Natural Cook Studio of Bend

I am highly inspired at this moment to write about pea because I have a little pile of them sitting here on my desk. I may just have to start a ritual and away be eating what I’m writing about while I write it. They are fresh, crisp, and just plan adorable little veggies. Snow peas are technically a fruit. Pea plants blossom before producing peas; once the petals fall off, the flowers’ ovaries swell until they become the pods we recognize.

Peas have been consumed by man for thousands and thousands of years. In fact, peas are mentioned in the Bible. It wasn’t until the 16th century, when cultivation techniques created more tender varieties that people began to consume peas in their fresh state as opposed to just eating dried peas.

These little green packet’s contain an impressive nutritional value of 8 vitamins, 7 minerals, dietary fiber and protein. Peas prized nutrient is vitamin K, some of which our bodies convert into K2, which activates osteocalcin, the major non-collagen protein in bone. Osteocalcin anchors calcium molecules inside of the bone. Therefore, without enough vitamin K2, osteocalcin levels are inadequate and bone mineralization is impaired. Peas also serve as a very good source of folic acid and a good source of vitamin B6. These two nutrients help to reduce the buildup of a metabolic byproduct called homocysteine, a dangerous molecule which can obstruct collagen cross-linking, resulting in poor bone matrix and osteoporosis. Homocysteine contributes to atherosclerosis through its ability to damage the blood vessels, keeping them in a constant state of injury. One cup of green peas contains a whopping 60% of the DV of Vitamin C, your body’s first and most effective line of antioxidant protection. Vitamin C protects cell structures like DNA from damage; it helps the body deal with environmental pollution and toxic chemicals; it enhances immune function, and it inhibits the formation of cancer-causing compounds in the body (such as the nitrosamines, chemicals produced when the body digests processed meats containing nitrates. Body tissues with particularly high vitamin C requirements include the adrenal glands, ocular lens, liver, immune system, connective tissues, and fats circulating in the blood. If that not enough they are also a very good source of thiamin - vitamin B1, vitaminB6, vitamin B2 and niacin vitamin B3, all of which are nutrients that are necessary for carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism.Green peas are also a good source of iron, a mineral necessary for normal blood cell formation and function, whose deficiency results in anemia, fatigue, decreased immune function, and learning problems.

One of my favorite things about peas it’s efficient packaging. You can pick them and pack them in you lunch as is. I know there are a few of you out there with your pea plants producing faster than you can eat them. So this month I’m going to end this FOM with a recipe. My students know I don’t use recipes so I will borrow one from Marion Owens.

Dilly Snap Peas

2 pounds of raw snap peas
Remove strings, if necessary, and pack snap peas as tightly as you can in hot, sterilized pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headroom.
To each jar add:
A pinch of cayenne pepper or dried chili peppers
1 clove garlic, diced
1 head fresh dill or similar amount in leaves (tarragon would be nice)
Bring to a boil:
2-1/2 cups water
2-1/2 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup salt

Pour the mixture over the peas, leaving 1/4-inch headroom. Seal the jars and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. For a sweet and sour pickle, preserve snap peas in a “bread and butter” pickle recipe, tossing a few onion slices in each jar. Add pickled peas to salads or dice them for your potato salads (marinate the warm, diced potatoes in the pickling brine for a few hours). Try some in a sandwich.

In Health,

Lisa