ASAP’s Weekly Farmers Market Report - September 26, 2025

Fresh at Farmers Markets

It’s hard to believe that this weekend marks one year since Helene ravaged our region. We encourage you to take a moment to honor how far we have come, to memorialize what we have lost, to celebrate what we have built back, and to remember that community is what will keep us safe, cared for, and thriving.

How are you recognizing this time? While honoring big anniversaries isn’t a required practice, it can help us process our experiences, build our self-compassion, and may give our feelings (that will likely arise anyway) a place to be. Remember to be extra gentle with yourself over these next few weeks and consider ways you can show up for yourself and community. Gather with others over a meal, warm tea, or on a trip to the farmers market–like the relocated River Arts District Farmers Market : [link removed] whose RAD location washed away. Give yourself some hope by preparing your fall garden or planting native and fruiting trees. Get yourself or friends some vibrant flowers before the first frost arrives next month. And get out to one of the many locally-sourced restaurants who have reopened their doors.

We all might remember how critical accessing and sharing food was right after Helene. We tag-teamed meal prepping with our neighbors, we dropped off our surplus to each other, we gathered at farmers markets and food distribution sites, and we brought food to those who couldn’t make it out of their homes or neighborhoods. The folktale of “Stone Soup” came to light for us in a very real way. The “Stone Soup” story emphasizes the idea of community and sharing as each individual contributes whatever they may have, making something hearty and delicious from very little–a lot like how we all contributed what we could through such devastation and disaster. Consider doing a “Stone Soup” night with your friends, loved ones, or neighborhood where everyone brings at least one soup-inspired ingredient like potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, cabbage, kale, mushrooms, herbs, and more. All you need is a large soup pot or crock pot, water or broth, a big dash of salt, one potato as the symbolic stone, all the ingredients that your friends and family bring, and probably a lot of chairs, bowls, and spoons. Chop and add all your ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer until tender.

If you are thinking of working on your fall garden, markets have fall and cold hardy plant starts like collards, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and more to get you going. Find starts from vendors like Kindland Farm : [link removed] (Asheville City : [link removed] and Weaverville : [link removed] markets), Hogback Ridge Herb Farm (North Asheville : [link removed]), and Tucker’s Garden (North Asheville and West Asheville : [link removed]). As we get closer to four to six weeks out from the first frost, we are approaching prime garlic planting time, too. Garlic always feels like a hope-filled crop, planting it just before frost, somehow growing and surviving even the harshest winter, and emerging so lush in the early spring. Gaining Ground Farm : [link removed] (North Asheville and River Arts District markets) has plenty of garlic you can use as seed garlic to plant in your gardens.

We know that our region lost a lot of trees and foliage, and fall is the perfect time to plant trees and shrubs because the roots get established through the winter and produce more lush spring foliage. Get fruit trees and bushes like blueberries, paw paws, persimmons, raspberry canes, and cold hardy pomegranates from High Country Nursery : [link removed] at West Asheville and North Asheville markets. High Country has sassafras, oak, japanese maple, and ginkgo trees, too. Find more potted perennial plants from Bear Necessities Farm : [link removed] (West Asheville Tailgate Market).

All and all, this first Helene anniversary is a time for reflection and continued commitment to each other and our region's food system, even with the knowledge that there may still be some uncertainty ahead. At ASAP, our core programs that supported farms through Helene were programs that already existed prior to Helene. We continue our commitment to local food, strong farms, and healthy communities and we hope that you will continue joining us as we carry forward through the long-term implications. We are, after all, still in this together.

At markets now you’ll also find collards, beets, carrots, figs, apples, mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes, okra, peppers, eggplant, garlic, onions, green beans, microgreens, many types of fresh herbs, and more. Markets offer an abundance of farm-fresh eggs and meats, including chicken, pork, beef, and lamb. You can also get bread, cheese, pastries, fermented products, drinks, and prepared foods. During springtime, find annual and perennial plant starts for your gardens along with fresh flowers. 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 : [link removed].

Connect with ASAP

: [link removed] : [link removed] : [link removed] : [link removed] 
appalachiangrown.org : [link removed] | asapconnections.org : [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.
 

: [link removed]

9/21
OGS Forest Farming Tour: Growing Pawpaws in WNC : [link removed]
 

9/26 - 11/1
Eliada’s 17th Annual Fall Festival & Corn Maze : [link removed]
 

9/27
Utopian Seed Project – Trial to Table : [link removed]
 

9/28
Mushroom Sterile Lab Techniques : [link removed]
 

Carolina Mountain Cheese Festival 2025 : [link removed]
 

OGS Forest Farming Tours: Woodland Botanicals with Eagle Feather Organic Farm : [link removed]
 

9/29
Organic Crop Management Series – Organic Weed Management : [link removed]
 

9/30
Farm Dreams online workshop : [link removed]
 

10/6
Organic Crop Management Series – Organic Pest Management : [link removed]

10/8
Start your Regenerative Mushroom Farm Webinar : [link removed]

10/13
Organic Crop Management Series – Managing & Preventing Plant Diseases : [link removed]

10/18
Mushroom Cultivation for Beginners : [link removed]
 

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

Local Food and Farm News

Each year Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard : [link removed] in Henderson County unveils its five-acre corn maze alongside other fall agritourism offerings, including u-pick apples, pumpkin patch, wagon rides, and more. This year, a portion of the proceeds will benefit ASAP's Appalachian Grown Farmer Resiliency Fund. This fund supports Helene recovery and resiliency programs such as Appalachian Farms Feeding Families, emergency grants, and resources that connect farmers with schools, markets, and families in need. 

The corn maze will be open daily throughout the fall season (9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays, and 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday). Find out more at steppapples.com : [link removed].



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

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