Today Chad and I went to the Des Moines Farmers Market. It runs from May to October and takes up about 6 blocks of downtown Des Moines along Court Avenue. I have been to other farmers markets before but nothing like this… even in bigger cities in the Midwest.

When we first moved here in 2008 I was expecting just a few stalls selling produce, but it turned out to be a lot more. Every Saturday from 7 to 12 a ton of vendors line up to sell you their goods and feed you some amazing food. I have had samosas, egg rolls, El Salvadorian pupusa’s and fresh croissants from a local french bakery. My latest find… Gorgonzola stuffed olives and handmade mozzarella from Lucca in the East Village. They were so delicious and I have a weakness for Gorgonzola cheese, especially when it is stuffed into an olive. Yum! I picked up a booklet on Maytag Blue Cheese.

The award winning cheese is made here in Newton, Iowa. Who knew they sold other cheeses such as cheddar and Edam? I also purchased another bag of some locally grown popcorn from Emmack Farms. I added my cheese finds at the market to the mini samples I picked up at Whole Foods in Minneapolis earlier that week. I arranged them on my new platter with the cheese knife set we received as wedding gifts. Overall, it made a very tasty dinner.