Flat Rock Tailgate Market News - Vendor of the Month for October

Flat Rock Tailgate Market to Feature Melinda Hill as Vendor of the Month of October

The Flat Rock Tailgate Market will feature Melinda Hill of Hill’s Farm Plants, Inc. in Dana, as “Vendor of the Month” of October. Melinda grows greens, herbs, beans, onions, gourds, lots of peppers (hot and sweet) and a large variety of flowers (her favorites) including sunflowers, zinnias and dahlias. She sells at the Flat Rock Tailgate Market held every Thursday afternoon from 3-6.

Melinda grew up in Hooper’s Creek, NC and is the youngest of three girls. While growing up, her family grew most of their own food and preserved vegetables and fruit by pickling, canning and freezing. She and her husband now own their own farm which has been chemical free for the past seven years. When not gardening or marketing, Melinda enjoys reading the history of women from our mountain region to learn their survival techniques. “I still don’t understand how they were able to do all the work they did!”
vendor of the month

Flat Rock Tailgate Market News - Vendor of the Month: September

Mollie LeBude
September 2009

Mollie LeBude of Forest Creek Farm and Nursery in Saluda is “Vendor of the Month” of September. Mollie grows “most anything you can put in a salad” along with potatoes, fresh and dried herbs, sweet corn, blueberries, flowers, fruits, and transplants which she sells at the Flat Rock Tailgate Market

Mollie has a BS in Environmental Science with a business minor, and an MS in Forestry (genetics of breeding for disease resistance). After she married her husband, Anthony, and while she was looking for a full-time job, she started growing veggies and taking the “extras” to market. She then found a full-time job, but was still working two days a week on her farm. Then her farm business took off and now she works full-time on the farm and part-time as a tutor and in Raymond’s Garden Center. Mollie has been a two-time champion at the National Bowed Psaltery Competition at the Down-Home Psaltery Festival in Alabama.

To learn more about Mollie or sign up for her newsletter, go to
www.fcfn.blogspot.com

Flat Rock Tailgate Market News - August 20, 2009

This week at the market:

Market Favorites:
Lamb, chicken, eggs. Fresh fish & seafood. Free range eggs. Goat cheeses. Local honey. Jams, jellies, relishes, gourmet mustards, BBQ Sauce, salad dressings, hummous & babaganous.

This Weeks Vegetables:
We continue to have a plethera of wonderful vine ripened tomatoes, summer squash, acorn and butternut squash, russet potatoes, white eggplant, giant purple eggplant, burgundy & green okra, red & green peppers, shiitake & wild mushrooms, sweet corn, cucumbers, carrots, onions, garlic, leeks and more.

Fresh Fruits:
We have delectable melons, blueberries, cherries, peaches & strawberries. Apples are comming soon.

Fresh Baked Goods:

Hearth baked breads, cookies, fig & raspberry frangipane tarts, awsome pecan bars, orange chocolate cheese cake bites, lemon tartlets, herbed pita bread, baklawa and even dog cookies for your best friend.

More Market Favorites:
Fresh cut flowers, herb plants, hanging baskets, eucoliptis trees, Japanese Maples & Amarillis plants.

Vendor of the Month, Paul Shoemaker of Holly Spring Farm and Nursery in Mills River says, "With the recent sunshine, lots of tomatoes are reaching their full rich tomato flavor, from the mini-salad to extra large slicers and jumbo Heirlooms. We'll also have Asian beans, eggplants, peppers and sweetcorn. Our Canary Island melons, 'Sugar Nut', have finally ripened, as well as the red watermelons, 'Starlight'. We'll also have "just picked" blueberries.

Flat Rock Tailgate Market News - August 13, 2009

Come Out This Week to Enjoy the Bounty of Summer

Our "Vendor of the Month", Paul Shoemaker of Holly Spring Farm and Nursery in Mills River, will be offering free samples of his amazing heirloom tomatoes and homemade bruschetta. Along with his tomatoes, Paul will have luscious melons, blueberries, eggplant, Asian beans and Swiss chard. Come say "hi" to Paul and his wife, Simone, and enjoy a free sample or two!

And More Vegetables

Summer squash, acorn and butternut squash, russet potatoes, Swedish peanut potatoes, blue potatoes, burgundy/green okra, red & green peppers, garlic, beets, shiitake and wild mushrooms, sweet corn, cucumbers, carrots, onions and more.

And What Else?

Blueberries, cherries, peaches and apples. Rose water, lavender bath salts, eggs, maple trees, fresh flowers, jams, jellies, rose bushes, goat cheese, fresh shrimp, fish, chicken, Dessert First, Lebanese baked good including herbed flat bread (which is wonderful stuffed with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, basil and feta), bread and cookies, honey, herb plants and lemonade.

Parking Note:
We now have parking attendants to help you find parking & keep the traffic flowing (sorry no valet parking!). If you are picking up your CSA basket please do not park in front of the vendor's booth it really backs the traffic up. Just a hint: After 4p.m. there's still an abundance of products to choose from and a lot more parking spaces!! See you there.

Eat Fresh - Eat Local

Remember, no sales before 3:00 p.m!

Flat Rock Tailgate Market News - Vendor of the Month - August

The Flat Rock Tailgate Market will feature Paul and Simone Shoemaker of Holly Spring Farm & Nursery in Mills River as “Vendor of the Month” for August. The Shoemakers specialize in heirloom tomatoes and a variety of farm fresh vegetables, melons, and blueberries which they sell at the Flat Rock Tailgate Market held every Thursday afternoon from 3-6 in the parking area behind the Cherry Cottage and next to Hubba Hubba Smokehouse along Little Rainbow Row in Flat Rock. The market will continue through November 5 and is free and open to the public.

Paul comes from a family of tomato farmers, raised on a truck farm in New Jersey. He holds a B.S. in Agricultural Research and an M.S. in Plant Pathology from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Cornell University. He and his wife came to WNC as a professor with NC State University doing research and extension work on tomato and other crop diseases to benefit NC mountain farmers. He also worked at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River.