Harvesting and storage also follow successful cultivation of the pea plant. Everything you need to know about how to harvest and store peas correctly can be found here.
pea plants (Pisum sativum) form many legumes during the summer. With a few plants you can easily cover your need for peas. But how can you tell from the outside when peas are ripe and how can they be stored? We'll show you how best to proceed from harvest to storage.
contents
- Harvesting peas: the right time
- Procedure for harvesting peas
- Use of peas: with or without the pod?
-
Freeze peas and store properly
- Freeze peas
- drying peas
- Boil peas
Harvesting peas: the right time
While most vegetables are just starting to grow properly, many are pea varieties already ripe and waiting to be harvested. It is generally worth planting peas at different times, as well as different varieties, so that you can gradually harvest in the summer. The following applies to the ripening of peas: Pale peas (
Pisum sativum L. convar. sativum) can already be harvested from the end of May, wrinkled peas (Pisum sativum L. convar. medullary alef.) and sugar snap peas (Pisum sativum L. convar. axiphium Aleph.) are ready from June.
However, the appearance of the pods is more important than the exact month. Because the pods can be used to determine the degree of ripeness quite easily. If the peas are already clearly visible in the pods, they should be harvested. If you leave the green peas on the plant longer than necessary, they can get a mealy taste. For sugar snap peas, the pods should be at least 5 cm long. But don't wait too long here either, otherwise they will become fibrous.
Our tip: Check your inventory regularly from May/June.
Pay attention to the following when harvesting:
- Harvest from the end of May for split peas, from June for marrow and sugar peas
- The right time to harvest is when peas are clearly visible in the pods
- Marrow and plum peas become mealy when overripe
- Sugar snap peas become fibrous when overripe
Procedure for harvesting peas
Harvesting peas is fairly straightforward and requires no sharp tools. Check your plants regularly in summer and break off mature specimens at the base. Of course, you can also snip off the peas with garden shears. It is advisable to take a bowl with you when collecting, as a lot of peas can be harvested during the tour.
Use of peas: with or without the pod?
The term pod is often used when referring to peas, although botanically it is actually a pod. When growing peas, it depends on the variety whether you can eat them or not. While you husk the marrow and pear peas and only use the fresh, green peas, you can eat the pods of mangetout. The choice of strain depends entirely on personal taste.
by the way: Peas are the only legumes (Leguminosae) that can be eaten raw. This applies to sugar snap peas as well as to the peas themselves. But be careful with other legumes such as beans – these must always be cooked!
Freeze peas and store properly
In summer it often happens that more peas have to be harvested than you want to use in the kitchen. Luckily, there are a few ways to store protein-rich veggies neatly. We present several.
Freeze peas
Peas are very good for freezing - this way they stay crisp and fresh. To increase their shelf life, the peas are first blanched in boiling water and then quenched in cold water. Either a freezer bag or a regular food container can be used for freezing. When using the freezer bag, make sure that there is no air left in the bag before freezing.
drying peas
For very long storage, drying peas is ideal. Dried peas can easily be kept for up to a year. To dry, either leave the peas in the pods for a few days or remove them beforehand. If you want to save a little time, drying in the oven is recommended. At 50 °C, the peas will keep for a few hours in the oven and can then be filled into jars.
Boil peas
A classic method of storing vegetables is to boil them down, which also works great with peas. To do this, proceed as follows: Rinse and boil a mason jar including the rubber seal properly so that there is no contamination. Put the fresh peas in the jar. This is followed by filling up with water, after which the jar must be properly closed. Now boil the peas in a jar at 100 °C for about 2 hours. You can use either a water bath in the oven or a pressure cooker for this. A major disadvantage of canning compared to freezing is the loss of freshness of the peas. Nevertheless, the method is well suited to making the vegetables durable for several months.
Like you new next year sowing peas, you will learn in this article.
