Clarence Birdseye, you spoiled us. A pioneer in frozen vegetables in
the 1920s, you created a frozen pea that nine times out of 10 beats the
pants off of fresh peas.
Don’t get me wrong, there is still nothing like an absolutely fresh
pea stripped from its pod, then boiled quickly and tossed with some sweet
butter and salt. Nothing else is really needed.
But how often to we get that perfect pea? Most of the time, the pods we
buy are too old, and that sweet pea has become starchy and dull. The old
saw about putting a pot of water on to boil before you went out and picked
your corn goes double for peas.
However, frozen peas don’t have that problem. They are picked at the
peak of ripeness and frozen immediately. Thus, they retain that wonderful
pea sweetness and tenderness as well as a bright, verdant color that we
never seem to achieve with the fresh peas we cook ourselves.
Peas take so well to freezing that by the mid 1950s less than 10
percent of the pea crop - at the time the second largest vegetable crop in
the country - was sold fresh. That ended what was called pea-time, the
period from June to September when fresh peas were sold in local markets.
With a greater emphasis on farmers’ markets we’re getting more
local and fresher peas than we did 20 years ago. But we’ll probably
never return to pea-time.
Clarence Birdseye, you rascal, you.
HISTORY
Peas are thought to have originated somewhere in Asia (we’re not
exactly sure where.) Those supporting this theory believe that the
pea went to China, possibly in the 7th century, then to Europe. But
evidence of peas has been discovered in Bronze Age artifacts in Europe and
the Middle East. Others point to an African origin, with cultivation in
Egypt thousands of years before Christ.
Early peas were most often dried and used like split peas in porridges
for consumption during winter months. It wasn’t until the 16th century
that peas were eaten fresh.
In 1533, Catherine de Medici introduced them to France (as she did with
so many foods) when she married the man who became Henry II, King of
France. The French took to them instantly and called them petits pois, a
name that stuck.
The English imported them from Holland and so cherished them that the
pea we know today is often called an English pea. Thomas Jefferson is said
to have cultivated some 30 varieties in his own garden at Monticello,
including snow peas and a form of sugar snap pea.
The Dutch may have been more pivotal in the development of peas than
once thought, according to "A Popular Guide to Chinese
Vegetables" by Martha Dahlen and Karen Phillipps (Crown, 1983), which
states, "The belief that edible pea pods are a quintessential and
traditional Oriental food seems to be an illusion. The Cantonese name ‘hoh
laan,’ a corruption of ‘Holland’, may more accurately indicate this
vegetable’s origins."
WHERE GROWN
With year round supplies, California is the leading producer of peas.
New York, South Carolina, Oregon, Idaho, Texas, New Mexico, Florida,
Washington, New Jersey and Virginia are also pea-producing states.
Guatemala is the largest importer to the United States. Peas are also
imported from Mexico, China, Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
VARIETIES
Like beans, peas are divided into two categories, those with and those
without edible pods. The pea we know as the green pea, English pea and
garden pea falls into the latter category. As to specific varieties, most
commercial peas are either called Garden or English peas, and that’s
that. Petit pois are not a variety of pea but merely green peas that have
been picked before full maturity. Thus, they are smaller than normal green
peas.
Snap peas look like mini versions of the pods of green peas. The
difference is that these pods are edible. Sugar snap and Sugar Daddy are
the two varieties of sugar snap peas, the latter being a cross
between the green pea and the snow pea. In addition, the Sugar Daddy is
stringless. However, even sugar snaps with strings don’t necessarily
need to be stringed before cooking. (see "Preparation" below).
Snow peas used to be seen only in Chinese restaurants. Now they’re
available everywhere. The pale green, edible pods are flat and wide with
little bulges - the immature peas inside - rippling throughout the pod.
There are often strings, but again, they need not be removed. Snow peas
are also called sugar peas, China peas and in French mangetout, meaning
"eat all."
SEASONS
For green peas, the peak period is January through June but supplies
from local farmers may be available through the summer. Sugar snap peas
peak from February through September, though they are available all year.
Snow peas are available year round with the peak period from November to
March.
SELECTION, HANDLING &
STORAGE
For green peas, your first assignment is to find a retailer who gets
them in soon after they are picked. Better yet, seek out a farmers’
market or roadside stand and ask when the peas were picked. The closer you
are to the time of picking, the better.
That’s at least half the work. The rest involves checking the pod,
which should be firm, crisp and bright green with a fresh appearance and a
velvety touch. Tough, thick-skinned pods are an indication of overly
mature peas. Also avoid pods that have poor color (such as gray specks or
yellowing) or show any sign of decay or wilting. Don’t buy peas that are
already shelled because you never know when they were shelled - earlier
than you’d like is a good guess. Don’t even ask how long they’ll
last in storage.
Snow peas and snap peas should also have good color (lighter for snow,
darker for sugar) and a firm crispness. The ideal size for snow peas is
about 3 to 3 1/2 inches long and about 3/4-inch wide. For snap peas, the
most desirable size is 2 1/2 to 3 inches long.
Snap and sugar peas have a somewhat longer shelf life than green peas,
up to three days, unwashed, in plastic bags under refrigeration as low as
33 degrees. But they should be used within a day or two. Snow peas like
less humidity than sugar snap peas, so take that into account in deciding
where in the refrigerator to store them, or perforate the plastic bag you
put them in.
NUTRITION
A 100 gram or 3.5-ounce serving of cooked green peas has 70 calories,
12 grams of carbohydrates, less than .5 gram of fat, 2 grams of dietary
fiber, about 30% of the Daily Value (or RDA) for vitamin C, about 10% for
vitamin A, 10% for iron and 2% for calcium. Peas are an excellent source
of protein with over 5 grams of protein per serving, a good source of
folic acid, and a decent source of potassium.
Sugar and snow peas have a similar nutritional profile with some
exceptions. On the plus side, they are somewhat higher in calcium and
vitamin A as well as being lower in calories (43 calories for 100 grams).
On the minus side, they have less copper, zinc, iron, potassium and
vitamin C.
YIELD
One pound of green peas in the pod yields about a cup when shelled. A
pound of sugar snap or snow peas will feed 4.
TIP
When selecting green peas, run your finger to the top of the pod to
make sure the peas are not too large but fill up the whole pod. If the pod
is not completely filled, the peas won’t be as sweet as a full pod.
PREPARATION
Shelling green peas is somewhat time consuming but not difficult. Do it
in front of the television. As to cooking them, there are two, possibly
three camps. One is the steaming camp, one is the boiling. The boiling
camp is divided into whether one salts the water or not. Put Larousse
Gastronomique in the salted camp and James Beard in the unsalted.
Steaming, of course, eliminates the salting controversy.
In any event, the fresher the peas (and we know how difficult that is),
the shorter the cooking time, about 5 to 10 minutes. After butter and
salt, chives and mint are my favorite pea flavorings.
Sugar snap peas have strings, but whether or not they are removed is
personal choice or habit, not an obligation. The only thing that you may
want to remove (and some growers do this for you) is the calyx or cap at
one end.
I agree with my friend Janet Fletcher, author of "Fresh From the
Farmers’ Market" (Chronicle Books), who, in addition to bemoaning
the poor quality of fresh green peas, suggests boiling snap peas for about
3 minutes and refreshing them in ice water to set their bright color. Then
they can be stir fried with other vegetables, heated through on their own
with butter and herbs or put into cold preparations such as pasta salads.
As with sugar snaps, snow peas have strings, but they needn’t be
removed. Some have a calyx and that should be removed for esthetic as well
as practical reasons. A quick snap of the wrist, with or without a paring
knife, will do it.
Snow peas are ideal for stir frys. They can be served as a vegetable by
themselves with perhaps some minced ginger, garlic or hot pepper - or all
three. Or, they can be part of a stir-fry melange with shrimp or strips of
chicken or pork.
If you have some patience - or extra hands in the kitchen - try opening
the pods of snow peas and piping in a cream cheese spread (with salmon
perhaps) for an attractive hors d’oeuvre.
