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Farmers’ Market Weekly Update

Story by Celeste von Mangan and Kathleen McFadden

It’s officially farmers’ market season in Watauga and Ashe, so head out on Saturday mornings to select some goodies for kitchen, garden and home. In addition, the Original Mast Store in Valle Crucis is hosting a market on Wednesdays, and the Spin A Yarn...Weave A Web farm store in Warrensville is hosting tailgate markets on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

This Week at the Watauga County Farmers’ Market

The folks at Watauga County Farmers' Market are happy to report on a very nice opening day last Saturday. The light mist that fell through most of the day could hardly be considered ideal, but given the potential for spring weather in Boone, the day was altogether not that bad. The vendors send out a big thanks to everyone who came out and made their day a success.

It is hard to tell at this point if an unhappy trend has finally been reversed, but this past Saturday the supply of fresh, happy hen eggs held out for much of the morning. We can only hope that all of these fine ladies do not go on a sulk all in the same week, but for the immediate future even more shoppers should be able to fill their requests.

Farmers are preparing the spring vegetable harvest and there will be plenty of early greens and fresh treats to choose from. David Sengel will have a crop of fresh asparagus this Saturday, along with rhubarb and cilantro. William Edmisten will be offering strawberries and lettuce, along with spinach, mustard and turnip greens. Maverick Farms will have scallions and green garlic along with salad greens, and Alyssa Rudolph will have her handcrafted baskets available this weekend.

Jeff Thomas will have plenty of culinary herb starts ready for planting, and also Sun Cherry, Sun Gold, Pink Beauty and paste tomato plant starts.

Carol Miller will prepare individual organically grown salads with Providence Farm vinaigrette for this weekend. Carol will also have a supply of herbal vinegars such as sun dried tomato and basil vinegar, her new Mediterranean-style vinegar and classic Italian. Liza Plaster will be processing, pasteurizing and making cheese with the milk from her herd of 34 goats to ensure a supply of fresh chevre for the market. Liza flavors her cheeses with fresh garden herbs grown with organic methods. This weekend you can sample chevre flavored with rosemary with fig preserves, lemon zest with blueberry preserves or garlic chives. Plain unflavored chevre will also be available.

Jason Brooks will be at the market with a fine selection of local all-natural Angus beef. Jason will have a selection of cuts available, including ground beef, steaks and roasts.

This Week at the Valle Crucis Farmers’ Market

The Original Mast General Store in Valle Crucis will host a Farmers’ Market each Wednesday, from 2:00 until 6:00 p.m. in the parking lot behind the store. Visitors will find fresh produce, baked goods, crafts, plants, ready-to-serve salads and more. The Farmers’ Market will continue until October. For more info, contact Janet Mahala at the Mast Store, 828-963-6511.

Tailgate Market Opens in Warrensville

Local growers and crafters are invited to participate in a new tailgate market on Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the Spin A Yarn...Weave A Web farm store located in Warrensville, outside West Jefferson. Nancy Hoffman and her family own and operate the store.

“I am a very active member of the Ashe County Farmers’ Market, ” said Hoffman, “and we’re starting the tailgate market to complement the farmers’ market. This is designed to be a community service, so there is no charge as of now. We’ll start with Saturday and Sunday afternoons and if there are more people who want to set up on other days, the vendors can finalize that decision.”

Vendors participating in the tailgate market must sell locally grown produce, plants and shrubbery, either organic or nonorganic. The crafts will not be juried, but they have to be handmade and cannot be yard sale or catalog items.

Hoffman is keeping the hours somewhat loose.

“Vendors can set up after the farmers’ market on Saturday and after church on Sunday,” she said. “Space will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Everyone participating in the market can bring tables or use their tailgates.” Hoffman estimated that ten to twelve pickups can fit into the Spin A Yarn parking area.

“We’d also like to make it fun and we’d really like to have demonstrators like blacksmiths and fiber artists. It would be nice for people to demonstrate their crafts,” she added.

Vendors interested in selling at the tailgate market can call Hoffman at 336-384-2126.

Open House At Spin A Yarn Saturday

On Saturday, May 12, Spin A Yarn...Weave A Web in Warrensville will hold an open house for the public to meet the new Ashe County Farmers’ Market Manager Patty Shay.

With the help of grant money, 2007 will be the first year the market will have a paid market manager. In previous years, volunteers served as managers.

After meeting Shay, visitors are invited to browse the store, filled with Ashe County-produced food and dry goods, including handcrafted soaps, handspun and hand-dyed yarns, honey, organic meats, jellies, jams, hand-knitted clothing and accessories, scented sachets, quilts, salves, ointments, primitive dolls and doll clothing, diatomaceous earth and worm castings. New to the store’s inventory are llama fleeces.

“We have really pretty colors,” said owner Nancy Hoffman, “grays and browns. We also have merino fleece and since it is shearing time but the wool-pull hasn’t happened yet, I’m in the market for nice, hand-spun fleeces, as well as for locally produced yarns. A lot of people are processing their own yarns. We’d like to add more local crafts to the store as well.”

All items at Spin A Yarn are sold on consignment, with Hoffman taking only ten percent from sales to help pay for the store’s rent. For more info, call 336-384-2126.