Cobblestone Farmers Market

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Takeaway: The Cobblestone Farmers Market in Winston-Salem one of the best I’ve ever visited. Farmers from all over the area, including the hills of Virginia, come down to sell their goods here. And boy-howdy, are they GOOD! This market has a laid back, almost hippy vibe, and they sell only naturally grown and Animal Welfare Approved products.

What a market! The Cobblestone Market in Winston-Salem is truly excursion-worthy. They have two locations; we visited the one in Old Salem, just behind the tavern. Tents pop-up along the sidewalks and in a shaded parking lot, with bountiful veggies, fruit, cheese, baked goods, juice, coffee, tea, and meat. With everything from water buffalo to raw Manchego cheese to pickle kits, you’ll want to bring quite a few bags.

The dedication to sustainable and natural products, the lovely location, and high quality products really set this market apart. Here’s a quick summary of the market from their website:

“Cobblestone Farmers Market is North Carolina’s only fully vetted, sustainable, producer-only farmers market offering customers the guarantee that all vendors meet the sustainable, naturally-grown, and humane practices required by the market. All beef, lamb, and pork products are certified Animal Welfare Approved […] For value added products, local and sustainably produced ingredients are strongly preferred, and where possible, ingredients should be grown by the vendor (e.g. pickles, jams, etc., but not necessarily baked goods).”

Margaret Norfleet Neff and Salem Nofleet Neff, her daughter, lovingly tend the Saturday market which they started as well as the Wednesday market which emerged from Krankies Farmers Market and the Triad Buying Co-op. The mother-daughter duo are also purveyors of fine jams, jellies, and all manner of preserved delights, among other ventures as part of Beta Verde.

Unlike many other markets, they don’t start till 9am. According to a nice write-up last year in YES! Weely, that’s by request of the farmers, “’Our producers actually chose the 9 a.m. start time on Saturdays so that they can pick their goods early in the morning and sell them right after,’ Neff said.”

Like the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, they also accept SNAP/WIC/EBT, and match $5, making truly good food more affordable for everyone.

As if you needed more reasons to go, live music is a standard feature of both the Wednesday and Saturday markets.