Peas are a spring vegetable with edible pods that can be eaten whole as a snack or added to dishes. They are easy to grow and can be frozen for up to six months. They are crunchy and sweet with a slightly elastic texture.
Peas are peas with fully edible pods. They are typically grown in the early spring, often ripening very quickly so they become one of the first vegetables harvested. There are several ways to eat peas, with one popular method being the simplest: rinsing the peas and eating them whole as a snack. Many grocery stores carry peas in season, and they’re easy to grow at home, too.
These peas can be distinguished from the closely related snow pea, another pea with an edible pod, by the pod’s rounded shape. As the peas ripen, they also become slightly stringy, so older peas usually need to be “decorated” by pulling on one end of the pea to loosen the string before pulling the string from the top of the pea. These peas are crunchy and very tender, with a sweet and very elastic flavour.
In addition to simply being eaten out of hand, peas can be added to salads, drizzled over pasta, or tossed into stir-fries and other dishes, usually at the last minute, so the peas retain some crunch. Cooking for a long time can turn peas into a slimy mush, which is generally not desirable. Many people also like to eat them in plain dishes, so that the natural flavor of the peas comes through clearly.
You may hear peas referred to as sugarsnap peas or mange-touts, a French term meaning “eat everything,” referring to the idea that consumers can eat the whole pea. If peas are left on the vine too long, they can become a bit woody and oversized, so most people try to harvest early. Unused peas can be frozen for up to six months, ideally by placing the peas on a large tray to freeze them and then bagging or canning the frozen peas individually for long-term storage.
If you want to grow peas, get some starters or seeds from a garden store and choose a sunny spot in the garden with rich, well-drained soil. Plant the seeds in lines as soon as the soil is workable after the last frost, and plan to thin them out as seedlings develop so the pea plants have plenty of room to grow. Provide the peas with a trellis to climb as they grow and keep them moist, but not soaked. As soon as the pods begin to develop, you can start harvesting them.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
