North Asheville Tailgate Market

North Asheville Tailgate Market has been farm fresh and handmade since 1980, and it now meets in UNC Asheville Lot P34. It calls itself Western North Carolina's voted number-one farmers market, a producer-only Saturday gathering of more than 70 vendors and more than 40,000 customers a year. Stalls cover sustainably produced produce, meats, eggs, cheeses, breads, plants, prepared foods, and crafts, with over 30 members, many of them around since the 1980s, plus rotating day vendors. Most growers use organic practices. Chef demos, dietitian talks, and Growing Minds at Market are part of how the market talks about community, and a Holiday Bazaar closes the calendar.

Our take: Time a late-fall visit for the Holiday Bazaar if crafts and gifts are as important as the produce.