When fresh peas season hits, grab them — and make these 3 easy recipes

Now is the time to embrace the emerald green wonders of spring: Sweet peas. Fresh, sweet green peas are one of the few vegetables found only in their brief season. Beyond spring, fresh pod peas (aka shelling peas or English peas) barely exist.

For a few brief spring weeks, fresh shelling peas grace the bins at farmers markets and produce stands ready for shucking. If you've not cooked fresh peas, know that their sweetness and deep, green vegetable flavor are like none other. Like sweet corn, the natural sugars in the peas change as they age - even day-old peas have a different sweetness than fresh picked. If you're into it, buy both and cook them side by side. You'll taste the difference.

Shucking peas sounds like a romantic job best done on the porch rocking chair. True, but shucking during a Netflix marathon works, too. Simply hold the pea pod with the seam toward you and pop it open