THE MARKET: Lake Worth Farmers Market

THE INFO: Open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the market is on the northwest corner of A1A and Lake Avenue, in Lake Worth.

THE VENDOR: Pamela's Pies of Lantana; pamelaspies.com

THE FIND: All sorts of pies from the traditional blueberry, apple, pecan and cherry to tropical grapefruit, orange and mango. "Handmade with fresh fruit, just like my grandmother Hattie Mae used to bake," says owner Pamela Blom. And, she adds, her full name is Pamela Mae Blom.

On a recent Saturday, she had a selection of whole pies and pies by the slice, including grapefruit rose petal cream. Blom specializes in citrus pies because her grandmother taught her to use local fruit. She even makes an orange pie in which she uses orange pulp as the main fruit ingredient. She also bakes a tangerine cream pie. The pie slices cost $4.50.

I bought a strawberry mini-pie for $8. The strawberries are Florida-grown, from Dover, she says.

Blom also revealed her secrets for making the perfect pie crust. Her grandmother used Crisco, but that doesn't create the flaky crusts in Florida that pies should have. Blom switched to butter, and her pie crusts are flaky again. She advises that everything has to be cold: the room, the ingredients, the utensils. She even puts her butter in the freezer for 10 minutes before cutting it into the pastry.

She started Pamela's Pies last May after she was downsized from her architect job. "I figured I knew how to make pies," says Blom, who shares the ovens at Cakes by Lara in Lantana. The owner also allows Blom to use some of display case space in the retail bakery store at 640 S. Dixie Highway.

Blom asks customers to call two days in advance (561-632-5520) to make sure she'll have the pies ready to go . (Double-crust pies are $20; single-crust pies cost $18).

Her pie slices also are available at Havana Hideout and Kilwins, both in downtown Lake Worth.