Sweet pea

I must confess, I never really liked peas.

I'm sure I drove my mom nuts. Growing up, the only kind of peas I would eat were LeSueur -- you know, the Young Early Tiny Very Expensive Baby Peas in the Silver Can. No frozen peas, no store brand, no way, no how. I'd push them around the plate, pick them out of whatever they were in...

Then I started eating Indian food, which I adore. And there's peas in everything -- the rice, the samosas, the aloo gobi, all my favorite dishes. I was older, and no one would eat with me if I was still picking peas out of everything. So I tolerated them. But not more than that.

Until today. Our weekly Tuesday produce delivery came with fresh peas, the kind you have to shell yourself. Never had those before, but Joel had plans for a stir-fry, and the peas were going in. OK, set a good example for the kids, eat the peas, yeah yeah. Then, as I was shelling them, I thought I'd try one.

Holy cow! It's as if it's a totally different vegetable. Sweet, firm, not mushy... Whoa. I know what's going in the garden next year.