This self-guided tour features 24 scenic and sustainable working farms in Anderson, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, & Spartanburg counties. Tour farms featuring delicious, farm-fresh produce from berries, to mushrooms and Hydroponic tomatoes. Come see all kinds of wonderful animals, including buffalo, alpacas, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, turkeys, and fancy breed chickens. There will also be herbs, cut flowers, three dairy farms, worms, a grits mill, and much more!

"Come out to see how Upstate farmers are working the land in a way that protects our natural resources for generations to come and enjoy a day of fun on the farm," said Roland McReynolds, CFSA Executive Director. "It's a great way to learn about where your food comes from and support the farmer who grows it!"

New this year, the Upstate Farm Tour is partnering with Slow Food Upstate to offer unique and informative mini-workshops to tour guests:

- Parsons Produce, Saturday June 2 only, 1-6 pm: "The Gift of Bees" a look at how much farms rely on this incredible pollinator; what you can do in your own backyard to help; a tasting of honey varietals, and how to identify what is tasted.

- Bio-Way Farms, Sunday June 3 only, 1-6 pm: "How to Eat like a Native" Discover all the great Native Plants at Bio-Way Farms. From hunter-gatherer to the Farmer's Market, join Renato Vicario for a look at the delicious foods from our region and how to prepare them. Learn about American Groundnut, Sassafras and Nettles, Jerusalem Artichokes, as well as about native pollinators and what native plants are particularly good for them.

The Upstate Farm Tour will also feature on-farm dining. New to the tour in 2012 - a dessert stop! Pastry chef, Lisa Marvel of Marvelous Pies will be serving up sweets, homemade with love and local ingredients, at Red Fern Farm. Guests will also want to visit Split Creek Farm, where Chef Joe Fredette of Summa Joe's Searing Pans will be cooking up his farm-fresh specialties for lunch or early supper. Meals and desserts served Noon - 5 PM.

Tour tickets, good for both days, are $25 per vehicle in advance and $30 on the tour weekend, or you can choose to pay $10 per farm (available for purchase at all of the farms during the tour). Groups of cycles count as one vehicle. Tickets are available online at www.carolinafarmstewards.org or at Whole Foods Market in Greenville.

The following farms have tickets available at the TD Saturday Market in Greenville: Bio-Way Farm; Gibson Farms; Greenbrier Farms, Parson Produce; and Red Fern Farm. Advance tickets may also be purchased at several upstate on-farm stores, including Early Bird farm stand (Greenwood); Happy Cow Creamery and Hurricane Creek Farm (Pelzer); and Split Creek Farm (Anderson). The Hub-City Farmers Market in Spartanburg also has tickets available.

The tour is self-guided. Choose the farms you want to visit on the interactive map at www.carolinafarmstewards.org to plan your tour. Visit any farm in any order. And, don't forget to take a cooler so that you can bring home some of the farm fresh products for sale at many farms! No pets allowed. The tour is rain or shine. Proceeds from the tour support the work of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.

Complete information about the tour and the farms, with interactive maps and contact information, plus tour tickets are available at www.carolinafarmstewards.org. Printed brochures are available at Whole Foods Market and other locations throughout the Upstate.

(Image provided by Flickr user Grievous Angel.)

Looking for more happenings in the area? Check out greenville.com's comprehensive visitor center.