10 Best ‘Month of Eating’ Foods and How to Use Them

     Bag of Peas “This bag is simply brimming over with fresh peas picked from the fields this morning.” Not many Neopets know that peas have a short picking season, only a few weeks out of the year will you find these peas in the perfect shade of green, and the perfect ripeness in their pod. Usuls enjoy these peas as a light snack, straight out of the pod. Graarls prefer them poured into their gullet with a funnel, as every other method they’ve found has slowed them down. These may be canned and utilized in a pea porridge in Meridell or added to a salad in Brightvale. My best customer is actually a green Blumaroo with a twirly moustache. He likes to add them to pizza and says they pair very well with corn!

     Berries. Yes, Berries. It was too hard to narrow them all down to just one type, so I’ve narrowed it down to one location where you can pick them to your heart's content: Meri Acres Farm. For a small fee you can pick the freshest berries, just watch out for the dung! The least versatile is the Nutritional Blockberry. Because it has everything you need in a berry, it’s hard to actually integrate into many recipes, but they’re an excellent addition to any knapsack when hiking long trails. Gamaberries are quite fun to use in place of boba in cold drinks. They pair particularly well with citrus flavours and pop when you slurp them up. All berries are the best ammunition in a food fight, so pick the juiciest ones to throw at your friends!

     Organic Spring Onions. Onions do particularly well in the Lost Desert, they need heat to set, cure and complete the growth of their bulbs. While they can tolerate high heat, it’s best to pick them before summer arrives in the Lost Desert. Green onions are a perfect addition to stir-fries, salads or even grilling! Believe it or not, Slorgs are a huge fan of the organic green onion. The Shop of Offers requests bunches of these beauties to satisfy a rich Slorg that haunts the store front.

     Mint. Mint sprigs are going to be the darling of the savvy cooking influencer’s inner circle this season. When fresh mint is available you will find it in every shop with edible wares in Neopia Central. It works well in Neopets shaped candies, especially when paired with chocolate. Sometimes you will see it as a simple garnish, but there’s so much more to this herb. You can make a delicious Borovan tea with it, ice cream, jellies…the possibilities are endless for this plant that goes well in spicy, salty, sour and sweet dishes. Some of the earth faeries pluck the plant and grind it into a healing paste. I would also keep my eye out for mint inspired fashion ;)

     Carrots. It looks like carrot Lupe treats are back on the menu! A fresh carrot can absolutely make a dish. You can shave it into greens or roast it with a drizzle from your flask of olive oil. Raw carrots can be diced or chopped into sandwiches or tacos. Aishas enjoy the health benefits of carrots, as they support healthy hair and nails. Many Neopets will eat them right out of the ground after a quick rinse, chomping down to the base, and then saving the nubs for their Feepits, Meepits and Snowbunnies who quite enjoy the ends of carrots.

     Faerie Spinach. This ethereal leafy green is part of the magical cabbage family and is incredibly divine in a variety of recipes. Some pets like to eat the head whole and tally up their gourmet foods eaten, while others prefer to pluck it one leaf at a time for roasting. Scorchios and Draiks will use their fire breathing capabilities to make charred kale chips straight out of the garden! One of the best recipes to use these in is actually a nice stir fry. Toss some freshly chopped spinach in just before the end and even Bonju will be asking for your secret ingredient!

     Rhubarb plants. This colourful and edible plant is a perfect addition to any NeoHome after some spring cleaning! You can grow it indoors or out, and pluck the leaves to make a delectable pretzel sauce if you mix in a little custard. If you have any neighbors suffering from seasonal sneezles, be sure to send them a Rhubarb casserole. It’s sure to perk any Neopet right up!

     Courgettes. Courgettes have been making a comeback in recent years after Courgette Farming made a surprising return to the Neopian Times Best Seller’s List last year. This book highlights how to grow the biggest and tastiest courgettes possible. These tasty treats even have edible flowers. They pair well with a nice cheese and naturally lend themselves to most vegetarian dishes. Roo Island buys these by the carton so they can cut them into wagon wheels and fry them throughout the summer. A favourite party recipe of Fyora’s is the courgette boat, where you scoop out the insides, mix it with a bit of spice, place it back in and bake it at a high temperature.

     Black Mushrooms. The faeries each have their own mushrooms that are available year-round, from space to snow. But the Black Mushroom is indeed a rare find, only this time of year when the sun is shining bright and it’s raining, while a strong wind is blowing with enough force to make all the trees shed their leaves. Ixis are particularly adept at sniffing out black mushrooms and they sell them to a Quiggle that runs a health food store. He makes sure to send his patrons on their way with many ideas for how to use black mushrooms, from ointments, to toothpastes, to dumplings… the possibilities really are endless with these fun guys.

     Asparagus. These verdant spears can often fluctuate in price per kilogram, but they are always tasty! Their primary use in Neopia has been as the main ingredient in Magical Asparagus Chia Pops, a funny thing happens to a Chia if they eat one… But they have so many other uses! Kaus and Krawks alike enjoy them grilled with a bit of parmesan cheese. Kikos and JubJubs enjoy them basted with a buttery garlic sauce. This time of year is especially good to find mutant asparagus. The blue and purple stripes give it a little something extra, don’t you think?

     And there you have it, folks! Neopia is abundant with so many types of fresh food during the Month of Eating, it’s hard to narrow it down, but I think we’ve succeeded. So head on over to your local farmer’s market in the next few weeks and enjoy all of the goodness the vendors have to offer!