Sugar Snap Pea

Sugar Snap produces sweet, fibreless pods about 3 inches long on vines that can reach 3 feet.

Pick each pod at the stage you want

Sugar Snap produces sweet, fibreless pods about 3 inches long on vines that can reach 3 feet. Pick them young while flat for a snow-pea style harvest, or wait until peas swell inside for a full snap pea. The tender pods can be eaten whole, so there is no need to shell the mature crop. Maturity ranges from about 60 to 90 days, depending on conditions and the stage you choose. A trellis helps keep vines upright and makes pods easier to see.

Plant in cool weather

Sow in full sun during spring or late summer. Peas prefer cool growing weather, so time the crop to finish before summer heat or before winter cold returns. Plant seed 1½ inches deep, about 2 inches apart, with rows 3 feet apart. Keep soil evenly moist while seedlings establish. Give vines a support before they begin climbing; a simple net or brushy branches can keep growth from tangling along the ground.

Check pods as peas fill

Check plants often as pods form. For the snow-pea stage, gather pods while still flat. For snap peas, wait until peas fill the pod but pick before it becomes overgrown. Use both hands or snips so the vine stays attached to its support. The plant may keep setting pods while earlier ones mature, so repeat harvest is more useful than clearing the row at once. Chill the pods soon after picking.

Keep the whole pod useful

Rinse just before cooking and remove the stem end if it feels tough. Eat pods raw, steam them briefly, or add them near the end of a stir-fry so they stay crisp. If the crop is larger than your meals need, blanch and freeze the pods using a tested vegetable-freezing method. For freezer preparation, remove strings and trim both ends, then leave flat pods whole. Blanch small pods 1½ minutes or large ones 2 minutes; if peas have developed, shell them and follow green-pea directions.