Six Days - Countdown

Today's Farmers' Market is located in Des Moines, Iowa. So, considering it's Iowa and there are lots of farms everywhere, you'd think the Des Moines market would be spectacular, right? Well, you'd be correct -- it is spectacular.

I went to high school and college in Des Moines, but haven't been back, other than a quick drive-through, for about twenty years. Last summer, I met my best friend from high school there and spent a fabulous weekend with her and her family. One of the places we went to was the Des Moines market. Even though I was expecting a lot, I was still shocked. It is a huge and has so many different products.

Here's my friend, her mom, her sister and her adorable and super-smart daughter:



The market is located downtown at 300 Court Ave. and is open Saturdays, 7:00 am to noon, May 1 to October 30. It goes on for blocks in every direction. Some of the things we bought were mini-squashes (although I didn't know what these were at first -- they are adorable), German pastries, peppers, cherry tomatoes, a pie and Rainier cherries (big smile). As you can imagine, you'll find lots of fresh corn as well as any other fruit or vegetable you can think of. I will admit, though, one of my favorite things was the fresh kettle corn. Really, I've never had better.

Following are some pictures from the market. Tell me if your mouth doesn't water:










Here's the market's website:
http://www.desmoinesfarmersmarket.com/

Whether you live in Des Moines or plan to drive through for a summer vacation somewhere, don't miss the market. You will thank me.

Today's recipe is the easiest dessert you'll ever make -- plus, it's yummy.

Summer Strawberry -- I Don't Want to Work Hard But I Want Something Good -- pie

Ingredients:

1 graham cracker pie crust

2 pints of strawberries, hulled and cut in half

1 container strawberry glaze (I find it in the fruit section of my grocery store)

Directions:

Mix the strawberries with about 3/4 of the container of glaze.

Pour into pie crust -- pile high!!!!

This part is very important -- you need to let the pie sit in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours. The glaze soaks into the strawberries.

Serve with some sort of whipped topping. I like Cool Whip, my husband and son like heavy whipping cream. Either way, you can't miss. How easy is that?