Local fresh produce, baked goods and musical performances at the North Tailgate Farmer’s Market

As the fall season brings colorful leaves and chilly weather, students can revel in fresh produce, baked goods and live musical performances at The North Asheville Tailgate Market located at the UNC Asheville in parking lot P34.

The market is held every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

“As a producer-only farmers’ market, our mission is to strengthen the local foods movement of Western North Carolina by organizing a dynamic and inclusive outlet for farmers and small businesses to connect with customers and community,” the North Asheville Tailgate Market website said. 

The farmers market uses the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP ), which allows customers with electronic benefits transfer (EBT) to get double the amount they planned on spending through SNAP tokens. 

“Just come to our market information booth, swipe your card with us and we will give you double that amount in market SNAP tokens that you can use on all qualifying produce and food products at the market” the North Asheville Tailgate Market website said. 

Johanna Shane, a first season member of Flying Cloud Farm, said students can find a variety of produce such as winter squash, sweet potatoes, onions, greens, hot and sweet peppers, eggplant and more at their booth.

According to Shane, shopping locally is healthier for the body but also helps members in the community. 

“It is healthier for your body to eat fresh produce and organic produce especially,” said Shane. “I also feel like it is a really activist thing to do in a way. Shopping local, it is giving more support to the small sustainable businesses instead of large grocery operations.”

According to their website, the Flying Cloud Farm is managed by Isaiah and Annie Louise Perkinson, passionate farmers who strive to be transparent about their farming practices and operations.

“Farming is a labor of love and we often remind ourselves that tending the soil is a worthwhile endeavor and contribution to make the world a better place,” the flying cloud farm website says.

 Along with fresh produce from farmers, students can also find fresh homemade baked goods made by the farmers market baker, Joanne Moore. 

“I have been with this market for thirty years, I make handpipes, scones, some cookies primarily shortbread and flapjacks which are an English thing,” said Moore.

Moore said she has been working in the food industry for the majority of her life, starting professional until she moved and found the market.  

“I have an inspected kitchen, and this is the only market I do,” Moore said. “When I moved to North Carolina one of the first places I saw was the Tailgate Market and I thought, I gotta do this.”

Moore said the farmers market provides a sense of community through engaged sellers and also those shopping. 

“I just love being here. It is hard to wake up early on Saturday morning but for me it is not hard to do,” said Moore. 

According to Moore, the farmers market is good for college students to visit as vendors have prepared food ready to heat and eat. 

“There is food that is prepared that you can take and you can heat up, and there are a lot of baked goods too,” Moore said. 

According to the North Asheville Tailgate Market website, musicians play weekly at designated music tents playing musical varieties from bluegrass, harp, folk and horns. 

One musical group who performs at the farmers market is Richard and Robin Plyler, a married couple dedicated to their love for performing.

“Playing has been our passion,” Richard Plyler said. “We had about ten tunes that we played over and over and now we have 200 tunes.”

According to the couple, they met in college and married afterwards. They both became successful instrumental music educators who taught high school band and orchestra in Cleveland County.

Their information sheet said, “After decades of teaching and performing classic band, orchestra and jazz music, Richard and Robin now perform a variety of fun nostalgic tunes with trumpets using custom arranged backing tracks by Gail Price, also a Mars Hill College music alumnus.”

Richard Plyler said his wife has a special talent for music, and brings incredible talent to their duo.

“She can hear a song maybe once or twice and she already knows it,” he said. “Even when I met her she knew every lyric to every song in every album.”

Students can find themselves at the Tailgate Market through every season, as it stays open all year long according to the website. 

“It is a really great way to meet people from the community, and these farmers are magicians,” Moore said.