Fresh Picks of the Day - July 31, 2013 and How to Freeze Peas

Once again today I picked the usual:  green beans, the last of the pea pods, and peas.  This is the first year we grew peas.  Usually we just grow pea pods, but I wanted to try peas too (I was watching Anne of Green Gables and saw someone in the moving hulling peas, that's what made me want to!).  We planted the rows right next to each other, and they look identical.  I got confused for a little while which was which (I was pretty sure I knew which one was which), but once you look at the actual vegetable, you can tell the difference.  Pea pods are more flatter, and peas bulk out more.

To pick the peas:  You want peas that are fresh and crisp.  Pick them when they are fully expanded but immature.  You don't want them to be hard and starchy.  Don't use peas that are old, overripe, starchy, or have leathery, wrinkled pods.

The peas at the bottom of the plant will mature first.

It is best to freeze the peas right after they are picked.  The quality, especially sweetness, gets worse quickly.  But if you can't freeze them right away, put them in the fridge.

Freezing peas is just like how you freeze green beans.

To Freeze the Peas: 

Hull the Peas.

Most people probably wouldn't plant peas because of this.  It takes away to hull them, and you don't get that many.  But, right now I can't do much and am confined to my butt because of a sprained ankle, so it gives me something to do.

Wash them.  This is a couple pickings' worth of peas.

 

Bring a pot of water to a boil and get a large bowl of ice, cold water.

Once the water is boiling, blanch the peas.  Place them in the pot and let them sit in there for one and a half minuets (90 seconds).

 Put the peas in a bowl of ice, cold water and let them cool (about a minuet).  I used a slotted spoon to do all the moving of peas.  But, I realized that dumping the peas into a strainer from the pot and then immediately into the bowl of ice, cold water would have been faster.  And, then again from the bowl to the strainer.

Fill labeled freezer bags with peas however full you want to.  Then freeze.