If you only have the patience for one round of shelling sweet peas this spring, do it for this recipe and this recipe alone: Springtime Panzanella (bread salad). Absolutely the best thing to come out of my kitchen in ages. Use the freshest peas you can find, and skip the olive oil in the dressing to allow the peas to shine.
Of course, there's another kind of pea that delight your eyes and nose but not your tummy--sweet pea flowers. A garden oasis in the city, Silver Lake Farms sells riotously colored $5 bunches of sweetpeas at the Silver Lake Farmers' Market each Saturday (they're also at the Echo Park market on Fridays, Atwater Village on Sundays and Little Toyko on Tuesdays). They also have bright ranunculus bouquets, also $5, usually with a sweet pea or two thrown in for good measure. The flowers, plus the warm demeanor of the ladies staffing the stand, are sure to make you smile.
green pea photo by cogdogblog, sweet pea photo from Silver Lake Farms site
