SeedsWholesale

Snow Peas

Snow Peas are edible podded peas with the best features of snap beans (tender and crispy) and garden peas (sweet and meaty). Young Snow Peas are excellent for salads. The plant grows very well in slightly cold climates. Seeds are sown in early spring and fall. The plant begins to produce peas quickly and in large quantity, about 70 days after sowing. Edible pods mature quickly and should be picked for vegetable use when young.

NOTE: Snow Pea seed germination is relatively sensitive to water content in soil. Seeds can be easily rotted and fail to germinate if overwatered or soaked. Keep soil only moist but not soaked during the germinating period.
 

Snow Peas

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Varieties
Buying and storing
Availability
Preparation tips
Nutritional highlights
Health benefits and concerns

Snow peas are a favorite addition to Chinese food.

Skip to:
Varieties
Buying and storing
Availability
Preparation tips
Nutritional highlights
Health benefits and concerns
The French name for this tender legume is mange-tout, meaning “eat it all.” The pods are flat, soft and translucent, with tiny, almost unnoticeable sweet peas inside. Snow peas are also known as Chinese snow peas.

Varieties
Snow peas, like all peas, are a type of legume. The edible, flat pods contain five to seven seeds and can reach a length of two to three inches. Snow peas are available year round, and are especially abundant and fresh in the spring and summer.

Buying and storing tips
Snow peas can be found in the produce section of most health food stores, specialty markets, and supermarkets. Look for brightly colored, crisp pods that have fresh-looking leaflets and small seeds. Use as soon as possible, or store in a plastic bag, refrigerated for up to three days.

Availability
Snow peas are available all year long, and are at their peak from May through October.

Preparation, uses, and tips
Just before using, pinch off the ends and rinse the peas in cold water. Wok-fry them with shiitake mushrooms, red sweet peppers, carrots, and sesame seeds, or combine raw snow peas with grapefruit slices and mixed field greens.

Nutritional Highlights
Snow peas (frozen, uncooked), 1/2 cup
Calories: 55
Protein: 3.7g
Carbohydrate: 9.8g
Total Fat: 0.26g
Fiber: 3.38g
*Excellent source of: Vitamin C (12.9mg), and Vitamin A (523 IU)

*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the Recommended Daily Value.

Health benefits and concerns
Asthma

Vitamin C, present in fruits and vegetables, is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. This anti-inflammatory activity may influence the development of asthma symptoms. A large preliminary study has shown that young children with asthma experience significantly less wheezing if they eat a diet high in fruits rich in vitamin C.

Bruising

Many Americans eat insufficient amounts of foods containing vitamin C; the disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, scurvy, causes easy bruising. While very few people actually have scurvy, even minor deficiencies of vitamin C can increase the incidence of bruising. People who experience easy bruising may want to try eating more fruits and vegetables—common dietary sources of vitamin C.

Capillary fragility

Eating plenty of flavonoid- and vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables helps to support the structure of capillaries.

Cataracts

Some, but not all, studies have reported that eating more foods rich in beta-carotene or vitamin A was associated with a lower risk of cataracts. Synthetic beta-carotene supplementation has not been found to reduce the risk of cataract formation. It remains unclear whether natural beta-carotene from food or supplements would protect the eye or whether beta-carotene in food is merely a marker for other protective factors in fruits and vegetables high in beta-carotene.

High homocysteine

A controlled trial showed that eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables containing folic acid, beta-carotene, and vitamin C effectively lowered homocysteine levels. Healthy people were assigned to either a diet containing a pound of fruits and vegetables per day, or to a diet containing 3 1/2 ounces (99g) of fruits and vegetables per day. After four weeks, those eating the higher amount of fruits and vegetables had an 11 percent lower homocysteine level compared to those eating the lower amount of fruits and vegetables.

Multiple sclerosis (MS)

In one survey, researchers gathered information from nearly 400 people (half with MS) over three years. They found that consumption of vegetable protein, fruit juice, and foods rich in vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, calcium, and potassium correlated with a decreased MS risk.

 

Packet 2g 1000 seeds $2.95