Last Updated on 10th March 2022 by
You don’t need to do much to sugar snap peas to make them a tasty side dish for a larger meal. You can cook them up in just a few minutes, and they’re a healthy and simple dish that’s also pretty tasty.
I like to keep the seasonings and garnishes to a minimum so that the lovely flavor of sugar snap peas manages to stand.
You can cook sugar snap peas quickly and easily, following the instructions I’ll lay out for you in this article.
How to Eat Sugar Snap Peas
These peas are usually served as a side with a savory meal, often paired with a potato dish, meats, and some bread for a complete meal.
Snap peas can be kind of tough to eat if you don’t cook them, so most people will steam or boil them before serving them up.
While the taste of these peas can be decent without any seasoning or flavoring, it’s a good idea to at least serve them with a little salt, just like you would most vegetables to enhance the flavor and keep them from tasting a little bland.
Hopefully, that gives you some idea of what to do with sugar snap peas.
How to Prepare Sugar Snap Peas
Sugar snap peas usually come frozen at the grocery store, but you don’t need to thaw them out to cook them up. They can be cooked straight from being frozen and still turn out okay.
You do need to be careful about letting your snap peas get freezer burn, though, if you leave them open in the freezer for very long.
Most people will either steam or blanch them, and then enhance the taste with a little seasoning of salt, pepper, and butter. You can also sauteed them, which is a great way to change up the texture a little bit and make the sweet side of sugar snap peas pop and stand out.
How to Make Sugar Snap Peas
I would like to share with you a really simple method for how to prepare sugar snap peas by sautéing them. It only takes a few minutes to cook them this way, so it’s fast and simple, and it’s definitely one of my favorite methods.
Start by cutting off the stems on the ends of the sugar snap peas, as well as the strings that are attached to the pods. Put the rest of the sugar snap peas into a large skillet. You don’t have to cut them up into smaller pieces.
Cook them up with a little olive oil on medium heat and allow them to sauté for about four minutes. Don’t just leave them to cook in the
If the heat is too low, they may need to cook a little longer.
Keep cooking the sugar snap peas until they’re crispy and tender. You can poke them with a fork to determine their texture and readiness to eat. Once they’re done cooking, you can serve them up. Remember to add at least a little salt to help bring out the flavor.
How to steam sugar snap peas? You can use a steamer or even use a pot of water on the stove to steam them. How long to steam sugar snap peas? It only takes about 5 minutes to cook them this way and make them tender enough to eat.
How to Grow Sugar Snap Peas
How would you like to grow sugar snap peas on your own? Let’s talk about how you can grow them and when to plant sugar snap peas.
The best time to plant them is in the summer, in most parts of the United States.
They should be planted well before the first frost hits, but if you get some frost shortly after they’re planted, as long as it’s not too heavy, the peas should be okay. They just can’t stand extensive cold weather in their early stages of growth.
You don’t need to plant them very deep. The seeds can be planted about an inch to an inch and a half deep. They’ll need about two inches of space from each other, and then you can line them up in rows with about a foot of space between each row.
Different types of sugar snap peas will need to be planted in their own ways, and it’s a good idea to follow the instructions printed on the seed package.
Your sugar snap peas should start sprouting up from the ground in about 10 days.
Plant the pea seeds 1 to 1-1/2 inches deep and about 2 inches apart, with 18 to 24 inches between rows, or follow the directions on your seed package for the variety you’re growing. Rows of sugar snaps can usually be planted 12 to 18 inches apart. Most varieties will sprout in seven to 10 days. In some areas, you can plant pea seeds in the summer, about two months before the first fall frost.
Don’t worry if the temperatures dip below freezing or a light frost hits after the peas sprout. They can tolerate cold and frost for short periods of time.
When to harvest sugar snap peas? They ought to be ready to pick in about seven weeks from the time you planted the seeds. You’ll want to pick them when they’re tender and green, and the peas inside the pods should be starting to swell up in size.
Be sure to pull off the tough ends of the peas as well the stringy parts, but you can eat the rest of the sugar snap peas.
How to Store Sugar Snap Peas
If you’re growing the sugar snap peas on your own, you can store them in the fridge in a plastic bag for about three days. It’s not a good idea to keep them any longer than that, as they start to lose their taste and texture.
You can freeze them as well to make them last much longer, and the earlier you freeze them from when you pick them, the better. Sugar snap peas can be stored in your freezer in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 8 months. How to freeze sugar snap peas so that they retain their freshness? You will want to blanch them before storing the peas away.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!