More Peas, Please

Consider the lowly green pea, often canned, frozen or forgotten.

But give peas a chance in the garden and you’ll find that fresh from the vine, they’re tender, crisp and remarkably sweet. Whether you grow traditional English peas, crunchy snow peas or versatile, modern snap peas, you’ll be joining an extraordinary culinary experience that spans thousands of years.

Indeed, in Burma, evidence of human consumption of peas was found in a cave from 9750 BC. In China, Emperor Shen Nung is said to have encouraged the cultivation of peas around 2695 BC. In Troy, peas were uncovered in tombs from 1450 BC. And in Europe, they were dried, then cooked, throughout the Middle Ages.

In more modern times, King Louis XIV, the king of conspicuous consumption, exalted fresh green peas at Versailles. Peas were among the first crops planted by British colonists in America. And Thomas Jefferson is said to have grown more than 30 varieties at Monticello.

A Trio of Tastiness

The king and the colonists were most likely eating what we know today as English peas, which are shelled first. Their plump outer pods and stiff, translucent membranes are tasteless. But the peas themselves, of which there are generally 6 to 10 per pod, are delicious.

Sweet snow peas appeared in Asian cuisine centuries ago, then found favor in Europe in the 1600s. These delicate peas form thin, nearly transparent pods that are eaten right along with the barely formed peas inside. Most bear tough strings along the edges, though, that you’ll want to tug off first.

Snap peas combine the best of both worlds—plump peas and tasty pods. They were developed by a plant scientist, Dr. Calvin Lamborn, who was trying to breed out bumps and ridges on snow peas in the 1970s by crossing them with shelling peas. The result was the Sugar Snap Pea, which was introduced in 1979. Both pod and peas remained crunchy when eaten raw or sautéed. Both could also be snapped into pieces to be cooked, or shelled and eaten like English peas.

And with that, Lamborn created a third, entirely new category of garden pea. Today, there are both stringed and stringless varieties.

In the Garden

There’s a common misconception that peas belong in the summer garden. But heat can cause the plants to bolt and the peas to get tough. Instead, grow all three types during fall and winter, when cooler temperatures will give the plants time to build succulent flavor.

Choose a spot that receives at least six hours of daily sunlight, which is more sun than many other cool-season vegetables. The soil should be loose, fertile and somewhat sandy, with good drainage. Raised beds are ideal. Dig down a foot. Smack apart any dirt clods with the back of your shovel. Work in lots of well aged compost. Then smooth out the soil.

Next, give your peas something to climb.

For compact, bushy pea plants, poke bits of multi-branched tree trimmings upside down in rows about two feet apart. For taller, vining types, set up trellises four to six feet tall and composed of string, twine or galvanized wire with metal, wood or bamboo posts; or wood lattice; or bird netting and stakes, all also in rows two feet apart.

Soak your pea seeds in water overnight, then sow them one to three inches apart in inch-deep furrows. Sprinkle an inoculant on top as you go, to promote better germination and growth. Cover the seeds with an inch of loose soil, then another inch or so of straw, fine-textured compost or chopped dry leaves. Avoid fresh grass clippings; they contain too much nitrogen, which will promote leaves at the expense of pods. In general, don’t worry about fertilizing.

Net your planting bed to thwart birds from devouring your soon-to-emerge seedlings. Water thoroughly. Keep the soil evenly moist until the seedlings are a few inches tall. Then back off watering to once or twice a week, depending on rain.

Don’t bother thinning your peas. The bush types will knit together and clamber over your impromptu tree trimmings to hold themselves up. The vining types will send out tendrils to scale their trellises. They’ll cling on their own, unless you garden in wind. If so, secure the vines with twine or green stretchy garden tape.

Harvest

Peas typically begin maturing in 60 to 70 days. As the pods ripen, pinch them off or use scissors to snip them from the vines. Don’t twist them, which can damage the shallow-rooted plants.

English peas are ready when their pods are swollen and still a lush green. If distinct ridges on individual peas form or the pods turn dull, you’re too late. Also know that the pods are up to 25% sugar. Just like with sweet corn, that sugar begins to turn to starch as soon as the pods are plucked. So pick and shell them right before your meal.

Harvest snow peas when the pods have stopped growing, but the peas are still immature and widely spaced. They’re past their prime if you wait for them to fill out their pods.

Snap peas are more flexible. Harvest them early to eat fresh or quick-cook like snow peas. Let them mature if you’d like to shell the pods or cook them snapped. Truly, they’re delicious at any point from when you can scarcely detect the peas to when they’ve filled their pods.

Harvest frequently to encourage your plants to continue producing. Letting your pods linger will trigger an early decline. Sow seeds every few weeks from now until Christmas and you’ll have fresh garden peas into next spring.

As for “More peas, please?” You’ll definitely have your peeps clamoring for more.