It's Saturday morning in Des Moines, which means it's time for the Downtown Farmers Market.

Known nationally as one of the best farmers markets in the country, an average of 25,000 people attend each Saturday from May to October.

Let's take a stroll.

With 300 vendors stretched across 9 city blocks, this corner of the city comes alive as farmers, chefs, and artists set up their stands and the first shoppers of the day start to arrive.

How often do you come to the farmers market?

I come almost every Saturday because I live downtown, and I live two blocks from the market.

So it's just great.

It's a ritual.

I come with my friend and we always see a lot of friends when we're here.

It's very social.

What do you get?

What's on your checklist?

Well, vegetables.

And then usually something sweet treat for breakfast.

Got to.

Yes.

Getting its start in 1976, the Des Moines Farmers Market has become one of the oldest and largest markets in the Midwest.

Every item for purchase from each colorful booth is handcrafted and handmade by the seller.

The market has everything you'd expect -- a wealth of fresh food and baked goods.

And then there are the vendors with products that might surprise you.

Tell us about the Sweatshop.

I'm kind of scared to know what this is all about.

No problem.

Totally understand.

We own the Sweatshop Pepper Farm, my wife and I.

We've grown customized peppers.

We call them hybrids.

We created an experience that you're allowed to be in charge of how hot or not you want your salsa, or, let's say, your chips.

Can I try this out?

Yeah, absolutely.

So, what we have is this is a salsa chip, and it comes with a baseline seasoning.

So, this is the actual heat portion.

This is the pepper blend that comes with the kit.

Okay.

So go ahead and just eat the whole thing?

I'm a little scared but... Don't be.

You're going to get that beautiful salsa flavor first.

And that pepper is going to graduate right in behind it.

So, it's going to chase it, as we say.

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

I'm starting to feel the heat now.

Ah!

Good.

Really good flavor.

And not too much heat.

This was the perfect amount.

Oh, perfect.

Okay.

Thank you.

You did me right.

Kohlsdorf: The long tables brimming with cinnamon rolls, cookies, and pies are hard to miss at the Mast Family Farm booth.

We are here with Albert Mast, and he makes all the good stuff at the farmers market.

You've got pies and other goodies.

Tell us about your business.

We make cinnamon rolls with raisins, without raisins, black-raspberry rolls, blueberry rolls, red-raspberry rolls.

Then pies, we make apple, cherry, peach, blueberry-rhubarb, strawberry-rhubarb.

Why do people say your pies are the best?

I believe it's probably because of the lard that's in the crust that makes them old-fashioned, and it gives them a nice crunch.

And they're also very full.

I don't know if you look around at much pies, but a lot of times they're more sunken or they're more flat with the pan.

And then we kind of pile our fruit in so they're nice and full of fruit.

Kohlsdorf: A few steps down the street, another stand is ready to catch the eye of customers, this one abundant with produce.

Is this one of your favorite stops here?

This is one of my very favorite stops.

Yes, we've been following these farmers for quite a while.

The vegetables are always fantastic.

Well, so this is our farm Tell us what this is.

my wife and I have.

It's Grade A Gardens.

We are in Earlham, Iowa.

We have eight acres in vegetables, all organic.

We do the Downtown Farmers Market, and then we do a CSA, like a weekly box of produce.

By mid-morning, downtown Des Moines is packed with people exploring what each vendor has to offer.

Tell me about the farmers market.

Do you two like to come?

We came today because we saw that there was a vendor that makes the permanent bracelets, so we were interested in that.

Why do you bring the dogs?

To get them out and the dogs, for them, it's like a little red carpet.

Everybody loves to see them.

They love it.

They like to feel famous.

So you're helping.

Look.

Super red carpet.

Tell me where you're from and what do you think so far?

We're from Richmond, Virginia.

And this is a massive, farmers market.

And it's just lovely.

It really is.

We are impressed.

Yeah.

Iowa does it big.

No trip to the market is complete without breakfast.

This chef has been feeding hungry customers every Saturday for five years.

Edgar, what are you making right now for the customers?

I'm making arepas.

Arepa is a corn patty.

And you open it in the middle.

You can put pork or chicken or whatever you want.

Yeah.

And then you put a little cheese.

Yeah, the cheese is queso fresco that I grate myself.

Or a small Gouda.

What's the sauce?

It's our avocado sauce, Venezuelan-style, that we put on top of it.

Okay.

Oh, this looks so good.

This is delicious.

I really want you to give it a try.

Okay.

Can I?

I don't know.

Okay.

This is one of the perks of the job for sure.

[ Laughs ] Mm!

In this they shall have everything from Iowa.

Like they like good pork, good cheese, corn.

And I love that you can smell the smoked Gouda.

And the meat is so tender.

And then the bread is kind of crusty.

So it like all works together.

This is really good, Edgar.

Thank you very much.

What makes your stand unique?

It's a cultural legacy.

There's some friends of mine asking me why I'm doing this instead of having another job and just not having all this effort to bring all this to the farmers market.

And I said, "You know what?

It's all about the legacy.

It's all about bringing what I am and where I come from to Iowa.

With vendors and visitors from across the state, the Downtown Farmers Market serves as a lively expression of Iowa's bounty all summer long.

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