Peas and Thank You

I’d like to take a moment to thank the for curing my taste buds. You see, there’s a spring vegetable available right now at numerous vendors that once left a bad taste in my mouth. Literally. But, thanks to freshness and locality, I can kiss years of pickiness goodbye.

I grew up hating, loathing, even gagging at the sight of, peas. I have vivid memories of them steamed in a plastic container in the microwave until they were wrinkled like my fingers after a long bath. And the smell that permeated through the house (and probably clung to that plastic container for many a year) still haunts me.

However, since then, I’ve come to enjoy peas so long as they’re tossed in a dish to complement it, like risotto or shepherd’s pie. And now, thanks to the farmers and sellers at our outdoor market, I love them .

The two kinds of peas you’ll find every Tuesday for the next two months or so are sugar snap peas and English peas. They are both part of the legume family, that is, they are kin to beans. And while commonly called a vegetable, they’re actually a fruit, as they come from the ovary of a flower.

Snap peas are a sweeter pea variety that can be eaten raw.

“They’re sweet, crunchy and what I like about them is that you can eat the whole thing,” said local farmer . “They’re excellent in salads and stews.”

It’s true that the snap pea is one of the more versatile peas. You can toss them raw in salads, steam them and eat as a side dish, throw into stir frys, or just sit them out on the table to snack on.

The English pea, on the other hand, requires a bit more work to enjoy. They must be shelled before consuming.

“That’s what’s great about [English peas],” said market manager Mary Hillebrecht. “They’re clean on the inside. You don’t have to wash them. The shell is nature’s wrapper!”

Lupe Figueroa, from , shelled a pod for me to try.

“They’re so good,” Figueroa encouraged. “I can eat them like popcorn.”

Figueroa also warned that the season for these buttery, little green balls is short, so stock up while you can.

“The season is about two months,” he said. “It’s just a little window. They’ll get really big in warm weather and taste woody.”

Peas are extremely nutritious, even more so when eaten raw. According to peas.org, when you add water to them, most of the peas' vitamin C, which they’re high in, gets lost. Steaming peas can help retain some of that vitamin C, but this green vegetable is so full of flavor on its own, steaming isn’t necessary.

Peas are also a good source of vitamin A, folate, iron and thiamine. They’re a great protein snack with very few calories and low sodium, making them a healthy, crunchy alternative to potato chips.

Next time you’re at the market, even if you think you hate peas, ask one of the farmers to let you sample. You'll thank me.

Did you know?

• Peas are beneficial to your garden. “They build the soil [with nutrients], so they’re good for the environment,” Hillebrecht said.
• Snow peas, which can also be found at the market, need more cooking time than snap peas or English peas. They’re not meant to be eaten raw.
• Snap peas need to be de-stringed. “Ours aren’t that stringy,” Maciel said. “But if they are, you break off where it was attached to the flower and just pull down.”
• To pop open English peas, simply break off one end, and then squeeze to pop open the pod.
• Freeze your peas if you don’t want to eat them right away. This locks in the nutrients that can get lost at room temperature.