Des Moines Farmer's Market

The Thams and Schoonover families went to the Des Moines downtown farmer's market last weekend, and it was awesome. As well as unbearably hot. I got some great stuff, including fresh almond butter (which is almost gone), cinnamon-raisin-walnut bread (which is long gone), lemon-chive pasta, a hunk of ginger, and garlic-lemon basil jelly. The jelly was definitely the most interesting find, and it's totally addictive. The flavor is really subtle, and you don't really taste it until after you've swallowed it. Very cool. Check out this and the other Blue Gate Farm preserves here: http://www.bluegatefarmfresh.com/Preserves.htm. I want to figure out how to make it, but I just discovered that you're generally not supposed to use a pressure canner on a ceramic/glass cooktop, because the top can crack from the heat and weight of the canner. Dang it. The only solution is to get a camping stove or some other stove substitute, which is probably an investment for another year. The canner itself is $85, plus the stove, plus the tools and jars...we're going to focus on freezing stuff this year instead. Luckily, you can freeze just about anything after you blanch it, so there you go. I might try drying some stuff too, like tomatoes and garlic. I want to try to braid the garlic together and hang it in the kitchen, like you see in vampire movies. Mwahahaha (diabolical laughter)...