Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
Sept 4, 2008 issue
Compiled by Kathleen McFadden
What’s for supper? Local markets have just about everything you need for every course—from appetizers to salads to main dish to side dishes to desserts.
It was another glorious weekend in Boone, and everyone at Watauga County Farmers' Market would like to thank the folks who choose the market as their destination on Saturdays. The vendors hope to see everyone this Saturday for the market’s annual cooking demo with cooking instructor and food writer Sheri Castle. Sheri will choose from the fresh vegetables available at the market, prepare dishes and share samples and recipes.
Shoppers will have plenty of vegetables to choose from this weekend. Andy Bryant and Griffin Abe will have all sizes and kinds of pumpkins including white and Baby Bear baking pumpkins. Griffin and Andy will also have ripe tomatoes including varieties Roma, Cherokee, Tigerella and Stella Noir. Charles Church's weekly harvest will include yellow and Silver Queen corn, broccoli, garlic, and patty pan and spaghetti squash. Cheryl will have Swiss chard, and next door William and Jeanette Edmisten will have cabbage, eggplant and apples to offer. Kenneth Oliver will have plenty of Silver Queen and Silver King corn.
Don and Roger Owens will be bringing more eggplant and sweet banana peppers. Jeff Thomas will harvest different varieties of sweet ethnic peppers, cabbage, fingerling potatoes and all kinds of tomatoes. Mildred Green will have four different types of eggplant, bell peppers, red and white potatoes, okra and white half-runner beans.
Shiloh Avery and Jason Roehrig will bring a wide variety of peppers to the market this Saturday including sweet peppers, poblanos, Italian Bull's Horn and jalapeños. Shiloh and Jason will also be harvesting different types of squash including delicata, acorn and butternut, and also Asian eggplant.
Many types of fruit are available at the market this time of year, and Deb Lowe will be there with yellow peaches, Ginger Gold and Gala apples, and Stark pears.
Watauga County Farmers’ Market will be open on Wednesday mornings through September 10 at the same location as on Saturday mornings at the Horn in the West in Boone rain or shine. Turn next to First Citizens Bank on Highway 105 Extension and go to the top of the hill. Call Market Manager Karen Bauman at 828-355-4918 or click to www.wcfm.info for more info.
The Ashe County Farmers’ Market is located on the Backstreet in downtown West Jefferson and is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. All items sold at the market are homegrown and handmade in Ashe County.
The Todd Sustainable Market is Thursday afternoons from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the parking lot of the Todd Mercantile. The market features locally grown produce, grass-fed meat, handcrafted lotions and soaps, fresh-baked bread, pastries and cookies, and artisan crafts. For more information about the Todd Sustainable Market or to sell at the market, contact Stacy Martin at 336-709-6541 or yellowwolffarm@yahoo.com.
The Original Mast General Store in Valle Crucis hosts a Farmers’ Market each Wednesday from 2:00 p.m. 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 Lisa Jeffcoat-McNeal at 828-963-6511.
Lansing has a farmers’ market every Tuesday from 2:00 until 6:00 p.m. in the parking lot of the Lansing Volunteer Fire Department. Vendors can sell at no charge. The produce and vendors.
The High Country Farmers’ Market will be open this Sunday, September 7, in the parking lot of the Watauga County Human Services Center at 132 Poplar Grove Road from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The market has lots of parking and bicycle parking, covered and open seating and an accessible ATM.
Available will be plenty of fresh produce, as well as plenty of baked goodies, jams and jellies, culinary vinegars, handcrafted necklaces, handmade soaps and body products, and more.
For more info, contact Bill Moretz at 828-264-3424, Carol Miller at 336-385-9419 or email pfvinegars@yahoo.com.
Jalapeño Poppers
Sure, you can buy jalapeño poppers in the frozen foods section at the grocery store, but like everything else, they’re so much better when you make them yourself. And plenty of fresh jalapeños are available at local markets.
4 slices of bacon, chopped up
1/4 cup onion, fine dice
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup Monterey jack
1/2 cup mozzarella
However many peppers you can fill
Fry the bacon, onion, and mushroom together until the bacon is crisp; drain well and let cool. Mix bacon, onion, mushroom and cheeses. Slice the peppers in half and stuff with the mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.