An embarassment of riches

[Bios]

I love snow peas, so I planted a bunch. Now they're coming faster than I can eat them.

Can I freeze them directly? Should I blanch them first? If they need blanching, how long should I go?

Thanks,

Jeanne

[WonderRandy]

I would say blanch them for less than a minute. But I don't know much about these things, to be honest. Just based on instinct and some vague Martha Stweart memories...

[MaryC1999]

I love snow peas, so I planted a bunch. Now they're coming faster than I can eat them.

Can I freeze them directly? Should I blanch them first? If they need blanching, how long should I go?

Thanks,

Jeanne

You should blanch them first. About 3 minutes in boiling water followed by a cool bath.
Mary

[carnelian]

The information you seek is toward the bottom of the page under Home Preservation (or you can click on the Home Preservation link at the top of the page):

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/peas1.html

[Bios]

Great! Thanks folks!

[Ludi]

Many vegetables can be frozen without blanching by spreading them on a cookie sheet and putting the sheet in the freezer until the vegs are frozen solid, then packing them in ziplock bags.