Market Watch: Green Peas

Green peas are sitting in natural little packages just waiting to be plucked. Visit your local farmers' market and dive into a basket of this spring treasure.
green peas

160582073

Heap of Organic Sweet Peas

Photo by: kjekol

kjekol

Green peas are sitting in natural, pretty little packages just waiting to be plucked. Visit your local farmers' market and dive into a basket of this spring treasure.

Also known as English Peas, inside the inedible pods are tender and succulent peas. Shelling them does take bit of elbow grease and patience, but the sweet, fresh flavor is totally worth it. Use them in any recipe that calls for fresh or frozen peas. You can also munch on them raw or blanch and freeze them for later.

One cup of shelled green peas has 117 calories and one gram of fat. It also has 7 grams of hunger-fighting fiber and 8 grams of muscle-building protein. Don't forget about vitamins and minerals – calcium, iron, magnesium, folate, thiamin and vitamins A, C and K can all be found in peas.

Recipes To Try:

Next Up

Market Watch: Artichokes

It's worth breaking through artichokes' spiky exteriors to get to their delicately flavored leaves and hearts.

Market Watch: Sweet Cherries

How to use up all those sweet cherries from your farmers' market while they're still in season.

Green Beyond Leaves: Salad with Quinoa, Fava Beans and Peas

Packed with fava beans, fresh herbs and peas, this salad will bring spring to the table in an instant.

Why We Eat Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens on New Year’s Day

The Black American and Southern tradition is meant to bring good luck.

Market Watch: Pea Shoots

A true farmers’ market find: Tender pea shoots are too delicate and perishable for the supermarket. Use them in our easy summer roll recipe.

Market Watch: Dandelion Greens

First up: verdant and pleasingly bitter dandelion greens. Here's what they're like and how to use them today.

Market Watch: Sugar Snap Peas

Most of the year I buy them frozen, but in late June the farmers’ market is overflowing with plump, bright green, sugar snap peas.

Market Watch: Name That Green

Spring is prime season for farm fresh greens, but all the different types and deciding what to do with them can get confusing. Some are sweet, some are spicy and some are better raw than cooked. Here are 5 tasty greens to try.

Market Watch: Green Tiger Zucchini

If zucchini is a seasonal staple in your kitchen, be on the lookout at farmers markets for tiger zucchini, a less common variety.