Fresh Produce on #marketfriday

I live in a relatively rural area, outside of a small town of roughly 3000 people. Although there are an abundance of farms in the area, there's relatively few places to buy fresh, local produce from those farms. Perhaps many of them sell to local co-ops or restaurants instead of the general public. So, unless one knows Farmer Bob or sees the little "Fresh Eggs" or "Fresh Peaches" sign nailed to the tree beside his driveway, one would never know that item could be acquired there.

But, I recently happened to learn, via a roundabout way, that Mile Creek Farm Market sells items from their family farm, plus goods from a few other local growers. My late-husband's sister wanted a watermelon, so off we went to see what was available.

The market was in a cute and very rustic-looking building that was made to look like a log cabin. Fortunately, they weren't very busy at the time we arrived, with only three or four cars out front. Even before entering, we saw some items for sale outside — fresh herb plants and flowers!

The inside of the business was slightly reminiscent of an old-time Country Store with a very relaxed atmosphere. There were interesting things beckoning from the left, from the right, and straight ahead, so I didn't know which way to turn! LOL! Since traffic drives on the right-side of the road in my country, it made sense to me to turn right and work my way around the store in that direction. I also wanted to explore in a systematic manner so I did not miss anything. Call me Virgo, and I shall answer. 😁

Beyond the goods for sale, the décor included many fascinating touches, such as little signs and kitsch everywhere. The above "Farmers' Market" sign, above is one good example. Beside the sign is an aerial photograph of the area, showing all the beautiful woodlands and a nearby lake. Another sampling is the funny "Don't be afraid to take whisks" sign, below. 😂 The stained glass lamp sporting the tiger paw shows solidarity with a local collegiate football team.

They had some watermelons, but my sister-in-law was disappointed that they weren't that "one, specific variety" that she deems superior to all other watermelons. She got one, anyway, though.

All through the shop were chicken figurines everywhere, as well as other things like the red pickup-truck toy. It kinda became fun looking for the chickens. 😜 The shop had many varieties of tomatoes, from hothouse to beefsteak to a myriad of unidentifiable heirlooms.

There were baskets neatly arranged on the tables with a good selection of veggies and fruits, all looking yummy! There were several types of onions, potatoes, cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, peppers, eggplant, peaches, apples, plums, and much more. Some of the items, such as tangerines and oranges, were likely not grown in this area, but perhaps traded with farmers in other parts of the state.

This is big peach country, though, so I feel sure the peaches came from some farm in the nearby area. I like peaches, very much, as they're delicious and have so many uses!

There were also different selections of beans, peas, and okra. There were so many things to see, and hardly any spot in the store sat empty. I could have made dozens more photos, even though it was a smallish market.

A few items were not locally produced, such as cans of nuts that were processed and packed in nearby North Carolina. I thought it was nice that they offered some items for sale that were from the region, even if not grown in this immediate area.

Some items came from further away, such as these offerings from the Rock Bottom Soap Company in Kentucky. Even coming from slightly further away, these products were produced on a farm by a family-owned business, so their quality and ethics are in-line with the owners of this shop and their adjoining farm.

And some items came from much further away, such as these bars of goats' milk soap from Blackberry Hill Farm in Washington state! Again, though, it's a family farm that raises their own goats and makes the soap right there on the farm. I bought one of the bars because it smelled so very good! 😊

They also had other interesting things, too, such as the cooler with bottled drinks on ice! I remember when all small, neighborhood markets had those, but one doesn't see such very often nowadays.

So, there's the market I found recently, about 20-ish minutes from where I live. I probably won't go there often since it is not conveniently located along routes I usually travel, but will certainly pop-in occasionally!

^{Source: lefthandedtoons.com}