Peas are being harvested in abundance right now at Forsythe Family Farms 2009 Inc.!
Farmer Forsythe grows both sweet peas and sugar snap peas.
Brandon with some of the day's harvest
Currently the sweet peas are being picked, and in a couple of weeks the sugar snaps will be ready too. Sweet peas are also sometimes called Garden peas or English peas. The pods are firm and rounded, and the peas are best shelled before eating although some do eat the whole pea pod. I find it to be a little too chewy. They can be eaten raw and taste like candy in a shell. For children who love to play with their food, this is a great one. When cooked, they're often eaten boiled and with butter as a side dish vegetable. Try fresh peas in salads and casseroles.
Sugar snap peas have edible pods so you can eat the whole pea. They are similar to snow peas in this way, but the pods have a full pea unlike the snow pea. Sugar peas are used in stir-fried dishes, in salads, or on their own.
Peas are high in fiber, protein, and a number of vitamins and minerals.
The seeds can be planted as soon as the soil is warm enough, usually around 10 °C, so they
are one of Farmer Jim's first crops planted. Different varieties have different growing periods but the average is about 60 days from planting to harvest. Farmer Jim likes to get them planted by early May so that harvest coincides with strawberry season. Peas do not do well in summer heat and their season usually ends early July. Occasionally we can get a good crop in the fall but the demand is not the same. Peas are definitely the vegetable that welcomes in summer!
Saveur has some great ideas on how to get creative with your simple pea side dishes, such as peas with orange and mint, or with lettuce and green garlic.
Visit the market at Forsythe Family Farms 2009 Inc. or any of the regular farmers markets to pick up some fresh peas this weekend.