DES MOINES, Iowa—A rainbow sits on the plate before me. There’s fresh heirloom tomato, sliced in glistening half-moons, next to a pile of lightly blanched green beans, emerald-bright. Sautéed eggplant gleams lush and dark, and thick-cut pattypan squash and zucchini flaunt vibrant skins and caramelized tops. On the next plate lies a row of pale orange cantaloupe, creamy flesh dotted with basil and black pepper.
It’s a radiant spread, and here’s the best part: Everything on the table was grown less than an hour away.
