Both snow peas and sugar snaps freeze beautifully - here are some tips. Here is a yummy recipe for dill-y lacto-fermented sugar snap peas and a recipe for pickled sugar snaps using vinegar. Here is a recipe for stir-fried dau miu (snow pea shoots). And don’t forget about pea shoots! Eaten like a green, they can be sautéed, stir-fried, blanched or eaten raw. And here’s a great recipe roundup from the Kitchn on several ways to eat sugar snaps during the spring and summer. Here’s a perfectly simple and delicious stir-fry recipe for either snow or sugar snap peas from Mark Bittman. If you’re going to go the cooking route for sugar snaps or snow peas, quick cooking methods like stir-frying or a fast blanching tends to be best in order to preserve the crunchy, green quality of both veggies. Although string-less varieties are starting to hit the market, you will probably need to “de-string” your sugar snaps (less so snow peas) by pulling on the ends of both sides of the pod to remove the tough “string.” Both also pair well with nuts, citrus, herbs and other spring and early summer veggies (think asparagus, mushrooms, scallions and radishes). Sugar snaps are perfect vehicles for dips (blanch them briefly first or eat raw), chopped and tossed into salads or mixed in with grains like farro and quinoa. Snow peas are common in Chinese and Chinese-American cuisine, and show up in all manner of stir fries and sides, but they are also delicious eaten on their own or blanched briefly and tossed into a salad. Snow peas and sugar snaps are delicious both raw and cooked. Both are members of the Leguminosae (or Fabaceae) family - aka, the bean or legume family. Snow peas and sugar snaps grow much like garden peas - on lovely vines with delicate tendrils that bear beautiful flowers, ranging from white to purple. cv) have more rounded, thick walled pods that are a bit juicier. saccharatum) have flat pods with thin walls, while sugar snap peas ( Pisum sativum var. But while the garden pea requires shelling, because its tougher pod has a papery, inedible interior, snow peas and sugar snaps have been bred for their edible pods that can be eaten whole: pods, seeds and all. Snow Peas and Sugar Snaps and Cultivationīoth snow peas and sugar snaps are, of course, related to garden (aka “English”) peas. The good news is that you can find sustainably grown sugar snaps and snow peas at your farmers’ market! Ask your local pea farmer about his/her growing practices. This basically means that any non-organic snap peas you buy probably have some serious pesticide residue on them. Imported snap peas make their appearance in the “Dirty Dozen,” coming in at number between 10 and 20, while domestic snap peas show up nearer to 30 on the list. The bad news is that snap peas show up not once, but twice on the Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Pesticides on Produce. Sustainability of Snow Peas and Sugar Snaps Pesticides and Snow Peas and Sugar Snaps Snow pea shoots are also a delicacy - look for perky green leaves and tendrils, and the smaller the leaves and stems the more tender the greens will be. They both have a sweet, pea-like taste (for obvious reasons). Both will have teeny tiny peas inside (sugar snap peas tend to have larger seeds), and, of course, both should be eaten whole.

Sugar snaps are juicier with thicker walls. Snow peas will be flexible and bend-y, while sugar snap peas are crisp (and indeed, “snap” when you break them in two). What to Look for When Buying Snow Peas and Sugar Snapsīoth sugar snaps and snow peas should be bright green, with no yellow, black, mushy or brown spots anywhere on the pod.

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