A Farmers' Market Without the Frenzy

No crowds, no Kettle Corn, and plenty of parking—Global Greens Farmers Market makes it easy to buy fresh, locally grown produce directly from farmers.

Global Greens International Market
1907 Carpenter Ave., Des Moines
Saturdays only, May 18 – October; 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

This haul would have taken me a couple hours to get at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers’ Market. It took just a few minutes at Global Greens (well, a few minutes longer, since I stopped to chat a bit).

I just can’t do the downtown farmers’ market anymore. The crowds and parking—and having to navigate around booth after booth of non-food products—can make the whole endeavor pretty exhausting. Especially when I simply want to buy local produce at its freshest, in-season best.

That’s why I’m sold on the Global Greens International Market, held every Saturday through October. Here are five things I appreciate about it:

1. Find a great selection of what’s in season right now

Cabbage, onions, garlic, and some of the most flavorful beets I’ve had in years.

Everything sold at the stalls is locally grown—no trucked-in extras. I came home with quite the bounty: beets, onions, green beans, cabbage, radishes, and one of my favorite vegetables: Swiss chard. Prices were comparable—if not less—than what I used to spend downtown. I also spotted broccoli, garlic, herbs, and all kinds of greens I didn’t recognize.

2. Global greens helps immigrants/recent refugees find a path to sustainability

Now in its 10th year, and sponsored by the Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI), Global Greens helps immigrants and former refugees build small businesses through farming. The program provides land access at a farm in West Des Moines (where the produce is “Certified Naturally Grown”), plus business development assistance and technical support. Some graduates of the program now rent urban farms in other areas of the Des Moines metro

3. Food and non-food Stalls are separate

The non-food side of the market.

The market is divided into two distinct sections: peruse the clothing and non-food items if you wish, but I made a beeline to the produce stalls, where nothing but fresh, local produce was for sale.

4. Parking was easy-peasy

The market is at 1907 Carpenter Ave., (across the street from what longtime Des Moines residents will remember as the old Katz Drugstore building). There was plenty of parking in the same lot as the market when I went at 10 a.m. At busier times, I’d imagine you could also snag a spot at the empty lot across the street.

5. No crowds!

While the market was lively, it wasn’t chock-a-block with curb-to-curb people. This made it easy to take a quick tour of the vendor stalls to see what was available, then go back to each stall that had caught my eye. It also made it easy to ask a few questions without feeling the need to keep things moving right along.

P.S.: Have you tried global greens in the past? It’s different now.

I had a good conversation with Lynette Thornton, community garden specialist at LSI. She shared that in its earlier years, Global Greens farmers often grew crops that were beloved in their native countries, but less familiar to many of us born in the Midwest. Lynette mentioned several of these unique crops as I watched customers carrying home massive bags filled with greens that were new to me.

In recent years, the farmers have expanded their offerings to include a variety of produce that is more commonly found in the Midwest. This means you can now enjoy a mix of familiar favorites alongside new discoveries.

Here’s what I did with my haul.

Steamed green beans tossed with vinaigrette. Roasted potatoes tossed with a little vinaigrette and a bit of mayonnaise and parsley. Roasted beets just glazed with olive oil (they had so much flavor on their own!). And a canape of butter, radishes, salt, and pepper.

All summer long, I make salad platters. I basically take what’s at its in-season best, cook as needed, dress as appropriate, set it on the table, and have everyone help themselves. I serve this alongside a simple main dish: in this case it could be roasted salmon or shrimp, grilled steak or lamb, or even just a great platter of cheese and charcuterie.

And the chard …

Sauteed chard, onions, and garlic—with a little heavy cream, sour cream, Parmesan and chopped tomato—makes a good topping for the ricotta/spinach-stuffed ravioli I get at Aldi.

The Swiss chard is great sauteed! Trim away the tough ends; chop the stems and leaves. Saute the stems in olive oil for a few minutes until they start to get tender, then add the greens and saute until tender but still sparkling. Season well. It’s like a deeply flavored sauteed spinach, only with a light beet-esque flavor (Chard is a member of the beet family).

New from the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative

Our leader, Julie Gammack, has made it easy to get right to the topics that interest you by arranging all of the Iowa Writers Collaborative members into categories (I’m in food, travel, and entertainment, of course!). Take a look!