Spring will officially be here in just a few short days, and while we’re pumped for sunshine + colorful blooms, nothing excites us more than all the fresh fruits + veggies popping up at area markets. Read on to find out where you can go for just-picked fare that’s fresher than an infant.
- With 14 buildings spread over 36 acres, the WNC Farmers Market (570 Brevard Rd.) is Asheville’s biggest market, and it’s open for business daily from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Find fruits + veggies, plus other staples like meats, cheese, beans, preserves, salsas, honey + condiments.
- Since the pandemic began, ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) has operated in place of Asheville City Market’s downtown and Biltmore Park Town Square locations with a farmers market at A-B Tech (340 Victoria Rd.). Through March, it operates Saturdays from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. From April through October, it is open Saturdays from 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Protip: Pay via touch-free credit or debit and SNAP. Some vendors accept checks or exact cash (no change given).
- The North Asheville Tailgate Market (located on the campus of UNC Asheville) will reopen Sat., April 3 from 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Only credit/debit cards or exact cash will be accepted for payment.
- The East Asheville Tailgate Market (954 Tunnel Rd.) returns Fri., April 9 and runs through October.
- The West Asheville Tailgate Market (718 Haywood Rd.) will reopen Tues., April 6. They’ve added pre-sale + pick up options for additional safety protocols.
- CSAs are also currently enrolling. CSA stands for “community shared agriculture,” and means that you pay into a farm for a season by pre-purchasing a half- or full-share. Check out CSAs in the Asheville area here, and find Hendersonville CSAs here.
- Mountain Food Products is offering a multi-farm CSA. The deadline to lock in early bird pricing is March 31, and delivery starts May 20 and runs through Nov. 11.
- Want to bring a little spice to your CSA? Lunar Whale Herbs offers fresh herb + apothecary CSA boxes that include educational information about each plant’s healing properties. Delivery + pickup dates and times vary, so get more info here.
- Available in weekly or bi-weekly subscriptions (or one-off individual boxes), The AVL Box offers produce, meats, specialty items + more in curated or customized boxes that you can pick up at multiple locations throughout WNC or have delivered on Wednesdays. Sign up here.
- Forestry Camp’s Camp Grocery CSA memberships — available in three, six, or 12-month options — offer a variety of locally sourced meats butchered in-house like trout, dry aged steaks, pork chops, andmore. Get more deets + order here.
- Get local meats like bacon, steaks, sausages + more delivered in the Asheville city limits, courtesy of Hickory Nut Gap’s new home delivery service for their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) monthly meat boxes. Don’t fret if you live outside the city limits, you can pick it up curbside Thurs.–Sun. from 12 – 5:00p.m. at their farm store (57 Sugar Hollow Rd., Fairview). Order here.
- A Way of Life Farm’s CSA offers spring, summer + fall season options featuring all certified organic produce — plus an optional pork add on. Pick up boxes in Asheville, Rutherfordton, and the farm itself (856 Brooks Rd., Bostic). Sign up here.
Need some inspo? Check out this Voices piece that shares five tips on how to use your CSA basket.
