Keep plants well-picked to encourage more pods to develop.Remove garden or field heat from peas after picking by dunking them in a cold water bath until pods are chilled then dry and refrigerate.Cooled peas will hold their quality for more than a week in the refrigerator. Peas must be promptly cooled to maintain freshness and to preserve sugar content (the sugar in peas quickly turns to starch after harvest unless cooled).That is when they will be crisp and crunchy for fresh eating. Pick peas in the morning after the dew has dried.Don’t tug or jerk pods away pea plants hang on to their support with thin tendrils so a heavy hand can dislodge the plant from its support. Secure the vine with one hand then pinch the stem of each pod and pull with the other hand. Keep plants well-picked to encourage more pods to develop. It’s always best to check peas every day or two to know exactly when to pick. English peas mature more rapidly in the pod than sugar snap and snow peas.Shoots that are leafless are usually tender and sweeter than leafy shoots. Edible-pod pea varieties have the tastiest shoots. Harvest pea shoots or tendrils (used for stir-fries or steaming) when shoots are about 6 inches (15 cm) long.Snow peas can be eaten whole pod and all or shelled just like garden peas. ![]() Some snow pea varieties have fibrous string along the edges of the pods remove the strings before cooking. Snow peas that get too large will be tough. Harvest snow peas every other day to keep pods from getting too big. Harvest edible-pod snow peas or Asian peas while pods are immature and still flat-before the seeds begin to fill out.Both the peas and the pods will be very sweet. Sugar snap peas are most flavorful if picked at about half full size, about a week after flowering. Harvest sugar snap peas any time after peas begin to form in the pod and continue picking until the pods are fully elongated, about 3 inches (7 cm) long.Shelled peas are most flavorful and eaten soon after harvest-otherwise, the quality declines rapidly. Peas for shelling should be shelled immediately after picking or cooled immediately after picking-submerge them in cold water-for shelling later.If you wait too long and peas begin to yellow and the pods become tough, leave them to dry on the vine and use them as dry, soup peas. Over mature peas will be starchy and have tough skins. Garden peas picked too soon will lack sweetness.Don’t wait too long once garden peas reach maturity they rapidly decline in quality, start to yellow, and become inedible as fresh peas within one to three days. ![]() ![]() They should be sweet and tender and slightly larger than the dry seed you planted. Before picking, taste garden peas for sweetness-taste them every day after the pods have begun to fill.
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