Edible podded peas are known horticulturally as “sugar peas,” and we enjoy two kinds — sugar snaps and snow peas. These are two very different vegetables, with snow peas having flat pods and practically non-existent peas, while sugar snaps have full pods with sweet thick shells and tiny peas.
Swain and Mildred Hunt of Hunt’s Family Garden in Fayetteville are growing about 100 feet of sugar snaps this year. Like many small-scale farmers, they started off with a home garden patch.
“That patch looked so good, every summer we expanded it this way and that way. Before you knew it, we were planting a little less than an acre and the produce was more than we could handle,” said Swain Hunt. They connected with farmers at the market in Fairburn in 2007, and on April 27 they’ll be opening the Our Community Farmers market in Peachtree City along with another dozen or so vendors.
Hunt says he can harvest his sugar snaps up until the weather gets too hot. “They do fine in light shade up until June. If they get morning and midday sun, and are protected from the afternoon sun, we can keep them growing a little longer. The more you pick, the more they produce. If you take good care of them, they’ll produce abundantly,” he said.
Which customers like sugar snaps the most? “The kids. You eat sugar snaps hull and all, and the kids eat them like candy,” said Hunt. His wife is the family cook, and their favorite way to prepare sugar snaps at home is to saute them in olive oil with a little garlic and onion.
In addition to their sugar snaps, the Hunts should have beets, turnips and mustard greens for sale along with Mildred Hunt’s containers of planted lettuce. “She calls them ‘salad bowls’ and makes them up with a variety of colors and textures of lettuce. They look just like a bouquet of flowers. You could put them on the table and mistake them for an arrangement,” said Hunt.
Like sweet corn and a lot of other vegetables that rely on freshness to be at their best, sugar snaps begin to lose some of their appeal as they are stored. The farther from harvest, the more flabby and bitter the pea becomes. If you can’t serve your peas the day you purchase them, store them in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator and wash just before using.
At local farmers markets
Farmers market openings:
9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday, April 27. Our Community Farmers Market, Peachtree City. www.ourcommunityfarmersmarket.com
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sunday, April 28. Green Market on Main, Tucker. www.ottma.com/green-market-on-main.html
Cooking demos:
9 a.m. Saturday, April 27. Chef Chris Pearsall, Brio Tuscan Grill. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com
10 a.m. Saturday, April 27. Chef Adrian Villareal, The Spence. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
11 a.m. Saturday, April 27. Yeah Burger. Green Market for Piedmont Park, Atlanta. www.piedmontpark.org/programs/green_market.html
For sale
Vegetables and fruit: arugula, Asian greens, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, collards, cucumbers, dandelion, endive, English peas, escarole, fennel, frisee, green garlic, herbs, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mache, mushrooms, mustard greens, radishes, rutabaga, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, strawberries, sugar snaps, sweet potatoes, turnips
From local reports
Sole with Sugar Snap Peas
Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
3/4 pound sugar snap peas, cut on diagonal
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 pound sole fillets or other thin white fish
In a 1-quart measuring cup, rinse sugar snap peas with water and drain, leaving residual water on the peas. Cover peas with a round of waxed or parchment paper and steam in microwave for 3 minutes, or just until lightly cooked. Remove from microwave and set aside.
In a small bowl, make dressing by whisking together shallot, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice and ginger. Season to taste.
In a medium skillet, heat remaining teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Put flour in a pie plate. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge fillets on both sides with flour mixture. Arrange fillets in skillet and cook until lightly browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
Arrange fish on serving platter. Add sugar snaps and drizzle fish and sugar snaps with dressing. Serve immediately.
Per serving: 193 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 18 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 9 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 41 milligrams cholesterol, 75 milligrams sodium.
