Jackie’s Vegetable and Fruit of the Month Club-

March and April

Sweet Peas

Peas are in season now and should be available in your garden or in your local farmer’s market. Eating local and organic is best. We also like to sprout dried whole peas (not split peas), which convert some of the starch into protein. Soak the dried organic peas in filtered water for eight hours, drain them and sprout 2-3 days rinsing daily and refrigerate. They are a great addition to any salad. Fresh sweet peas are the best!

Peas are part of the legume family originating from the Middle East to Asia. Most peas are a cool-weather crop, therefore some historians believe their country of origin may have been northern India, Burma, or Northern Thailand, where peas were discovered in a cave and carbon dated at 9750 BC.

Some say the word pea possibly came from the Sanskrit, and others that the Latin Pisum was the true origin of the word. The Old English word pise eventually evolved into pease as in the nursery rhyme “Pease porridge hot, Pease porage cold, Pease porridge in the pot nine days old. ” this refers to a thick mixture of peas and other vegetables that were cooked all day, then eaten cold the next morning then more were added to the pot and the continued to be cooked for many days. This is what I call “cooked to death”.

Peas were one of the earliest cultivated food crops. Cultivation brought stability to nomadic tribes, which made it possible for peas to be brought by travelers and explorers into the countries of the Mediterranean as well as to the Far East.

Some historians believe the Chinese were the first to consider peas a vegetable and consume the entire pea pod and its seeds, leading to the snow pea being developed in China.

During the Middle Ages, dried peas became a staple food of the European peasants. In their dried form peas had the capability of long storage throughout the winter months. They were inexpensive and plentiful and made a filling wholesome meal the poor could afford.

Charles the Great, Emperor of France, was fond of finding new vegetables and fruits from other lands and cultivating them. When peas reached France about 800, he had them planted in his lands. By the 13th century peas were a common food in France. At the end of the 14th century, the Italians had cultivated tiny peas they named piselli novelli which were eaten fresh rather than dried. The French became known for their exceptional tiny peas called petit pois. Some areas of France became well known for their extraordinary little peas.

The familiar garden pea was readily accepted and quickly became popular in Europe during the 16th century. Peas became a familiar Lenten dish not only in France, but in England, too.

Thomas Jefferson, an avid gardener, thought so highly of peas that he planted 30 varieties of them. Peas, apparently, were his favorite vegetable.

Raw fresh peas: One cup of fresh peas contains 124 calories, 4 grams of protein, 22 grams of carbohydrates, and 8 grams of fiber. and 0.4 grams of fat.

The vitamin A count in ½ cup is 534 I.U. Folic acid content is 46.9 mcg; calcium 19.2 mg; iron is 1.3 mg; zinc 0.8 mg; potassium is 134 mg; and magnesium is 23.2 mg.

Frozen: Picked and frozen immediately, although briefly blanched they contain a similar nutrition profile.

The freshest, sweetest peas are those picked right from the garden or at the farmers market in the spring and early summer. When selecting fresh peas, look for pods that are bright green, shiny, plump, and moist. When the pods have a dull look, they are old, have lost moisture, and have very likely lost their flavor as well as many of their nutrients.

Eat fresh peas as quickly as possible. The sugar content of shelling peas begins to turn to starch within hours after harvesting. If stored for too many days, they lose their sweetness, leaving them with a bland, starchy flavor.

The supermarket may have shelling peas, or peas in the pod, in the spring, but by the time the peas reach the market they may be several days old and have lost a great deal of sweetness.

Sugar snap peas, on the other hand, cling to their sugar stores and almost always retain their exceptional sweetness unless they are old and dried up. Look for these in the spring at farmers’ markets, farm stands, and even in the supermarkets.

Snow peas have become so popular they can be found year round in supermarket chains as well as Asian markets. Select those that are crisp and bright green. Avoid snow peas that are wilted, limp, shriveled, and yellowish in color. These are no longer fresh and will have lost their flavor and much of their nutritional value.

Organic frozen peas are closest to fresh peas in appearance, flavor, and nutrients. Avoid defrosting and re-freezing.

Store sugar peas and snow peas in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Most will keep up to one week, but are best when consumed within 3 days.

Preparation Fresh shelling peas, sugar snap peas, and snow peas can all be eaten raw. Shelling peas do not have edible pods, while sugar snaps and snow peas can be eaten pods and all.

Break open the pods of the shelling peas, also called peas in a pod, run the thumb along the edge where the peas are attached to the pod to loosen them, and collect the peas in a bowl or cooking pot.

Sugar snap peas and snow peas require trimming to eliminate the stringy edge that holds the two halves of the pod together. While cutting off the tips of the pods with a paring knife, pull along the length of the pod to remove the stringy portion, then discard. The only preparation these peas require is washing. Both varieties are ideal in salads and raw soups.

Sweet Pea Humus

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 4

3 cups sweet peas (use frozen thawed, left raw, if fresh not available)

6 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 tablespoons cumin powder

¼ cup olive oil

½  cup lemon juice

1 large avocado

Place peas, garlic, salt, cumin, olive oil, lemon juice, and avocado in a 2HP blender or food processor and blend until smooth (the food processor will not get it as smooth).

Serving Ideas: Place on a plate, swirl humus and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the humus and garnish with some of the peas and mint and serve with vegetables, chips or pita. This humus has less fat than traditional humus and most of it comes from avocado.

Shelf life: 10 days if it lasts that long.

Snappy Unfried Peas

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 8

4 cups sugar snap peas or snow peas chopped by hand on the diagonal

3 cloves garlic

¼ cup lemon juice

3 drops lemon oil

¼ cup extra virgin olive or flax oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups sliced mushrooms marinated in 2 tablespoon sea salt, ¼ cups lemon juice for 30 minutes and drained

2 cups mung bean sprouts (marinated in 2 tablespoons sea salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 2 cups filtered water for 30 minutes,  then drained)

1. Place garlic in processor and chop well.
2. Add lemon juice, oils, sea salt, basil, and lemon zest, processing well.
3. Pour dressing over sugar snap peas, drained mushrooms, and mung bean sprouts mixing well and serve immediately.

Sweet Pea Salad

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 8

4 cups fresh sweet peas (use frozen thawed, left raw, if fresh not available)

½ cup chopped fresh thyme

1 Vidalia or sweet onion

4 stalks celery chopped small

1 red pepper chopped small

Dressing

2 cups macadamia or pine nuts soaked 8 hours and drained

4 teaspoons dry mustard

2 tablespoons raw honey

4 teaspoons ground cumin

3 teaspoons sea salt

4 teaspoons turmeric

½ cup lemon juice

¼ cup filtered water

Place dressing ingredients in a strong blender, blending well and add to the vegetables in a bowl. Mix well and top with a sprig of  thyme.

Dilly of a Pea Salad

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 4

Dressing

2 teaspoons sea salt

¼ cup and 2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons raw honey

½ cup olive oil or flax oil

2 cloves garlic

Salad

3 cups fresh peas (use frozen thawed, left raw, if fresh not available)

1 sweet onion chopped small

1 red pepper chopped small

1 cup sliced mushrooms (tossed and marinated in 1teaspoon sea salt and 2 tablespoons lemon juice for 1 hour and drained)

1 cup fresh dill chopped very fine

1. Place salt, lemon juice, honey, garlic and oil in the blender and blend until smooth.
2. Marinate mushrooms, drain, place in a bowl and add peas, onions, red pepper and dill.
3. Add dressing, stirring well.

Shelf life: Best-eaten fresh but keeps well refrigerated for 3-4 days.

Sweet Pea and Ginger Soup

Created by Jackie Graff

Sprout Raw Food

Serves 8

2 carrots

4 cups sweet peas (use frozen thawed, left raw, if fresh not available)

reserve 1 cup peas whole

½ sweet onion

2 stalks celery

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 inches ginger root

1 ½  medjool dates pitted

1 avocado peeled and pitted

4 cups of filtered water or more for desired thickness

Place all ingredients in a 2 hp blender (except 1 cup of whole peas) and blend until smooth. Add whole peas, and grab a spoon.

Serving suggestion: May be used as a salad dressing.

Peace and love,

Jackie Graff