Pea shoots provide perfect taste of spring

(Crisp pea shoots are poetic little greens)

Finally, it's spring! My favorite time of year for many reasons, including M and my anniversary (te amo, Miguel!)

Soon those little greens will be stretching to life under the Remay in the garden, and the fresh taste of garden greens will be a welcome addition to our nightly salads.

But in the meantime, enter the sweet little pea shoot.

I found fresh bags of these incredibly crisp, delicious treats at Wild Hive Bakery Cafe in Clinton Corners last weekend, when M and I popped in for Sunday breakfast.
Fresh from Little Seed Farms in nearby Chatham, Columbia County, these pea shoots feed the body in a way only freshly grown and harvested greens can.

(Pea shoot salad is simply delicious)

I had all I could do not to eat the whole bag on the way home. They can be eaten all by themselves, mixed in with other greens for an incredible salad, piled onto sandwiches, or lightly wilted in stir-frys.

We had them for dinner that night. I piled them on top of crisp buttercrunch lettuce leaves and sprinkled in some thinly sliced red onion rings, baby portobellos and dried cranberries. Just a squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper made this a super salad.

Check out Little Seed Farms blog for more ways to enjoy this little green gem.

And it looks like it's warming up here in the Hudson Valley to start planting those peas in the garden.

Happy spring!