2024 Sugar Snap Peas: Sweet, Crisp and Oh-So-Delicious
2024 Sugar Snap Peas: Sweet, Crisp, and Oh-So-Delicious
I love fresh peas! One of my earliest memories is helping my mom shuck peas in the summer, popping them out of their pods for dinner that night. She would gently boil them until softened, drain most of the water, then stir in a buttery rouxof flour and butter to create a simple, creamy sauce.
Of course, even back then, I loved to snack on the pods themselves—crisp, sweet, and impossible to resist.
Fast forward a few decades, and now my favorite way to eat peas is straight from the vine—no cooking required! While sugar snap peas are meant to be picked when they reach full size, I find them best when they’re still young, tender, and extra sweet.
Pro Tip: Taste as You Go!
When checking on your peas in the garden, don’t just rely on the seed packet instructions—experiment! Simply twist one off, take a nibble, and you’ll know if it’s just right. For me, they’re perfect fresh from the garden, sliced up in a homegrown salad.
Climbing Crazy: Get Your Trellis Ready!
Like beans, these guys are enthusiastic climbers, so be sure to have your netting-covered trellis in place when you plant the seeds. As they grow, keep an eye on them and gently nudge the tendrils to hook onto the netting—once they get going, they’ll race for the sky.
In fact, this season, my peas got so heavy that I had to attach a rope from the fence to the trellis just to hold everything up under the weight of the vines and the peas. Lesson learned: peas don’t mess around when it comes to climbing!
A Few Growing Notes
Regular harvesting encourages flowering and keeps vines productive for longer.
When the pods are swollen and the shape of the peas is visible, it’s time to get out there every morning and pick. (Tough job, but someone’s gotta do it! 😉)
If they’re floury and a bit tough, they’ve been on the vine a day or so too long—use these in soups or stewsinstead.
As for next year’s planting, I’ll need to do a little research. I believe peas amend the soil in some way, so I’ll have to be mindful of what I plant in that spot next season. But for now, I’ll just keep enjoying every last sweet, crunchy bite! 🌱✨
