Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar snap peas are a special treat in the spring! Quickly sautéing them with simple seasonings results in a sweet, crunchy side dish that’s sure to please even picky eaters. Other than the stems and strings, the entire pod is edible – and delicious!

Peas were always in our garden when I was growing up, but they were the type that you had to shell. My siblings and I often snacked on them while out playing. Only occasionally did any of them make it to the table. But when they did, it seemed to take hours (and hours!) to shell enough peas for a meal. So I was really excited to find sugar snap peas in the seed racks, and have grown them ever since.

Sugar snaps are distinct from garden (or shelling) peas and also quite different from snow peas. But they’re similar to both in a way. Like shell peas, you’ll see fully-formed peas within the pods. And, like snow peas, the entire pod is edible after you string them. You can see above how thick the walls of the pods are (above), which is quite different from a garden pea.

They also have an interesting history. Widely grown and even mentioned in European literature in the 1800s, they were somehow lost to us. But around the 1950s a couple of botanists worked to bring this variety back. It’s been available commercially since the late 1970s.

Sugar snap peas are great as a snack or in a stir fry and make a lovely side dish when lightly sautéed as I do in this recipe. But please don’t overcook them – you’ll lose all that delightful crunchy texture, and some of the sweetness as well.

Growing Sugar Snap Peas

In recent years, many grocers have started carrying sugar snap peas in the produce section, or as part of frozen stir-fry vegetable mixtures. But they’re around $5 a pound, which is a little pricey to me. Since we garden, I always make room for a 4-foot double row of them in the spring. They’re one of the first fresh veggies we harvest each year, which is so welcome after winter.

I typically grow either Sugar Snap or a newer variety called Super Sugar Snap, which are both considered half-runners. They grow about 4 feet tall, as opposed to a full-runner type, which would grow to 6 feet or more. There are also dwarf types like Sugar Ann, which don’t require staking or support. They’re planted as early as possible, even before the last frost of the winter. (A little frost won’t harm them, though prolonged freezing temperatures will.)

Just follow the instructions on the seed packet, and be sure to keep the planting bed moist until the seedlings emerge. We haven’t had any problems with birds or insect pests – but when hot weather arrives (80° F and up) the plants will start to die off. I’ve found that they grow best on a flexible trellis such as twine between a couple of posts. Rigid trellises, like wire fencing, seem to result in much more vine breakage in a strong wind.

To pick sugar snaps, I use scissors or a small pair of garden clippers. The pods’ stems are quite tough, and you risk breaking the vines if you try to pull the peas off by hand. Once picked, give them a good wash. Then string them by snapping the stem end back along the top of the pea, then pulling the string off and discarding it.

Whether you buy them or grow them, I hope you’ll give sugar snap peas a try if you haven’t before.

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