A couple of weeks ago, I experienced a revelation: I tasted my first pea shoot. I was at the Little Italy Mercato farmers' market in San Diego, buying Asian produce from the Vangs, also known as Mr.

Lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and a splash of red wine vinegar. That was the salad of my youth. My father was a child of the Depression, and I remember his Victory Garden along the back of our yard. He ...

Pea shoots, a newer ingredient showing up in farmers' markets across America, have long been prominent in other cultures, like Asian cuisine. With tendrils in the shape of curly-cues and leaves soft ...