Sweet Time Travel

Wilton Candy Kitchen
Wilton, IA

lime soda with sprinkles and a cherry

backroom stuffed with cool memorabilia

old-fashioned wi-fi

Recently unearthed these pics and remembered we hit this place on the way back from Flav's Fried Chicken.  Wilton Candy Kitchen is an awesome flashback to the era where the soda fountain was the place to be (that's how it seems in the movies but it's a bit before my time so I couldn't actually say).  Painstakingly preserved, it's been around since 1860 and run by the same family since 1910.  Go while you can... the current owners told me none of their children want to take over running the place.

You cannot buy a vowel

Strudlhaus pastry stand
Des Moines Farmers´ Market
South side of Court Ave. west of 4th st.

my sweet bounty

Pastries on the right

 I posted last week about the Strudlhaus sausage stand at the market.  Today I had the chance to try some of the goodies at the adjoining pastry counter.  Despite growing up in Iowa I hadn´t been exposed to dutch letters until moving to Des Moines (maybe because Des Moines is closer to Pella, the main dutch colony in these parts). They´re quite tasty: flaky, S-shaped, and stuffed with almond paste.  I wasn´t up for a whole one today so I got a piece (calle it a Dutch punctuation mark) and this other pastry which they couldn´t name but I know I love from experience.

Not your average pops

Fresh Market Stand, Farmers´ Market
3rd St at Court Ave. (NW corner), Des Moines

All of my savory treats got me thirsty.  I was thinking I´d get a wheat grass shot from Fresh but thought better of that when I saw they were selling wheat grass popsicles!  It´s actually wheatgrass mixed with agave-sweetened lemonade.  And only $1.  Awesome and refreshing!

Exotic pops

Pleasant Pops
Mount Pleasant Farmer's Market
Washington, DC

Cucumber and chili pepper popsicle

Passing through the farmer's market on our way back from pupusas, we came across a new popsicle stand. After a year of applying for permits, two guys (one of whom is a preschool teacher) have opened up Pleasant Pops. Clearly aimed at the foodie farmers' market crowd, they offered strawberry rhubard and cucumber chili ( I had the latter). It was certainly memorable and creative . . . the cucumber part is refreshing (cucumber water is nice on a hot day, right?) but the spiciness of the chili made it a little odd. I just don't think a popsicle is a good vessel for spiciness. Still, I like that they're pushing the envelope a bit and would look forward to tasting their future creations if I lived in DC.