OK, I am obsessed with snow peas. I don't know why, but I get a lot of satisfaction out of growing them. I don't think I ate a snow pea for the first 33 years of my life. Since snow peas are so popular in Asian cuisine, that makes sense because I don't eat a lot of Asian food. Snow peas don't get a lot of hype here in the South. Here it is all about southern peas: field peas, black eye peas, crowder peas, purple hull peas, etc. Don't get me wrong I love those too, and I understand they are suited for the hot Georgia summers we have, but I think snow peas should have their place down south too. As long as you plant them early, that means Jan to Feb for my area, they grow quite well. With snow peas you eat the entire pod, not just the peas inside, thus you get better yields than standard peas.
I love eating them fresh in the garden, or I like picking a handful and frying them up with fresh squash. Talk about good. My melting sugar snow peas are flowering like crazy right now, and I have eaten a few fresh pods from the garden. I should have my first big harvest in a about a week. My Oregon Sugar Pod II peas are doing great too and have completely engulfed the bed.
Oregon Sugar Pod II on left and Melting Sugar on right
These are the largest batch, my trellis is 3 feet tall and these are at least a foot higher
Each white flower will become a snow pea pod
Here are a couple of pods ready to be picked, these are the perfect size. You want to pick the pods when the peas are barely formed inside and the pod is still pretty flat.
4 comments:
I wasn't going to grow peas this year, and I caved in at the last minute and grabbed a packet of Oregon Sugar Pod II. Last year I planted Sugar Lace, and I do wish I'd done so this year. They were an excellent pea, and held up well in warmer weather. They are also semi-leafless, with lots of tendrils. Have you eaten the tendrils in salads or stir fry? They're quite good.
http://www.humeseeds.com/peasl.htm
You have some beautiful pea pods growing.Like Granny, I wasn't planning on growing any snow peas, but decided to plant a 4-foot row along the north side of the garlic bed. These should give me a handful of pods for snacking on fresh from the vine as I work in the garden. I also add them to stirfrys and salads.
Granny, no I have never eaten the tendrils, but I may have to try that this year. We have been hitting 88 to 91 degrees for the last few days and forecast for the next week. This is record breaking temperatures for this time of year, as it should be in the upper 70's to low 80's. I hope it cools off soon. My Oregon Sugar Pod II's were planted 3 weeks behind my others and I don't want the heat to mess me up.
GrafixMuse, thanks for the compliment. I grew them last year and had enough for a few meals, but this year I hope to have enough to freeze. I planted twelve 8 foot rows of Melting Sugar. The Oregon Sugar Pod II's I planted almost a half pound in an area 2x8. I packed them in with a seed every two inches, I hope they produce as well as I have heard. Good luck with yours.
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