Cobblestone Farmers Market — Attraction in Winston-Salem

Small, high-quality market with all local farmers from the Piedmont region. Everyone sells their own produce, or in some cases, adds items from other local farms. Variety includes seasonal fruits and vegetables, goat cheese, grass-fed beef and mushrooms -- one entire booth selling only myriad types of 'shrooms, resembling marine plants.

We bought gluten-free, dairy-free (!) brownies at a truly amazing pastry booth (they had really fine-looking sweet buns, bread and other confections for normal people, too). We sat in the shade on an old picnic table along with a bunch of moms and dads and kids and munched on brownies, enjoying a live performance of traditional Appalachian music, while the kids danced in the clearing. It was cloggin'-type music, but nobody but the chlidren was that energetic, I guess, at 8:30 in the morning. (There's been live music each time we've been there -- may be a regular part of the market scene -- don't know.)

On our way out, we saw a family offering their own egg pasta, another with an impressive array of raw 🍯 honey. And, at a booth that surely sold produce of some kind, but I didn't notice what, there were two coffee tables for sale, made from cross sections of tree stumps.

Both were beautiful, but the smaller one was of "salvaged black walnut", which I stood and stared into, absorbing the rich history in those honey-comb pattern dark rings. It was finished in low, natural gloss, the young man who produced them explaining that it's a relatively new oil-based product -- a truly hand-rubbed look. Craftsmanship is still alive and well in North Carolina, is the growing of gloriously beautiful, nutritious food. Go EARLY for the...

This was my third visit to this Farmers Market, and let me say, I have been to a few other Farmers Markets, but the variety of vendors is top notch, there are not to many vendors all selling the same thing, which is nice and allows you to support multiple businesses, as well as getting a variety of products.

This time at the Farmers Market, I utilized a service I have never seen at a farmers’ market: a professional knife sharpener. This is a massive benefit to me and others who come to the market, and what a genius idea! Those who attend farmers' markets are most certainly cooking at home, so knife sharpening is essential for the home cook who has quality knives.

This time, I also picked up some fresh bagels, which my partner enjoyed more than the store-bought ones. They were a bit pricy at $10 for only 4, but they were hearty and hefty bagels, as my picture shows. This market also offers a wide variety of meat from several different farms, as shown in my picture. One establishment just about has all the cuts from an animal you could want.

There were vendors selling plants for your garden or home, and one vendor was selling mushroom tinctures and extracts. I purchased one of those for myself.

Coffee, fruits, veggies, homemade bread, desserts, and many other things are on offer at this lovely farmers market. Now that the weather is nice again, I plan to be here weekly to check out what the farmers...

Parking is fairly easy as they have a lot near by but it does fill up quick. I would imagine as the day went on it would be a little more difficult to find parking close to the market. There is a lot across the street where you could park as well.

There were quite a few people there early but it wasn't so crowded that you couldn't easily browse the booths. They had live music going on and seating in the shade located near the Camino's booth. Speaking of Camino's they had an excellent selection of baked goods, as well as coffee. The selection of vegetables is awesome.Cobblestone is definitely very dog friendly. There were lots out this morning.

Part of the market is shaded so you can grab a coffee and a pastry from Camino Bakery's stand and enjoy the music, or just people watch.

If you are looking for fruit, you are not going to find much here though. I think I only saw blueberries and black berries. If you're looking for lots of fruit, I would suggest the Piedmont Triad Farmer's Market in Colfax.

I'm typically on the lookout for veggies, beyond the standard fare of just tomatoes, squash, zucchini, and cucumbers, that most smaller markets usually are only limited to. So I'm personally able to find everything that I'm looking for and then some. There are also quite a few vendors selling fresh herbs, baked goods, and cheeses. Go early to beat the heat, the crowds, and to get a good...