Brenda, mine are still fattening up. This will be my first year with shelling and freezing (planted early freezer peas and they're actually ahead of the snow peas!)but last year I blanched and froze the extra snow peas pod and all. They were ok. Do you think just freezing would work for the snow peas, too, with the pod? They tasted fine when I heated them up, but they were a little soft.

What is the purpose of blanching anyway? Do they freeze better? I'm all for one less step in processing that's for sure! :^)

Toots

Toots, the purpose behind blanching is to stop the aging process of the vegetable. For some veggies if you don't blanch, they'll taste old when you go to cook them up a few months later.

Brenda, that's a great tip for peas. I've been freezing them raw, but in water for the last few years. I saw this tip on a gardening show, but your way would eliminate the step to add water. But I won't have to worry about freezing peas this year, darn seed germinated very poorly :(

Laurie, was your seed purchased at Lindenberg's?

I used seed from years ago that needed to be used up. Germination was okay. I planted all the seed I had. Enough seed germinated for me to keep up with now.

If you freeze them like I do and don't like the results then you can always go back to doing them in water again or blanching. That is what my girlfriend told me when I did it for the first time many years ago.

Toots, I do not know about the snow peas. But you could always try a little package and see what they are like frozen raw.

Brenda

My peas germinated ok but got cooked by the heat and drought. I didn't get much off them. :0( I finally got a big sturdy trellis for them to grow on, and they didn't!

Good tip Brenda, if I ever get enough peas to freeze I will remember it.

Yup, they were Lindenberg seed again. Remind me to order from Stokes next spring, ok??

Lynne,

I don't grow broad beans, so I couldn't help you on that one. I know that with the regular yellow and green beans that I do blanch them for a bit before I freeze them.

Brenda