Palm Springs, CA - Happy Dance for Taste Buds

Red Flame Raisins: today’s goal. And I’ve waited for 10 months to buy these. As plump as my thumb, as soft as marshmallows and the taste - oh, absolutely marvelous: the biggest, the plumpest and the sweetest raisins you can buy. I wait every year for Palm Springs, the College of the Desert Street Fair and the Red Flame Raisins. I usually buy 5 pounds and they last about 2 months. Today it was 6 pounds. I’m set til March. Then, I’ll begin longing for the COD Street Fair again but we will be long gone. Boxed raisins just don’t fill the bill. Small, hard, oh, how I long for Red Flames.

Don’t buy the raisins on the white foam tray wrapped in plastic with a price sticker already on them.

Smaller, older, harder, not as sweet. Oh, no. Only buy the ones that they scoop out of the huge boxes. These are fresh, soft, plump and your taste buds will do a happy dance.

I even help them sell these luscious little treats. Today a woman was watching them scoop mine out and I told her how good they were. ‘Ask for a taste’, I said. She did, and ordered 2 lbs.

Let’s back up. We’re at the College of the Desert in Palm Springs. It’s an actual college but has a very active alumni group which has been holding this Street Fair for 30 years as a fund raiser. They charge booth rents but entry is free. The funds from this Street Fair has provided over $500,000 in scholarship money and financial aid each year and actually funds other college projects. Pretty good for a street fair which also provides great entertainment, food, music and fun for all.

Booths with all kinds of things to buy: luggage, golf balls, hats, wine racks, desert plants, watches, jewelry, golf balls, resort wear, hats, golf balls, socks, patio chairs, art for your home and lots more golf balls and hats. They even have a guy who will help you with designing a trust. At the street fair. We’re here for the food and the shopping. Who wants to make a trust on a Saturday morning at the Street Fair?

Palm Springs is Golf Central so, of course, there are several golf ball booths.

Gary’s wondering if he should get a new bag.

Or maybe a new hat.

Socks are big.

But our goal is Red Flame Raisins. We parked and walked over to the fair area. In the back row, towards the back of the show is where the farmer’s market is. 6 lbs of raisins, 3 baskets of strawberries, broccoli, lettuce, spinach and we’re done shopping. Ah, they had lots of other veggies but we can only carry so much.

The college itself is pretty cool. Great views from all angles, mountains towering over the campus trees. Fountains. Landscaping. Very pretty.



But now the goal is to hike in those hills behind the Street Fair.

Found this on Facebook. Probably all of you have seen it. But I thought it cute.