I did a stupid thing with my snap peas yesterday. I froze them, then vacuum bagged them, then wondered why they looked so different from the previous frozen ones....I had forgotten to blanch them! One had fallen off the tray onto the counter, so I picked it up and took a bite. It was terrible. Rubbery and bitter. Not only did I ruin 10 ounces of sugar snap peas, I wasted one of those expensive vacuum bags.
I'm not exactly happy with this year's sugar snap peas, Oregon Sugar Pod II (OSP). Last year I grew Sugar Lace (SL) and loved them. OSP must have the strings removed, SL are stringless. OSP has a lot of lush foliage which makes the vines heavy so they tend to tear away from their trellis when they're wet or wind blown, SL are nearly leafless and light weight, with lots of tendrils that hang on to their support. On SL, the pods are so easy to find and pick, OSP pods are hidden under all the foliage. OSP blossomed once and gave me 2-3 pickings, then no more blossoms showed up. SL continued blossoming and forming pods until the weather got too hot. The seed catalog states "stringless, but self supporting. Its crisp, sweet pods yield abundantly. Sugar Lace is semi-leafless with interlocking tendrils that prevent the need for staking or trellising. It is also enation resistant for growth during warmer weather. The pods form at the end of its branches for easy picking. This is one you'll want to grow every year. Approximately 68 days to maturity." I found that to be true. So why didn't I plant SL this year? Well, I wasn't going to plant peas at all. I happened to be near the seed rack at the grocery store, noticed the OSP II packets and thought "Why not?", so I bought them on a whim. My bad.
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Remember my "project" from a couple of weeks ago? When I said one little project always leads to another, and before you know it, it turns into a big job? Well, my big job will start tomorrow. I've been trying to get the patio trim painted, but I guess all that climbing up and down from the ladder last week caused some low back pain that has kind of rendered me useless. Lots of ibuprofin keeps me moving, but very slowly. I think I can get it finished today though. Tomorrow son John is bringing a power washer over, and will be blasting some peeling paint from the eaves of the house. This house has open rafters on two sides, which get really weathered and won't hold paint well.
They look kind of like this, hanging out from under the roof.
John is going to cut the ends off and install a fascia and maybe soffits so they look like this. Much easier to paint, and fewer places for hornets to build their nests.
When things are going good, there is always something lurking to take away the joy! Next time you will do better and then a new joy is coming :o) Rafters, or whatever that will make it better :o)
ReplyDeleteOK OK I'm sold on Sugar Lace Peas. Now where can I get them in the UK?
ReplyDeleteIn fact OSP is the only mangetout pea I have ever grown. I've been very happy with it - but now will follow your advice and look a bit wider.
Ginny, it will be a great improvement! The exposed rafters look nice....until they begin weathering.
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Mal's Allotment, I get them from Ed Hume Seeds. They probably don't ship to the UK.
I'm growing snap peas for the first time this year. I have to look at the packet again, but I think mine are Sugar Ann variety. I hope they are like your sugar lace ones. Mine have not produced any fruit yet, although I have seen flowers forming. I can't wait to taste it. Sorry your Oregon Pea is not to your liking.
ReplyDeleteMeems, it doesn't look like they are similar. See them here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.humeseeds.com/peasa.htm
http://www.humeseeds.com/peasl.htm
Are your peas flat? I've grown Oregon Sugar Pod II, but I thought it was a snow pea, not a snap pea? The snap are always sweeter than the snow.
ReplyDeleteI freeze all my shelling peas, but the snap and snow don't retain enough crispness to make them worth blanching and freezing, for me.
Elizabeth....bingo! You're correct, Sugar Lace is a snap pea. I had never grown OSP II before, and wrongfully assumed it was the same. Both are described as edible pod, but I neglected to read the fine print, which identified OSP II as a snow pea. I have successfully frozen and used the snap peas, but only tossed into stir fry long enough to heat through.
ReplyDeleteI'm growing Cascadia snap peas. I like them a lot. They tend to climb well and stay under control and taste good. I do occasionally use some string to keep them from reaching too far into the path or away from other plants. It is the snowpea I'm trying to find a replacement for. So far Blizzard is the best I've come up with, but it does est in waves. I picked the first wave on Monday and the next wave will show up soon enough. The Golden Sweet seems to keep putting out peas so far. But they aren't perfect. They are just way too tall. I like my pea plants short.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that you forgot to blanch the peas first. That sounds like one of those moments Granny...or too much Advil!!
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I have such a small area to grow them, along an 8' fence. I really liked the Sugar Lace, they were easy to find, even with bifocals!
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Robin, let's blame it on the pain killers ;-)
Son Scott came by last night and massaged my lower back. It must have helped, as I didn't have the intense pain today like I've had for the past week.
You should be a sugar lace pea salesman. You have me convinced, and I think I will try them next year.
ReplyDeleteLOL, Kris, I do think you'd like them. They hold up better in the heat. I can vouch for Ed Hume seeds, too. We get them locally, from the seed racks, but I have ordered them from their online catalog and got prompt service. Their shipping and handling charges are very reasonable, unlike most seed companies.
ReplyDeleteEd Hume Seeds
Oh no-BAD peas!
ReplyDeleteI'm down to 2 favorites-Super sugar snap and Tall Telephone. Between those, I can't decide. Both grow very tall, but I have some old hog panels arched over my walkways and they like to climb them. Looks pretty (the peas, not the hog panels).
Sue, I've decided never to grow a shelling pea again. I think I got just over a cup of peas from an entire packet last year! The big bags of frozen petite peas are so cheap at Costco, I'm going to give the pea space to blue morning glories. :-) I will, however, grow Sugar Lace snap peas next year...certainly not for their beauty, because they aren't the prettiest plants, because they're easier to pick and my allotted support is only 3' high.
ReplyDelete3' high? That and flavour are the two most important factors. Mind you we don't suffer from heat, even in the summer, here in Scotland.
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