News – Peapod Foods

August 14, 2021August 14, 2021

Bittersweet

Hi Everyone,

After a lot of consideration and with bittersweet feelings, I have decided to put Peapod aside for a while. Thanks for coming on this amazing journey with me. It’s been truly fun.

In case you’re wondering what’s been going on in the background, here’s a short update.

With the start of the Covid pandemic last year, Peapod took a hard hit. It was disappointing to close down our stand at the farmers market, but it seemed like the right thing to do. I considered some different options for pivoting the business. However, the timing didn’t seem quite right for a couple of reasons. In addition to the uncertainty of the pandemic, James and I welcomed our baby daughter into the world last year. She is amazing, and I took some time to be exclusively with her.

Professionally, when I am not running Peapod, I am a structural engineer. I have taken on a new position in structural engineering that is challenging and fun, and I am excited to devote my full energy to it.

Peapod is still very much alive in my thoughts and interests. It’s exciting to think how its spirit might show up again in the future.

Until then,

Alissa

July 2, 2020July 2, 2020

Summer Vacation

Peapod’s online shop is taking a summer vacation. We’re looking forward to some sunshine and rest. James and I are drying heaps of delicious summer tomatoes to get us through the long winter.

See you again soon!

June 14, 2020June 14, 2020

Salt Fat Acid Heat

One of the best parts of social distancing over the past months is that James, Kiddo, and I share a lot of meals at home. I like cooking for my favorite people, and they like eating.

In order to sharpen my cooking skills and delight my family with some new recipes, I’ve been working my way through Samin Nosrat’s book “Salt Fat Acid Heat.” The book is part food education and part cookbook. She simplifies the art of cooking into four simple concepts: salt, fat, acid, and heat.

One of the highlights has been Samin’s Persian-ish Rice recipe. Here is my second attempt. It got horribly crushed during the final flip, but it tasted great.

Now I’m trying to apply Samin’s concepts to my own recipes. It’s great fun.

June 1, 2020June 1, 2020

Grossmarkt (Wholesale Market) Stuttgart

Remember how I recently discovered that all retailers of grocery products in Stuttgart source their fruits and vegetables from the same hub? Sounds like a fascinating place, right? I took a trip over to see for myself.

The Grossmarkt Stuttgart services not only Stuttgart but also a radius of 300km around Stuttgart too, feeding around 12 million people in the region. Only food businesses with a permit are allowed to shop there. The prices are low, and everything is sold in bulk. It’s a gigantic wholesale grocery store just for the middlemen.

The Grossmarkt opens at 2:30am every morning. It’s packed with trucks, people, and pallets piled high with food. I went by foot, and I could barely navigate the crammed, narrow alleys.

It’s almost like a small village lined with warehouses. Each of the warehouses carries a different type of product, usually either vegetables, fruit, or flowers, but sometimes meat or specialty items as well. Space within the warehouses is rented to individual distributors, and these distributors sell food from farms located all over the world.

I have so many questions about the food supply chain! I’ll keep you posted on my findings.

May 3, 2020May 6, 2020

Amazon Shop

Peapod has an Amazon shop!

I’ve been diligently working on setting up our Amazon shop for more than three months. The various obstacles/approvals/exemptions required by Amazon are astonishing and exhausting. Maybe they are secretly screening all seller-candidates for endurance?

April 19, 2020April 19, 2020

Financial Support During Corona

Many small businesses and freelancers here in Germany are suffering through this Corona crisis. Thankfully, the government stepped in quickly with emergency financial relief. As of April 9th, small businesses and freelancers in Baden-Württemberg qualify for aid up to the following values, spread out over 3 months.

9,000 Euros for for businesses with up to 5 employees
15,000 Euros for businesses with up to 10 employees
30,000 Euros for businesses with up to 50 employees

The application form is short and pretty straightforward, and processing time is just a few business days. I’m impressed.

April 12, 2020April 19, 2020

Happy Easter

For the first time in over 30 years, the Easter bunny stopped by! Kiddo was delighted. We spent the morning listening to German kids’ songs and hunting eggs. This song has been on repeat in our house. Kiddo giggles like crazy when everyone shakes their butts.

Happy Easter, everyone!

March 31, 2020April 19, 2020

Coronavirus Update

Small businesses everywhere have been hit hard by Coronavirus, and Peapod is no exception. After a lot of consideration, I’ve decided to put Peapod’s stand at the farmers market on pause until the crisis has passed. It just seems irresponsible to be out in public encouraging everyone to exchange germs. I’m disappointed to share this news, since the farmers market has been a lot of fun and a great learning experience, but everyone’s health is the clear priority at this point. I hope everyone is staying healthy and in good spirits.

March 17, 2020March 17, 2020

Visit to Botnang Farmers Market

Thanks to the farmers market in Botnang for hosting me last Saturday! It was great meeting new people and hearing their feedback.

This coming Saturday I’ll be back at my regular spot in Heslach at the Bihlplatz market.

March 10, 2020March 17, 2020

Introducing Strawberry Beet Leather

It’s made out of strawberries, beets, chia seeds, honey, and lemon juice. It’s chewy like a fruit roll-up; the chia seeds give it some crunch; the lemon gives it some zing.

It’s available Saturdays at the farmers market.