The first snow and sugar snap peas are ready for harvest from the garden, so Babyzilla and I went out and picked enough for dinner tonight. Babyzilla has never had either sugar snap or snow peas before, but after her first taste, she reached into the basket again and again for more.
Peas are one of the world’s oldest crops. Wild peas were foraged centuries before they were domesticated as the trellis climbers we know today. Peas are pretty easy to grow. Just give them cool, spring weather, halfway decent soil, and some climbing support. And, if you’re short on space, peas can be grown in containers, along walls, or trained up corn and sunflower stalks.
This year, I planted both snow peas and Oregon Sugar Pod snap peas (which are stringless) together, and they are both growing up a trellis net I staple-gunned to our fence in the very back of the garden bed. The double row is 5 feet long, but only 8 inches wide, with over 40 plants, which makes peas an excellent value for the small-space gardener.
One of the benefits of growing peas is that, as a member of the legume family, peas fix nitrogen in the soil which will help fertilize future plants. When your peas are done growing, just snip the stems off at ground level and let the roots decompose in the soil, leaving the nitrogen for future crops.
Here are some yummy sugar snap pea recipes for your enjoyment. A 1/2 cup of cooked snap peas has approximately 34 calories, 2.6 grams of protein, 39 mg of Vitamin C, 1.6 mg of iron, 192 mg of potassium and 21 mg of magnesium.
Lemony Sugar Snap Peas with Avocado
- 1/4 pound raw sugar snap peas
- 1 peeled and sliced Hass avocado
- 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
In a bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. Add raw sugar snap peas and avocado, tossing gently to combine.
Dilly Snap Peas – Courtesy of Marion Owen, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul
- 2 pounds of raw snap peas
- A pinch of cayenne pepper or dried chili peppers
- 1 clove garlic, diced
- 1 head fresh dill, or similar amount in leaves
- 2-1/2 cups water
- 2-1/2 cups white vinegar
- 1/4 cup salt
- Remove strings, if necessary, and pack snap peas as tightly as you can in hot, sterilized pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headroom.
- To each jar add cayenne, garlic and dill.
- Boil water, vinegar and salt and then pour the mixture over the peas, leaving 1/4-inch headroom.
- Seal the jars and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.
- Enjoy!
