5 Sense-sational Spots to Enjoy Fresh Apples in West Asheville

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Sweet, savory, pureed, or pressed—there are so many ways to enjoy fresh apples in the fall!
Today, we’re going to focus on a microcosm of menus featuring the fresh fruit: West Asheville along Haywood Road. Though not specifically in the heart of apple country, this mile-and-a-half stretch demonstrates a good cross section of how apples are used in breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and beverages to enjoy throughout the day.
Try a new sense-sational apple treat every day this week, or plan one delicious afternoon along Haywood Road. These five locations will deliver a fruit-filled sensory overload!

5 Sense-sational Spots to Enjoy Fresh Apples in West Asheville

Photo by ExploreAsheville.com

Sight: Urban Orchard Cider Company

If you enjoy an opportunity to imbibe, one of the best consequences of living so close to WNC apple farms is the growing cider industry. West Asheville’s own Urban Orchard Cider Co. (210 Haywood Road) crafts every one of their 50+ ciders from Hendersonville apples, along with a variety of yeasts, and ages them for a minimum of 8 months. Their flavors run from sweet to dry, mild to spicy (it’s true!), and simple to complex. If you’re new to ciders, we recommend trying a flight of flavors so you can enjoy the variety of colors and opacity while you taste test.

Sound: West Asheville Tailgate Market

Local mountain musicians busking for tips. Neighbors running into neighbors and catching up on news. Customers asking farmers for their best turnip green recipes. The sounds of farmers markets epitomize community spirit! At the West Asheville Tailgate Market (718 Haywood Road), vendors tables offer an abundant array of fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, baked goods, canned goods, herbs, plants, and arts and crafts—every Tuesday from April through December. You shouldn’t have to search far for fresh, local apples or freshly baked apple treats.

Smell: OWL Bakery

Warning: Do not enter OWL Bakery (295 Haywood Road) with a credit card. No, they aren’t a cash-only establishment. But once you enter, you’ll be overwhelmed by the sweet smells of fresh breads, pastries, coffee, and tea. This clean and continental shop offers some of the flakiest pastries you’ll find in town. We highly recommend their fresh-from-the-oven apple turnovers made with local gala apples. Pair it with a hot buttered chai for an indulgent treat any time of the day.

Touch: Odd’s Cafe

In North Carolina, apples become available as early as late August. But it’s not until the leaves begin to fall in earnest and the temperatures dip at night that the body and soul begin to crave the warmth of a hot apple cider. Odd’s Cafe (800 Haywood Road, Suite A) is more than your standard coffee bar. In addition to all your high-quality, all-natural, Counter Culture-roasted favorites, the cozy cafe offers several seasonal delights. Wrap your chilled hands around a warm pumpkin pie latte (espresso, pumpkin puree, condensed milk, 8 spices) or enjoy a chai cider, a foamy hot treat made with their in-house chai blend.

Taste: The Hop West

You know what’s awesome?: Ice cream. You know who makes pretty awesome ice cream?: The Hop. This local creamery can mix any local product you can think of into their ice cream. Spinach and raspberries—one of our favorites. Cantaloupe—they make it work. Lusty Monk Mustard—we tried it once; it was delicious. One of the current seasonal flavors available at the Hop West (721 Haywood Road) is a gluten-free apple crisp. It is made by cooking Hendersonville apples with spices, then stirring it into vanilla ice cream with toasted streusel pie topping. Yum!


 
These are certainly not the only fruit-tastic locations for quality apple products, even along Haywood Road. There’s the housemade apple butter at Biscuit Head, bacon apple butter or the pork and cider stew from Foothills Butcher Bar & Kitchen, and the WALK house salad (mixed greens, toasted pecans, sliced apples, goat cheese), just to name a few. If you still haven’t had your apple fill, check them out while apples are still in season!
 

What’s your favorite product made with local Hendersonville apples? Tell us in the comments.