How To Freeze Peas
Freezing is an excellent way to preserve your pea harvest.
Freezing offers advantages over canning and other food preservation methods.
It's less time consuming, highly effective, and easy.
For these reasons, freezing should be a skill every food preserver should utilize.
So below we've put together our easy, step by step guide to freezing peas.
Steps to Freezing Peas: 1.
Remember "My Momma Told Me, 'You Better Shop Around!" Whether you are picking your peas from a farm or buying them from a local market or grocery store, be selective about your peas.
It makes no sense to preserve an inferior food because it will be even more inferior when you get around to eating it.
So please, only preserve peas that are free of deformities - no growths or spots.
2.
Wash the Peas.
Although washing is not really required since the peas are enclosed and protected by pea pods, it's not a bad idea.
Washing simply removes the pea pod dirt completely out of the picture as you go forward with the additional steps.
3.
Shell.
Prepare a pot of boiling water prior to shelling.
Shell the peas by snapping off the stem ends and pulling the string (if any) upwards.
Many peas do not even have strings so don't be concerned if you cannot find it.
Just open the pods and remove the peas.
If you are not particularly fond of shelling by hand or you have a large quantity of peas to shell, consider an electric or manual pea sheller machine.
4.
Blanch.
Drop the shelled peas into the boiling water and let them boil for 1 1/2 minutes.
While boiling, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
Use a colander to drain immediately after boiling.
5.
Chill.
Immediately transfer the drained peas to the bowl of ice water.
This quickly cools the peas so they will not continue to cook from residual heat.
Let the peas sit in the ice water for 2 minutes, then drain using the colander.
6.
Single Layer Freeze.
Spread the blanched peas in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour.
Transfer the frozen peas to freezer bags or containers and label with the date.
Frozen peas will retain their quality for about 8 months.
However, if you want to substantially extend that time period, use a food vacuum sealer and freeze in a vacuum sealed bag.
Keep your freezer at or below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
Freezing offers advantages over canning and other food preservation methods.
It's less time consuming, highly effective, and easy.
For these reasons, freezing should be a skill every food preserver should utilize.
So below we've put together our easy, step by step guide to freezing peas.
Steps to Freezing Peas: 1.
Remember "My Momma Told Me, 'You Better Shop Around!" Whether you are picking your peas from a farm or buying them from a local market or grocery store, be selective about your peas.
It makes no sense to preserve an inferior food because it will be even more inferior when you get around to eating it.
So please, only preserve peas that are free of deformities - no growths or spots.
2.
Wash the Peas.
Although washing is not really required since the peas are enclosed and protected by pea pods, it's not a bad idea.
Washing simply removes the pea pod dirt completely out of the picture as you go forward with the additional steps.
3.
Shell.
Prepare a pot of boiling water prior to shelling.
Shell the peas by snapping off the stem ends and pulling the string (if any) upwards.
Many peas do not even have strings so don't be concerned if you cannot find it.
Just open the pods and remove the peas.
If you are not particularly fond of shelling by hand or you have a large quantity of peas to shell, consider an electric or manual pea sheller machine.
4.
Blanch.
Drop the shelled peas into the boiling water and let them boil for 1 1/2 minutes.
While boiling, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
Use a colander to drain immediately after boiling.
5.
Chill.
Immediately transfer the drained peas to the bowl of ice water.
This quickly cools the peas so they will not continue to cook from residual heat.
Let the peas sit in the ice water for 2 minutes, then drain using the colander.
6.
Single Layer Freeze.
Spread the blanched peas in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour.
Transfer the frozen peas to freezer bags or containers and label with the date.
Frozen peas will retain their quality for about 8 months.
However, if you want to substantially extend that time period, use a food vacuum sealer and freeze in a vacuum sealed bag.
Keep your freezer at or below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
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