Pass the Peas Please

            Each week at Farmers’ Market the produce vendors’ tables get a little fuller as each new vegetable is ready to harvest.  Last week some of the new items included beautiful beets and even the first homegrown tomatoes.  These tasty tomatoes came from a farmer who has turned most of his greenhouses into high tunnels which allow the tomatoes to be grown directly in the garden soil earlier in the year than normal due to the season-extending protection and warmth of a greenhouse roof.

            Peas are another item coming on strong right now.  The first types of peas to be ready are sugar snap and snow peas.  These peas are great because they save the work of shelling.  As opposed to regular peas, snow and sugar snap peas are meant to be eaten pod and all.  They are both very sweet and, therefore, most people just end up eating them raw, but there are a lot of great ways to use them, especially in stir fry dishes.     

Lunch time on the farm provides a nice little break in the middle of the work day.  Meals can be pretty fun with all of these fresh vegetables at my fingertips.  However, there is a lot of work to be done, so most days I have to come up with something that is tasty and filling yet also not too time consuming to prepare.  Here is what I threw together for yesterday’s lunch.  This dish, plus a small dish of leftover strawberry shortcake for dessert, made for a very satisfying and re-energizing lunch.

Easy Peasy Sugar Snaps and Bacon

·        Six pieces Pepper Bacon

·        1 quart sugar snap peas (or snow peas), stems removed

·        ½ cup garlic scapes, cut into 1 in. pieces and/or ½ cup green onions, chopped

·        1 carrot, peeled and grated

   

    Cook bacon in skillet, remove.  Pour off most of the grease.  Add onions and/or scapes to skillet and sauté for a minute or two.  Add whole peas and grated carrots.  Cook a few more minutes, crumble bacon and add back to pan.  Add salt to taste (if using pepper bacon, you won’t need to add pepper.)  Do not overcook the peas; you want them to still have some crunch. (Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side.)