Pea Tendrils

Snow peas growing at Lancaster Farmacy.

Several of our CSA shareholders have emailed asking for more information about the pea tendrils coming in their shares this week! Pea tendrils are the young leaves and shoots of snow or snap pea plants. They offer incredible nutritional value, packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, and folic acid. Commonly used in Asian cuisine, their taste is very similar that of a pea and they make a great addition to a salad, soup, or any other dish where snow or snap peas would be appropriate. Because pea tendrils are so fragile, it's best to keep them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Try making a pea tendril salad (cracked black pepper, kosher salt, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar), or sautéing (olive oil, crushed garlic cloves, and butter over medium-high heat until tendrils are just wilted), or making a Rainbow Garden Salad (see recipe below, adapted from PeaShoots.com, http://www.peashoots.com/peashoots.htm).

Rainbow Garden Salad
Ingredients
2 carrots
1 bell pepper
handful of cherry tomatoes
pea shoots
radishes
half a red onion
half a lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions
Top, tail and peel the carrot, then using a vegetable peeler, make long ribbons. Slice the pepper into long thin strips. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Thinly slice the radishes and red onion. Place all of these ingredients into a salad bowl with the pea shoots. Drizzle on the olive oil and the juice of the lemon; then season.