Tailgate and Farm Markets

Updated: 12/28/2008

How to Locate Local Food in the Southern Appalachians:

• Local Food Guide - FREE at various locations like markets and restaurants and searchable on-line at ASAP's website.
• Local Food & Farm Map - FREE at various locations like markets and restaurants.

For some of the freshest produce, tastiest honey, jams, pickled veggies and coolest mountain crafts, check out WNC's tailgate markets. These links list locations and dates of markets as well as members of the "Buy Appalachian Local Food Campaign Partners":

• Restaurants and bakeries that are Buy Appalachian Local Food Campaign Partners
• ExploreAsheville.com - 2008 Farmers Market Opening Dates
• BlueRidgeGrown.com - Farmer's and Tailgate Markets
• Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project - The Mountain Tailgate Market Association
• Historic Hendersonville and Village of Flat Rock, NC Visitors and Information Center - Tailgate and Farmers Markets

Farms producing and selling grassfed livestock/free range eggs

• Red-Tail Ridge, Asheville, NC (grass-fed beef, free range eggs, eco-pork)
• Hickory Nut Gap Farm, Fairview, NC ("pasture raised, rotationally grazed, grassfed, no hormones, no antibiotics")
• Warren Wilson College Farm, Swannanoa, NC (sells grass-finished beef once yearly by the quarter side, and pasture raised pork twice yearly by the quarter side)
• Eeatwild - (NC statewide listing of farms producing grass-feed food)

Grass-fed vs grass-finished livestock? - (courtesy Daily Blessing Organic Foods website)

Farm Markets - Hendersonville

Edmundson Produce Farm Market
(Horse Shoe area, corner of Hwy 64 and South Rugby Rd)
3771A Brevard Rd
Hendersonville, NC
(828) 891-3230

(jams and honey put up by the Edmundson family)

Carolyn and Randy Edmundson own and farm approximately 200 acres near their market. They keep bees and sell the honey at the market as well as crafts made locally.

Some things at the market are from neighboring counties and states, such as Free Range Eggs from Bumcombe County, NC, unfinished porch rockers made by a man in Augusta, SC and Amish Butter from TN.

They've just moved their bakery equipment from their home to the market, enabling the baking of breads, cakes, etc. on site beginning tomorrow, May 1, 2008.

The Edmundson's told me that 95% of the produce in the market is from their farm from June through late October. Other times of the year, they try to bring in fresh produce from as close to Hendersonville as possible.

Something I thought was great - I met one of the Edmundson's children (a high school age son) and was informed that he has two acres he's responsible for farming by himself. Apparently, he plants quite a variety of things, including different greens and squashes.

Flat Rock Tailgate Market
Behind Funky Bungalow and Silk Road Interiors
along Little Rainbow Row
Village of Flat Rock
Hendersonville, NC
(828) 697-7719

Four Seasons Produce
30 Tracy Grove Rd
Hendersonville, NC
(828) 693-3166

This the second year Ray and Lynne Simmons have owned Four Seasons Produce. Produce at this market is a mix from a larger farm market and local farmers, and is not necessarily organic. They do carry some interesting products like: Meat from Foothills Country Ham & Fresh Meats, Jonesville, NC; canned items from Dana Fancy Foods, Dana, NC; Apple Butter canned by Barbara Lackey, Hendersonville. They also carry a big variety of dried fruits bought in bulk and then separated into smaller bags.


Henderson County Tailgate Market
Henderson County Commissioner's Building
100 North King Street
Hendersonville, NC
(828) 693-7265

A truly local and tailgate market. Each pick-up in the top photo is selling from their tailgate.

J & D Produce
221 Church St
Hendersonville, NC
(828) 696-4192

James and David Milholen run this unassuming produce market in downtown Hendersonville. According to James and David's dad, Oscar, their family has owned the market for 10 or 12 years, but the market has been at this location for about 20 years.

When we stopped by, there were so many cars trying to get into the parking lot, there wasn't room. Quite a few people had to resort to street parking.

J & D's carries local and "nearly local" produce and the prices seem more than reasonable. Poking around, I noticed honey from Grommin Acres Farm (828-693-1966) in Hendersonville. Mike Milholen told me a local man named, Stuart Van Meter, keeps bees in many locations around Henderson County and produces the honey J & D carries.

McAbee's Fruit Stand
McMurray Rd and I 26 (exit 53)
Hendersonville, NC
(828) 693-0193

McConnell Farms
177 Old Dana Rd
Hendersonville, NC
(828) 692-2819

(call for hours)

(strawberries for sale right from the field!)

(McConnell Farms jams, preserves, apple butter)

Danny McConnell and his family have been farming for generations, going back at least to 1944 when Danny's grandfather farmed.

They now farm about 150 acres of strawberries, berries, vegetables (including asparagus) and some specialty plants.

In addition to produce and jams/preserves, the McConnells also make their own slow-churned ice cream (delicious, I might add) that they sell wholesale and retail at the stand. Not only do they make their own ice cream, they make their own chocolate bark, pralines and other items they add to the ice cream.

Piney Mountain Orchards
3290 Asheville Hwy (Hwy 25 across from Tarheel Lanes)
Hendersonville, NC
(828) 692-4800

This fruit stand has been at this location for 35 years. McAbee's carries quite a variety of local apples as soon as the harvest is in, otherwise they bring them in from out of the area. They also carry local seasonal cabbage, tomatoes, squash and beans along with honey from Smokey Mountain Honey House in Asheville and Atkins Orchard in Saluda. The day I took these photos, their shelves were lined with a great selection of cider from Atkins Orchard in Saluda as well as Forge Mountain products.

Owners, Wade and Sara Edney own an 80 acre farm by the same name as the market, located at 1779 Old Clear Creek Rd, Hendersonville (828) 685-3235. They also lease and farm additional acreage. Their products, including gourd art, have been sold at their booth at the Curb Market, Hendersonville, for 10 years and at the Asheville Hwy location for 2 years.

The Edney's grow strawberries, sweet & tart cherries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, nectarines, sweet corn, apples (10 + varieties), squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and gourds. In addition to these items, the market carries Happy Cow Creamery butter (Pelzer, SC), Old Mill of Guilford grains (no preservatives grits, steel cut oats and corn meal) and Haw Creek Honey (Asheville, NC). Greg Rogers, the bee keeper who provides the honey, brings his bees to the farm each year for pollination.

Also at the market is home-made ice cream by Barb Borgensen, using berries from Piney Mountain Orchards farm.

Pick your own strawberries at their farm! They'll be ready in one to two weeks (toward end of May).

The Curb Market
221 N. Church Street
Hendersonville, NC
828-692-8012

Not a ton of produce, but plenty of what's in season. Lots of local crafters here also.

Farm Markets - Fletcher

Little Farmers Market
(corner of Hwy 280/Airport Road and Butler Bridge Road)
2530 Butler Bridge Rd
Fletcher, NC
(828) 654-0088

(as seen from Hwy 280/Airport Rd heading Northeast)

Little Farmers Market just opened for the season this Thursday, May 1st. As with other local markets, owner Ken Marlowe is carrying produce from nearby counties and states until our produce is "in". Once that happens, he carries at least 50% truly local items, some organic - some not.

In years past, I've been at Little Farmers Market when locals have come in with items from their gardens for Mr. Marlowe to sell.

Mr. Marlowe also carries Forge Mountain jams, preserves and pickled veggies. The Forge Mountain company store is located in Flat Rock, NC.

Two favorite (read most delicious) things I've gotten at the Little Market over the years have been tomatoes and watermelon. When we had workers at our house, we served them watermelon from here. As soon as they were done for the day, they all went over to the market and bought watermelons to take home! I should get a commission!!

Tailgaters

Upstate SC produce ripens before ours here in Hendersonville, so members of the long-time local Johnson family make a very early morning trip to Beechwood Farm, Marietta, SC each day and bring fresh picked-that-morning produce back for locals to sell. As produce from farms closer to Hendersonville starts to come in, we'll see those items on tailgates around town.

Len Wright, Hendersonville - (wearing the hat) is located on North Rugby Rd near Haywood or on Haywood near N Rugby Rd. He's been selling at these two locations for 4 or 5 years. He also sells produce from Greer, NC and Chesnee, SC.

Gary Griffin, Hendersonville - sells out of this cool vintage pickup and is a member of the Johnsons extended family. According to Gary, the Johnsons have been selling produce on the same block of downtown Hendersonville for about 20 years. They used to sell out of the building Docks is in now.

Oscar Milholen, Hendersonville - is located in the parking lot of J & D Produce, 221 Church St, Hendersonville. He is the father of James and David Milholen, owners of J & D and has been selling strawberries from this location for about 10 years. Oscar is so friendly, think I'll stop by some morning for strawberries and a chat. I'm guessing he has some pretty good stories to share!

David Dunagin, Brevard - is at the Chevron station on ------, between Huddle House and Wacovia Bank, across the street from Wendys. This is his second year at this location. He is currently selling strawberries from Sea Farms in Spartanburg, SC.

Susie Apshur, Mills River - and her daughter located for the first time at the far end of the Mills River Restaurant (4201 Haywood Rd (at Haywood Rd and Airport Rd/Hwy 280, Mills River) parking lot. They sell Beechwood Farm strawberries. Believe it or not, they have sold 650 gallons at this spot so far this year!

Also spotted - recently saw two pickups on either side of Sweeten Creek Rd, under the Mills Gap Rd. overpass. Haven't have a chance to stop and see where their produce comes from. I'm thinking it comes from the same place - northern SC - for now.

Updated: December 28, 2008