(for perspective, this is the tub we bathed Lucy in as an infant, and it's filled several inches deep)
...or is it? Took me an hour to pick them, a few hours to shell them, more time to blanch them and can them up for the freezer...all for just 4 pints. 4 pints?!?
That's our new definition of summer.
Pick it, prep it, preserve it. Repeat.
Thank goodness for our CSA, though. I remember the first time I shelled peas to freeze. I bought several pints at the farmer's market, shelled them, put them in a ziplock bag--a sandwich-sized ziplock bag--and realized the bag wasn't even full and it had cost me $10 plus labor!
These peas came pick-your-own at our farm. I was trying to take a fair share, not be too greedy... but the aisles were filled with knee-high weeds as if no one else was walking there, and the plants were loaded down with peas, so I picked a bunch. I kept thinking if I didn't, they'd go to waste. Is that true? I'll have to check it out next week and see how the plants are looking then.
Next up...foraged cherry plums. More on that to come.
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5 comments:
Yum! I also find preserving peas to be quite a bit of an "is that all?!?!" experience so now we just grow them to eat fresh and we enjoy Every Single Pea to the fullest knowing that we won't have them again until the next year. Good for you for putting some by.
A small bathtub full of peas just looks wonderful :) So much summery goodness
I think all bean-like veggies tend to be that way. We picked something like 10 pounds of green beans last year, and it seemed like it made far too few meals. But they were awesome meals!
Last year, my pea harvest was so small I didn't freeze any. Green beans nearly drowned me, though...so I decided to cut the beans very very small - maybe 1/4" long, same as the diameter of the bean - and blanch and freeze them that way. I used these tiny beans the same way I'd use peas. Since that's mostly in casseroles and rice dishes, it was close enough. Won't fool anyone on taste, but for color and texture, it worked!
Emily
Please join the Go Local challenge on my blog! You would be a welcome addition to the community we are building.
Happy Growing!
Heather Jane
www.livingsenseshome.com
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