We are in the cook-out and picnic
season, which means we’re ready here at Pathfinder Produce to help you with all
your outdoor foodie fresh produce needs! Keep watching our produce list
for new items coming in, and we’ll be sharing lots of just-picked items from
our Pathfinder Hoop Houses too. We already have some wonderfully tasty
greens to share with you; they’ll make a great base for any green salad you
might like to put together.
We hope to see you this Thursday at
our Edmeston market, at the Village Commons from 1 to 5 p.m., or on Friday at
our Morris market, at the UMC Hall on Church St., from noon to 5 p.m. Ask
about our Buyers Clubs to learn about more ways you can save on fresh and yummy
fruits and veggies!
Fresh peas are an early favorite of
many; below, my colleague Martha recalls her transformation from “ugh to WOW!”
regarding these seasonal veggies.
***
When I was growing up, no one in our family was
a great fan of peas, so except for appearing in an occasional casserole or pot
pie, they were not often seen on our dinner table. My memory of peas from that
time was grey-green balls of mush that came from a can. No wonder no one was
excited about it!
Flash forward several years: When my children
were little, we moved into a house that had a flowery vine growing on the front
fence, and one day I discovered little sweet pea pods growing on it. When they
looked matured, I picked them—there were probably a dozen altogether, so not
exactly a bumper crop—and we had a tiny sampling with our dinner that night.
They were much different than the grey-green balls of mush from my childhood!
These peas were brighter, firmer, and much more flavorful.
Later on my family discovered sugar snap peas,
and they became a dinner-time favorite. Sugar snap peas are eaten with the pods
on, and are
a cross between snow peas (the flat pod variety often seen on salad bars
and in stir-fries) and sweet peas. As the name suggests, there is a bit of
sweetness to this variety. We get them from farmer’s markets or Pathfinder
Produce when they are available, and purchase them frozen in the off-season.
You can boil them or eat them raw, but I prefer them steamed until they are
tender-crisp.
Peas are typically classified as a legume,
although I did find some references that said they are a fruit since they
contain seeds produced from a flower. There is consensus, however,
that they are packed with vitamins and minerals, making them a power food.
There is a graph on The
World's Healthiest Foods website which details the large amount of Vitamin
K, Manganese, B Vitamins and many other nutrients found in peas. They are
also very filling, making them helpful for weight management.
If you were not a fan of peas in your youth,
consider trying them again. Try a different variety or a different preparation.
You might be surprised!
Until next time, eat well and savor those fresh
flavors!
Martha (and Lori)
