the other spores could hopefully have a place to sprout out too. That was only yesterday. If something wonderful happens, I’ll let you know.

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