Need more spring in your step? The delicious fresh crops of the season at Harvest Home Farmer's Markets have the answer. Juicy asparagus, velvety spinach, crunchy radishes, plump peas, and, AHH! sweet strawberries can put more spring in your step, BUT HURRY! Most of these veggies are only in the markets for a short time in the late spring and early summer. Find a market in your neighborhood by clicking HERE.

Try these mouth-watering spring veggies to get your body moving to match your mood. These veggies are loaded with vitamin B's which help our bodies turn food into fuel so we have more energy. Since our bodies don't store vitamin B on their own, we need to get them from veggies to look and feel our best. Those B's also help us maintain healthy hair and skin, help us stay alert and even help us improve our memories. Naturally sweet strawberries can help keep it that way by building our immune system.

Tasty Ways to Get Your B's:

• Snack on them raw: Raw sugar snap peas, radishes or strawberries are delicious.
• Pep up your salads: Add radishes, sugar snap peas, small pieces of asparagus or strawberries to fresh spring lettuce.
• Roast them: Roast asparagus and radishes cut in half and mixed with a teaspoon of olive oil at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Eat plain or season with mint-pea pesto. (See Recipe section)
• Simply stir-fry: Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add some chopped garlic and cook for about a minute. Toss in torn up fresh spinach leaves, 1 inch pieces of asparagus cut on the diagonal or sugar snap peas separately or mix them together. Cook until the spinach wilts or the asparagus is as soft as you like it. Season with salt and pepper.
• Mexican Stir-fry (Espinacas Guisadas): In 2 teaspoons of olive oil, cook chopped onion, minced green chili pepper (like Serrano) until soft. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes break apart. Toss in spinach by the handful. Cook until spinach wilts. Season with cumin and coriander.

However you choose to eat these spring veggies, they will get your B's buzzing and your body moving better. Hurry to one of our Harvest Home Farmers' Markets where our farmers accept Healthy Seniors Healthy Shopper (H2S2), SNAP, WIC, EBT and offer NYC HealthBucks. Get your B's buzzing for a better summer!

Mint Pea Pesto

Recipe by Rachael Hartley, RD, LD, CDE

Use as a dip, as a salad dressing or serve on roasted veggies or pasta.

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh peas
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup mint leaves
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Preparation

• Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to a boil. 
• Add peas and cook for 2 mins.
• Drain and immediately put in a bowl with ice to stop cooking.
• Drain the peas again and puree in a food processor with garlic, walnuts, mint, lemon juice and olive oil. 
• Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

More Tasty Goodness

Tips

• Steam, roast or stir-fry spring veggies. Never boil them. Boiling equals less taste and less nutrition.

• Delicious Snacks: Raw spring veggies
  • Radishes have a spicy crunch and almost no calories. 1/2 cup has only 9 calories! They do have vitamins C, B and K.
  • Munch on sugar snaps, plain or dipped in hummus
     
• Make Spinach Salad while the spinach is fresh and tender.
  • Add red onion and strawberries.
  • Spinach Salad Dressing: Mix together ½ cup honey, ½ cup vinegar, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp lemon juice.

• Add nuts, almonds or walnuts to your salads for extra crunch. They'll also help improve your energy.

• Frozen peas make delicious kid-loving snacks. Buy extra peas, shell them and freeze them.  You'll be amazed how much your kids enjoy them in the hot summer.

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