Author of The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves and The Joy of Pickling, Linda Ziedrich likes to cook with every sort of food she can grow in Scio, Oregon.

Pickled peas, please

Preserving flat-podded snow peas

By Linda Ziedrich

July 1, 2011

I could have sworn that the only variety of pea I planted this year was English — the kind you shell before eating — but instead we’ve found ourselves struggling to eat our way through a big, continuous crop of flat-podded snow peas.

Although I’ll probably freeze some, I’ve found that peas in their pods, like green beans, are best preserved by pickling.

The other day, I pickled some snow peas using the same method I often follow for pickling snap peas (the kind with rounded but still edible pods). The recipe calls for white-wine vinegar, tarragon, and a quart jar; the resulting pickles are stored in the refrigerator.

Today, however, I may stand some peas in pint jars and process the pickled peas for pantry storage in the same way I do dilly beans.

You can vary the seasonings in this recipe, of course. If you shy away from the licorice-like flavor of tarragon, try thyme. Use black, green, or pink peppercorns instead of chiles, or try some mace or nutmeg. And instead of wine vinegar, use cider vinegar, if you don’t mind its slight golden hue.

Once you open a jar of these sweet, tart, crisp pea pods, expect them to disappear in a wink.

Pickled Snow Peas

1 1/4 cups white-wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon pickling salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 pound snow (or snap) peas, stemmed and strung
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 or 2 small dried chiles, slit lengthwise
1 or 2 sprigs of fresh tarragon

In a saucepan, bring to a boil the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Let the liquid cool.

Pack the peas into a quart jar along with the garlic, the hot pepper or two, and the tarragon. Cover the peas with the cooled liquid, and close the jar with a plastic cap.

Store the jar in the refrigerator for at least two weeks before eating the peas. Chilled, they will keep for months.

Culinate editor’s note: This post also appeared on Linda Ziedrich’s blog, A Gardener's Table.

Related recipe: Pickled Snow Peas