The farmers market at Ed Lester Farms in Coushatta, Louisiana, opens each morning with bins overflowing with fruits and vegetables that were picked just minutes earlier. As the sun rises over the Red River, field workers begin their race against time, harvesting produce from the rich alluvial soil before it’s carried a short distance to the roadside market tent.
a family farm legacy
Ed Lester is the fourth generation to work this land, which his family has farmed since the mid-1800’s. “My family has been here on this farm since about 1850,” Lester said. Back then, the property was called Cabin Point Plantation, named for the cabin visible from passing steamboats on the Red River. The cabin has been expanded over the years and his home to Lester’s mother.
Though cotton is still the major crop grown here, Lester now plants 150 acres in fruits and vegetables. “We grow everything here,” he said, referring to the produce in his farmers marker. The harvest peaks during a 10-week season from late May through July. For produce like blueberries, which don’t thrive in local soil, Lester sources from nearby farms. But most offerings — from tomatoes and green beans to the beloved purple hull peas — are grown just steps from where they’re sold.
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a market popular with the locals
The Lester farmers market has drawn regular customers for decades, including 101-year-old Carrie Lee Lloyd, who said she shops there every other day. “I don’t care too much for fried food,” she said as she carefully picked through the vegetables, her grandson in tow. Lester smiled when asked about her. “She’s been here longer than I have,” he said. “This is our 57th season and I think she’s been here for every one of them.” Mary Adkins, a local librarian, often stops by on her way to work. “They have a lot of things here that I’ve never eaten,” she said. “Sometimes I’ll try something new.”
farmers market began with purple hulled peas
Lester himself first got involved at age eight, when his father planted vegetables for him to sell. He still remembers his first crop: purple hull peas. “I do it for the challenge,” Lester said. “Me and Mother Nature are at odds every day, and sometimes I win, and sometimes she wins.”
getting there
The open-air market, shaded by what Lester calls a “circus tent,” operates Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., until the harvest ends in late July. For many, it’s not just a market — it’s a summer tradition rooted in family, community, and Louisiana soil. The roadside farmers market is located at 1165 US Highway 84, a short distance west of the town of Coushatta, Louisiana, adjacent to the bridge over the Red River.
1165 US-84, Coushatta, LA 71019
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