Peas in a Pod

Plus: A recipe for super-crisp snap peas with lemon, mint, and cheese

After a deluge of rain followed by a few days of sun, our pea plants started popping pods this week! The variety of peas we planted are a type of shelling pea, which means you’re supposed to discard the pods and eat the peas inside (they grow about 7 peas per pod), as opposed to snow peas or sugar snap peas, which you eat whole, pod and all.

I mentioned in a previous post that the first frost of the year usually comes around Oct. 15 here. That’s pretty accurate: The temperature is forecast to dip to 36 degrees overnight Friday, low enough to prompt fall’s first frost.

Why is that significant? Frost halts the production of pea plants. So it’s likely that whatever peas are growing on them today might be all she wrote.

And why is that significant? Because our peas aren’t plump enough yet to shell (pic below). But the pods are tender enough to eat, and they’re incredibly sweet. I’ve made the executive decision to eat our shelling peas like snow peas. So pea it.

Jagger Sings ‘Let it Go’

Your weekly Jagger content: Singing a verse of ‘Let it Go,’ his jam du jour.

Recipe: Snap Peas with Lemon, Mint, and Cheese

Here’s a tip that will ensure your pea pods or any fresh veggie you’re using for a cold dish stay super crisp: Put them in a bowl of ice water while you’re prepping your other ingredients. A quick pat-dry before you plate, and your vegetables will be as bracingly fresh as when they were first picked.

Snap Peas with Lemon, Mint, and Cheese

Serves 2

2 cups tender pea pods

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup mint leaves, torn

1/2 cup grated pecorino romano

Zest from 1/2 a lemon

1. Place the snap peas in a bowl of ice water. In a separate bowl, whisk the lemon juice and olive oil; season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Drain the snap peas and pat dry. Toss them with the vinaigrette and half the mint leaves.

3. Top with the remaining mint, the cheese, and the lemon zest.