My Adventures: Farmer's Markets + More Hiking in Greensboro, NC

I love having access to fresh fruit and vegetables. I have been spoiled with sweet strawberries, juicy organic blueberries in Fresno and blackberries that I gathered on the side of the road back in Napa. During the winter and spring months living in Tennessee, traveling to Kentucky and North Carolina, I have not had as much access. Don't get me wrong, I can always go to supermarkets to get what I need, but the quality of it is not the same, tasteless strawberries, underripe tomatoes, barely sweet apples... With the start of the season, I was impressed by Amish produce, but few places have good size communities. I also have seen the expansion of farmer's markets back in Knoxville as well as in Greensboro.

There are two farmer's markets I have visited thus far. One is right in Greensboro, The Corner Farmer's Market. It is a small market that offers pretty much anything you might need. I stopped by a small farmer Armstrong Artisan Farm where I bought a dozen of pasture raised eggs that are incredibly delicious and some kale. I stopped by a lady who makes her own kefir and kombucha and got a 32 oz jar of peach kombucha (I wish she made something with ginger!).

I waited in line to buy some strawberries, but then decided to get them elsewhere. I haven't ordered anything online yet, but I am going to! The orders are put in a paper bag, and the only thing you need to do is to pick it up.

Another market I like is Piedmont Farmer's Market about 15-20 minutes from Greensboro. Now this market is gigantic attracting vendors from all over. Their produce is a bit more from "big scale" farms, which I am not a huge fan of, but I found one lady who sells amazing tomatoes. I also bought strawberries and a large bunch of collard greens (I mean it's so large, I have nowhere to store it besides outside on the porch. I am also a bit concerned about pesticide usage as I have yet to find a truly organic farm at this market. It used to be a more popular thing in California, but here it is a rarity.

One thing to note about this farmer's market is that while it opens at 7 am, the vendors don't start their sales until 9. I found out about this the hard way by showing up at. 7.30 am and deciding to go on a hike until 9 to buy some vegetables.

The hike, on the other hand, was fantastic. Cascades Preserve Loop was on my local list as an easy hike. This early in the morning it turned out to be a very peaceful hike as well. The parking lot across the road is small. Another car was leaving as I pulled in making me the party of 1 for this trail.

I love the shade of the woods, especially when the sun is still barely rising. There were a few streams, albeit pretty low flowing. I guess no major rain events and high heat exhaust the stream supply. One section of the hike, about 15 minutes in was particularly special. I am not sure why, but as I approached this spot below, there was this pure energy of happiness around it. I sometimes find spots like this in other hikes, but it is pretty rare. It's not that there is something incredibly beautiful in front of you, it's the feeling.

Somewhere mid-way I found a bench overlooking the stream. I sat on it for a minute (until the mosquitos and annoying flies got to me) and took this photo.