Peas are a fan favorite in our household! Not so much the frozen kind that you buy in the store, but whether fresh or frozen in the pod straight from our garden – we absolutely love them!
This year my husband built an amazing and practical pea trellis. This was the solution to having a successful pea crop this year! We are still enjoying the goodness of these peas – we have so many that we are not able to eat them all while still fresh. That is when I decided it was time to start learning to freeze peas, to use in stir fry’s, as a vegetable, and other dishes.
Start by washing your peas
Snip off the top with your fingers, BUT…
Before you completely snap off the whole top, peel back the “seam” of the pea pod, which is along the inside of the pea pod.
Start a pot of boiling water (about 4 quarts). Add the peas (about 2-3 cups) after you have a rolling boil.
In order to kill the enzymes and bacteria that can change the color and flavor of the peas while freezing, you need BLANCH the peas.
You can do this by boiling them for 2 minutes
Then immediately plunge the peas in ice cold water (basically give them a ice water bath) for 2 minutes
Lay them out on a towel or paper towel to dry
After they are dried to your desired rate, seal them up in freezer bags.
Now you can enjoy “fresh” peas from the garden all winter long! It’s as easy as that!
What is your favorite item to freeze?
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