feeding kids peas

About Peas

When you hear do you like peas? do you immediately think of frozen or canned peas mushed up and soggy on the plate? Do you forget about snap peas and snow peas that end up in a stir-fry? There are so many kinds of peas that a blanket statement of my kid hates peas might not be accurate.

So what are the differences between all the peas? The gist is there are garden peas, snow peas and snap peas. Snap peas are a cross between the snow and garden. Garden peas, you shell them and only eat the sweet round pearls inside. Snow peas have tiny unformed pearls and you eat the entire pod. Because snow peas are so thin they work well in a quick cooking stir-fry. Snap peas are my favorite and you eat the entire pod in one wonderful bite!

About buying and cooking peas

With such a variety of peas, there are all kinds of possibilities to get your kids to eat and enjoy peas. I would personally never touch canned peas. They tend to be overcooked and without flavor. No one will probably like those. Frozen peas are an easy staple in the fridge and easy to steam. Adding herbs, garlic or some lemon will give them a little more interest than just plain old peas. To get fresh peas to shell yourself the best bet is to grow your own or get to the farmers market early in the spring. Sugar snap and snow peas are usually in the produce section year-round at your grocery store. They do grow better during the cooler parts of the year so depending on where you live that will be the best time to get them fresh at your farmers market.