Quote:
Originally Posted by Iva
I would really appreciate it if you could help me with these classifications in terms of telling me exactly what they mean 
Snow peas
Snap peas
Sugar Snap peas
Shelling peas
Soup peas
Then there are types of seeds as I understand it:
round
dented
shriveled
dried
fresh (ok, I get this one) |
Snow peas - These are usually picked before the peas get round in the pod. It's the pods that are eaten, and they are usually used in stir-fries, although they can add a nice touch to salads. While tasty, they are not as sweet as others.
Snap peas - is the term used for peas that are picked when the peas are big and round, but rather than shelling them out, they are eaten pod and all, after first snapping the ends off and pulling the string that usually results along the seam of the pod. They are sweet, and great in any use - cooked or raw.
Sugar Snap peas - are the first variety of snap pea, and in my mind, still the best.
Shelling peas - are picked when the peas are big but still green, and the peas are popped out of the pod (shelled) for use as, well, peas. Our favorite, especially for freezing. Good varieties are real sweet.
Soup peas - I have no experience growing these, but they are, I think, picked when the peas are not only round, but dry - mature. I buy a bunch once a year for pea soup, when I have a ham bone. DW can't stand the delectable stuff, so I have to do it when she either is gone, or has alternative meals to eat.
Then there are types of seeds as I understand it:
round
dented
shriveled - These indicate the sweetness of the pea - as the pea dries, the sweeter the pea, the more it shrivels. So soup peas are round (not sweet), while shelling peas (garden candy) are shriveled. Like corn in this regard - sweet corn seed is shriveled, wrinkled, sweet; dent corn, or field corn (for fodder), is starchy, but less sweet, and flint corn (for flour and grinding) seeds and popcorn seeds are hard and round, not dented at all. All starch and no sugar, pretty much.