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How To: Blanching & Freezing Green Peas

Lehman's
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I've moved recently, and found a wonderful farmer's market not far from my new home. On my first trip, last Saturday, I found freshly picked and shelled spring peas. It was a lucky find, because it's much warmer here than in my former Ohio home. Peas are going out here, but aren't quite ripe up north. I bought all the peas I could to blanch and freeze. Not having to shell all those peas myself was a blessing.Boxes may still be everywhere, begging to be unpacked, but fresh peas won't wait. In less than three hours, peas were in the freezer, waiting for what passes for a cold winter in southeastern North Carolina. Click on the photos below to find helpful products from Lehman's when you are freezing produce.--they'll make your spring veggie freezing easy! Here's how I processed the peas: [caption id="attachment_16300" align="aligncenter" width="288"]

For each batch of raw peas, I picked out any leaves or foreign matter, and rinsed well to remove any soil or sand. Raw peas aren't as vibrant green as blanched ones.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_16296" align="aligncenter" width="288"]

Fill the saucepan half-way with water, and bring it to a boil. I added the peas to blanch (at a rolling boil) for a minute and an half.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_16297" align="aligncenter" width="288"]

The peas will foam as they blanch. Skim off foam with a spoon. Be careful: if you overfill the pot, it'll boil over! Keep it at 3/4 full of water and peas.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_16299" align="aligncenter" width="288"]

After blanching, plunge peas into ice water to stop cooking. I pour them into a colander, and plunge into a sanitized sink full of ice and water. Peas cool in less than a minute. Note the brighter green color after blanching.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_16295" align="aligncenter" width="288"]