One of the most welcoming signs of spring are the arrival of
peas. As I've learned from my favorite farmers at my local neighborhood
market (and from experience in my own garden), pea plants like the cold and pop
up from the earth much more readily than many other vegetables. This year I can't get enough of peas and treasure the short
window when I can get both the greens and the fresh shell peas at the farmer's
market, along with sugar snap and snow peas too!
As part of the legume family, peas are high in protein and fiber, low in fat, and are a good source of many vitamins. I have often wondered why fresh shelling peas rarely make an appearance at the grocery store -- it turns out that the sugar content of fresh peas begins to turn to starch almost immediately after harvesting, so unless you can get them fresh from your garden or farmer's market, you're probably better off using frozen.
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