Boulder and Longmont farmers' markets: Pea shoots

In season now: The flavors of spring are upon us in the form of locally-grown vegetables, including pea shoots, spinach, arugula, spicy greens, Egyptian walking onions, radishes and lettuce. You will also find fresh bread, cheese, compost, herbs, eggs, flour, beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and a wide variety of farm-raised gardens starts.

Market happenings: It's Boulder County's Food Waste Awareness Week and Earth Day this Sunday. We celebrate the earth every week at the market, but let's all meet on the market street this weekend for an extra cheers to our Earth.

Lots of this, please: Sweet, crunchy, twisty pea shoots. Some may think these tasty spirals indicate the beginning of pea season, but they deserve a celebration of their own.

The farmer says: We're heading into the peak of pea shoot season and farms are harvesting them at the perfect time so they are not stemming or woody. Local restaurants are snatching them up, so make sure to get them while they last.

According to Peter Volz of Oxford Gardens, there is a short three-day window of harvesting before the stems get tough. After years of trial and error on selecting seed variety he has found his favorite to be the dwarf gray sugar pea. The size of the leaf comes in nicely and is specifically grown for shoot, not the pea. One plant will have two rounds of shoots. Volz plants the seeds in planned succession to ensure shoots for weeks.

An added benefit — pea shoot plants enrich the soil. The plant is taking nitrogen out of the air and putting it into the ground. All legumes will do that. If the plants happen to go past their harvest time they can be turned into the soil for further nitrogen enrichment.

How to prepare: "They are so tender they can be used for a half or even a third of a salad," says Volz. You can also light up the grill for a quick turn over the coals.

Goes with: chicken, asparagus, potatoes, garlic, mushrooms, lettuce, spicy greens, basil, scallions, radishes and eggs.

How to store it: Keep in a closed bag in your vegetable drawer in the fridge for up to one week.

Good to know: This list represents a general overview of the week's harvest, not every item that is being produced locally. Some farms do not grow or have ready some items on the list.

Pea Shoot Pesto

This is a lovely spring pesto, perfect for tossing with pasta or spreading on grilled bread with fresh ricotta cheese for a nice bruschetta. Toss some small pea tendrils with a little extra virgin olive oil and sea salt to garnish the dish as a fresh salad.

4 cups small pea shoots

2 green garlic, sliced

Zest of 2 lemons

3 tablespoons pine nuts

4 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Fresh pepper

Directions: In a food processor, combine first 5 ingredients. Pulse quickly adding a little extra virgin olive oil to make a coarse paste.

Taste for salt and pepper, season.

Source: Teri Rippeto, owner and chef, Potager, potagerrestaurant.com.