Winter Peas

Sugar Snap Peas

Photos by Jake Griggs

We grow the oregon Giant, Sugar Ann, and Sugar Sprint varieties.

The sections below were copied with permission from Mi Ae Lipe’s Tastes from the Valley to Bluff: The Featherstone Farm Cookbook (2008).

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, put them in a perforated plastic bag and refrigerate them in the vegetable crisper for no more than 2 or 3 days.

Complementary Herbs, Seasonings, & Foods

Almonds, bacon, balsamic vinegar, butter, carrots, chicken, chives, citrus, cream, fennel, garlic, ginger, ham, leeks, lemon, lettuce, majoram, mint, mushrooms, new potatoes, nutmeg, olive oil, onion, orange juice, parsley, peanuts, prosciutto, rice, risotto, rosemary, sage, salmon, shallots, tofu.

Serving Suggestions

• Snow peas and sugar snaps can be tossed whole into the wok for stir-fries.

• Serve raw or lightly steamed on a plate with a variety of dipping sauces: mayonnaise, melted butter, salad dressing. A favorite with children.

• A traditional New England Fourth of July meal is salmon, peas, and new potatoes. Serve with freshly made lemonade and strawberries for dessert.

• Lightly saute sugar snaps in a little butter and salt, and serve.

• Chop herbs like tarragon, dill, mint, basil, and parsley, and combine with chopped scallions 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 snow or sugar snaps with mushrooms.

• Try raw snow peas julienned 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.

Recipes

Pamela's Fresh Pea Soup (7 cups)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 large onion, chopped

1 small head 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

1/4 uncooked white rice

2 teaspoons sugar

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint

About 1 cup milk

Fresh mint sprigs

1. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot, add the garlic and onion, and saute until softened.

2. Add the lettuce, spinach, and parsley; cook, stirring, until the vegetables wilt. Add the peas and 3 cups of 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.

3. In a food processor or blender, process in batches until coarsely blended. Return to the pot. Add the remaining 2 cups of stock. Bring to a boil, add the rise, decrease the heat, and cook 15 minutes. Add the sugar, salt, pepper, and mint; stir in enough milk to reach the desired consistency. Heat slowly, until the soup is hot. Do not boil.

4. Garnish each serving with a sprig of mint.

Credit: MACSAC, From Asparagus to Zucchini

Sugar Snap Peas and Pork (serves two)

Ingredients:  1/4 pound thinly sliced lean pork - marinated in 1 T Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry and 1 T. soy sauce; 1/2 pound sugar snap peas (blanched for one minute in boiling water and drained); 1 T peanut oil; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 t. grated or minced fresh ginger,  1 cup chopped garlic scapes or 4 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces; 1/2 t. salt, 1/2 t. sugar, 1 t. cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup water or stock.  Optional - 1 t. toasted sesame oil

Heat oil until very hot in wok or large frying pan.  Stir fry garlic, ginger and scallions or scapes 1-2 minutes.  Add pork and marinade and stir fry another 2 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients, including snap peas,  and stir fry another minute or two, covering pan the last minute.

Serve hot with rice.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 - Week 3

Sugar Snap Peas with Asian Dressing

Wash and prepare snap peas by breaking off the little stem end and pulling off any tough "strings".  Bring water to a full boil, add peas and boil for 30 seconds.  Drain and rinse with cool water.  Set aside.

Dressing (double the recipe as long as you are doing this.  Then you will be ready for another meal.  This is a good all purpose dressing)

Mix together: 2 T. rice vinegar, 1 T soy sauce, 2 t. toasted sesame oil, 1 T (packed) light brown sugar, 1 t. (maybe less) salt, 1/2 t. fresh ground pepper. (optional  - red pepper flakes, 1 t. grated fresh ginger, a few tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro)

Pour dressing over snap peas.  About 1/4 cup dressing to 2 cups snap peas - but that is a personal preference.  Serve on a bed of torn lettuce if desired.  Or serve over rice noodles, add chopped peanuts or some other protein and you have a meal.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 4

Last updated on March 16, 2012 by Featherstone Farm