Snow Pea 'Strings'

I've been picking quite a few 'snow peas' recently which are the oriental type peas you pick before the peas have developed inside the pod. I'm looking to eventually sell at a local farmer's market here but it's still a month or so away.

So as things ripen and I harvest them I've been trying to prepare them and eat them which has been challenging for me. I'm not picky, always been one of those people that would eat almost anything if it wasn't moving. But my problem is I am not a cook. I don't have a lot of patience so I end up wandering out of the kitchen while something is cooking and by the time I get back it is burned.

Anyway, my first attempt with snow peas was ok. I sauteed them in garlic and butter and they were very tasty but I suspect most things are tasty sauteed in garlic and butter (snails) and they were definetly a bit charred.

So last night was our pasta night so I looked up ways to use snow peas in pasta. I came up with a Thai recipe that involved a Peanut sauce. I have to say the peanut sauce was much tastier than any tomato sauce I have used but...

About 1 in 10 of the pea pods had fibers in it that were just too chewy to eat. The recipe I followed said to remove 'strings' from the pea pods before cooking them.

So (I know it's been a long time getting here) my question is, how does one remove a 'string' from a pea pod?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Jeff

You remove the string by starting at the bottom [blossom end] and start zipping the string off...continuing over the top and on down to the start. If you go around the best direction, it will go nicely.

Thanks Indy, I will give that a try!

Jeff

I've found that it's much easier to "de-string" pea pods by starting at the stem end, rather than the blossom end. A quick twist and pull will remove the string. You only really need to remove the string from the top of the pod.

Just my $.02 =)

Depends on the cultivar, some are stringier than others. The real stringy ones, like Indy said, treat like the old type pole beans, Break the tip, pull the string down the back to the stem, break the stem and pull the string down the front.

Interesting. =)

Before switching to horticulture, I had spent 23 years in food service, and never seen a snow/snap pea that had to be destrung from the blossom end. My grandparents always grew pole beans, and I can remember them being snapped at both ends, and strings pulled off from top and bottom, but never peas. I don't doubt you one bit, I've just never seen a variety of pea that I had to do that to. *shrug*

Thanks, Farmerdill. You know I believe you, I guess I've just never seen one that "stringy", thankfully, HEH. =)

Cheers,
Eggs

I think a lot of my problem is that I'm not picking them at an even maturity. I'm getting some that already have small peas in them and some that have just started making peas. Seems that the 'stringiness' is worse on the more mature ones. I'll toss those in the compost pile next time I pick I think.

Jeff

Why throw them away? Just pull the strings off.

I eat a lot of them while I'm out working in the garden and the ones that have fairly big peas in them already seem to be tough all over not just at the string.

Also I'm not throwing them away, they'll be my fertilizer for next year :)