You can harvest pea shoots every week for a fresh leafy salad and still have plenty left over to return to the soil. (A good rule of thumb is to harvest no more than a third of any cover crop.)
Once they start growing, they produce abundant foliage with a silky texture and sweet, bean-y flavor. Fava leaves (and fava flowers) can be eaten raw or cooked, or even turned into pesto.
When picked young, the leaves are tender enough to eat raw and have a sweet, mild flavor. I also like them stir-fried or added to soup in the last few minutes of cooking.
These low-maintenance plants can stretch several feet tall, love hot sunny days, and thrive on little water, so they’re well-suited to late spring plantings when other peas start to fade.
Young barley leaves are edible and can be tossed into a salad mix. You can also juice the leaves like wheatgrass, or take it a step further and dehydrate the juiced barley grass to create an antioxidant-rich powder.