Market Monitor

Peas get a bad rap. Children hide them under the mashed potatoes. They are crammed into cans where they become something resolutely un-fresh, losing their shape and their earthy-sweet taste. They deserve better.

Fresh peas are currently appearing at the East Lansing Farmers Market, and they are (really) something to be excited about. Because they prefer cool temperatures, their season ends when Michigan summers rise into the 80s on a daily basis, so the window is narrow.

One of the best things about having a really local Farmers Market is that we can really get almost everything we need to cook fresh and healthy meals in a single trip to Valley Court on Sunday morning.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on ELi in September of 2014. Our readership was smaller then and you may have missed it, so we decided to revisit it as the inaugural story in our new "Market Monitor" series.

Sara Beer doesn’t just show up at the East Lansing Farmers’ Market on Sunday mornings with homemade granola and a great smile. A tremendous amount of work goes into every week of selling Spoonful of Granola at the Market, and for Beer, that work is a labor of love.