Peas | Hmong American Farmers Association

Pisum sativum

Peas grown on a farm and delivered to the consumer within hours of picking are truly gems of the garden. Once you taste such fresh peas, their sweetness and sheer vegetable flavor will spoil you for anything less.

These legume siblings of beans come in several forms. There is the common garden, or shelling, pea with which we are most familiar, with peas suitable for shelling, and two subspecies of edible-podded peas, the snow pea and the sugar snap. Although garden peas may be available in your CSA box, you are more likely to see sugar snaps and snow peas.

The flat pods of snow peas have a terrific pea flavor without the hassle of shelling, and they are extremely popular in stir-fries. Sugar snaps, with their juicy, fleshy pods and full-size peas, combine the best attributes of regular garden and snow peas. A cool-weather crop, all of these pea varieties are at their most succulent and sweet in late spring or early summer.

History

The garden pea is one of the oldest foods eaten by humans, and its precise origins remain so ancient that they are unknown. Popularly the pea is attributed to central Asia; indeed the oldest carbon-dated peas were found between Burma and Thailand, and are believed to be from 9750 bce. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all enjoyed peas, as did King Charlemagne, who ordered them planted in his gardens in about 800 ce.

Until the time of the Italian Renaissance, however, peas were generally consumed mature and dried, and it was not until Catherine de’ Medici introduced them to her court when she married Henry II of France that the fresh, young piselli novelli became fashionable. Subsequently they became all the rage during Louis XIV’s time, so much so that both he and the ladies of his court were notoriously obsessed with them.

Snow peas and sugar snaps have existed at least since the 16th century. Sometimes called Chinese snow peas, these flat-podded legumes are not from China, nor do they have any obvious connection with snow; instead they may have been developed in Holland in the 1500s.

Varieties of the fleshy-podded sugar snap pea have been around for at least 300 years, but it was not until plant breeder Calvin Lamborn created an All-American Selection–winning hybrid in the early 1970s by crossing snow peas with a thick-walled rogue he found in his test plants that this vegetable suddenly became popular.

Nutrition

All peas are rich in vitamin K, a nutrient essential for proper blood clotting and bone maintenance. They are also an excellent source of manganese, vitamin C, thiamine, folate, vitamin A, phosphorus, vitamin B6, niacin, iron, copper, tryptophan, and dietary fiber. A single cup of regular shell peas contains 118 calories; 1 cup of chopped snow or sugar snap peas contains 41 calories.

Season

Commercially, peas are widely grown and available year-round. But peas do not like heat, and you’ll find them at farmers markets and CSAs in the spring. An occasional late fall crop may appear as well, depending on the region’s climate.

Selection

With all peas, choose fresh specimens with firm, uniformly bright-green pods. Avoid flabby, overly large, desiccated-looking, or discolored pods— all signs of old, tired peas past their prime.

Storage

Like all peas, use snows and sugar snaps as soon as possible, because their sugars start turning into starch at the moment of picking. If you must store them, wrap them in a perforated plastic bag and refrigerate them in the vegetable crisper for no more than 2 or 3 days.

Trimming and Cleaning

Snow and sugar snap peas usually need only to be gently rinsed. Not all sugar snap peas have strings; if they do, snap off the stalk end and pull down on the thicker side of the pod to remove the central string. Test to see if the other side requires stringing as well. Garden peas should be shelled into a bowl and their pods discarded.

Steaming and Boiling

Overcooking is anathema to peas of all sorts. Steam shelled garden peas over rapidly boiling water for 2 to 4 minute; whole snows and sugar snaps for 4 to 6 minutes. Boiling should be kept to an absolute minimum—2 to 3 minutes.

Stir-Frying and Sautéing

Sugar snaps and snow peas are delicious stir-fried or sautéed for 2 to 4 minutes in a little water, stock, or sesame oil in a wok until they are just crisp-tender, before they turn limp.

Microwaving

Place shell peas in a microwave-safe dish, add 2 to 3 tablespoons water, cover, and cook on high power.

1 pound garden peas = 4 to 6 minutes
1 pound snow or sugar snap peas = 6 to 7 minutes

Blanching and Freezing

To blanch snow and sugar snap peas, wash and, if necessary, string them. Blanch them in rapidly boiling water for 11⁄2 to 2 minutes, then plunge them into ice water for 5 minutes to stop the cooking process. Remove and drain. Package the peas in zipper-lock freezer or vacuum food seal- er-type bags, or freezer containers. Squeeze out any excess air and leave 1⁄2 inch of headspace (unless you are using the vacuum sealing method). Frozen peas will keep for up to 6 months at 0°F.

For shell peas, follow the same steps except that after draining, spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet with raised sides. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze for 1 hour. Then place the frozen peas into a baggie or container. This makes it far easier to pour out just the quantity you need, rather than trying to break apart a big clump.

Equivalents, Measures, and Servings

1 pound whole peas = 1 to 11⁄3 cups shelled peas
1⁄2 to 3⁄4 pound whole peas = 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 cup shelled peas = 1 serving
1 pound sugar snaps = 4 to 5 cups peas = 4 to 6 servings
1 pound snow peas = 3 servings

Complementary Herbs, Seasonings, and Foods

Almonds, artichokes, asparagus, bacon, balsamic vinegar, butter, carrots, chervil, chicken, chives, cilantro, citrus, cream, fava beans, fennel, garlic, ginger, green garlic, ham, leeks, lemons, lettuce, marjoram, mint, mush- rooms, new potatoes, nutmeg, olive oil, onion, orange juice, parsley, pea- nuts, peanut oil, prosciutto, rice, risotto, rosemary, sage, salmon, sesame, shallots, sorrel, tarragon, tofu.

Serving Suggestions

Snow peas and sugar snaps can be tossed whole into the wok for stir-fries.
Serve raw or lightly steamed snow and sugar snap peas on a plate with a variety of dipping sauces: mayonnaise, melted butter, salad dressing. This is a great favorite with children.
A traditional New England Fourth of July meal is salmon, garden peas, and new potatoes. Serve with freshly made lemonade and strawberries for dessert.
Lightly sauté sugar snaps in a little butter and salt, and serve.
Chop herbs like tarragon, dill, mint, basil, and parsley, and combine with chopped green onions and steamed peas.
Pickle and can snap peas just like small cucumbers, using bread-and-butter pickle recipes.
Toss a few snow peas in with fresh pastas to add crunch, flavor, and nutrition.
Combine snow pea pods or snapped sections of sugar peas with shredded chicken, green onion, mayonnaise, almonds, raisins, and chopped apple for a most unordinary chicken salad.
Stir-fry snows or sugar snaps with mushrooms, or try them raw in salads.
For an unusual hors d’oeuvre, stuff blanched sugar snap peas with cream cheese combined with chopped fresh spring radish and green garlic.
Throw sugar snaps or snows into the soup pot during the last few minutes of cooking.
Of course, nothing beats a handful of fresh shelled peas stripped out of their pods and popped raw right into a waiting mouth. One of the sweetest and best summertime treats!

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Stir Fried Edible Pea Pods (Taum Mog)

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

(Insert measurement) of peas (of your choice)
Ginger root
One small clove of garlic

Rinse and break stem from pods. You can do this by pulling the stem from the edge of the pods.
Remove a section of the ginger root and remove the skin.
Thinly slice the removed section of the ginger root.
Heat 2 tablespoon of oil to a high temperature.
Add the slices of ginger root and one small crushed garlic.
Stir the ginger and garlic until the garlic becomes brown.
Add the pea pods into the pan.
While stirring the pan, monitor the pea pods. Pea pods cook quickly and do not need long to cook thoroughly.
Remove after the pea pods have turned a darker green.

— K. Finkle, Hmong Recipe Cook Book: New Citizen’s Hmong Garden Projects

Mushroom, Snow Pea, and Spinach Salad

Serves 6

Dressing

1⁄4 cup olive oil
1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
1⁄4 cup tarragon vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon or 1⁄2 teaspoon dried tarragon 1⁄2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
11⁄4 pounds snow peas, strings removed
1 bunch spinach, destemmed, washed, dried, and chilled 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 large radishes, thinly sliced

Whisk the oils, vinegar, tarragon, and mustard in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the snow peas and cook 45 seconds. Drain, run the peas under cold water, and drain again.
Combine the peas, spinach, mushrooms, and radishes in a large bowl.
Toss the salad with enough dressing to lightly coat. Pass the remain- ing dressing separately.

— FairShare CSA Coalition, From Asparagus to Zucchini

Pamela’s Fresh Pea Soup

Makes about 7 cups

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 small head Bibb lettuce, shredded
15 leaves fresh spinach
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
3 cups fresh sugar snap peas, or 5 cups young shell peas 5 cups chicken stock, divided
1⁄4 cup uncooked white rice
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
About 1 cup milk
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Heat the butter and oil in a large pot. Add the garlic and onion, and sauté until softened.
Add the lettuce, spinach, and parsley; cook, stirring, until the vegetables wilt. Add the peas and 3 cups of the stock. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to a simmer, and cook until the peas become soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a food processor or blender, process the pea mixture in batches until coarsely blended. Pour it back into the pot. Add the remaining 2 cups stock. Bring to a boil, add the rice, decrease the heat, and cook for 15 minutes. Add the sugar, salt, pepper, and mint; stir in enough milk to reach the desired consistency. Heat slowly, stirring, until the soup is hot. Do not boil.Add the lettuce, spinach, and parsley; cook, stirring, until the vegetables wilt. Add the peas and 3 cups of the stock. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to a simmer, and cook until the peas become soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Garnish each serving with a sprig of mint.