It's that time of year. I love the stuff that comes from gardening, but I have never really LOVED the process that leads up to it. My reward comes when I look in the freezer or on the shelves of a crammed storage room and sigh with satisfaction.
So far we have had a little bit of broccoli and asparagus, just enough to eat fresh. We have also had some spinach, kale, and lettuce, and the animals have also enjoyed the fresh greens sometimes. Nothing really demanding to harvest....until the peas came on.
So far we have had a little bit of broccoli and asparagus, just enough to eat fresh. We have also had some spinach, kale, and lettuce, and the animals have also enjoyed the fresh greens sometimes. Nothing really demanding to harvest....until the peas came on.
This is the pea patch behind the house. Sugar Snap peas are on the right with a couple of volunteer sunflowers growing in the middle of them. They grew so much that they got all tangled up and probably should have had something to climb on. The regular peas are the two rows on the left next to the broccoli. First picking wasn't very demanding. I picked them without help, and I shelled and blanched and froze them by myself. Not too bad. Second picking was a different story. Hannah, Joshua, Caleb, and I each invested about an hour picking (yielding probably just over a bushel or so), then Hannah and I commenced the shelling. 
After an hour, there were other things pressing on our time, so we took a break. I later came back and finished shelling, then I blanched and froze those peas and started on the sugar snap variety. I used a small pair of scissors and snipped both ends off each pea pod, sorting out those that had grown beyond the flatness that makes them best for stir-fry. 
I blanched and froze those, then I started shelling the sugar snap peas that were too large to be used in the pod. The pods are not tough at all, so rather than just splitting open, they came apart all over the place and it ended up being a real exercise in extraction to get those peas out! I actually gave up before I got to the end, and I took what was left to the goats. Then, I blanched and froze those peas. By this time, I was sick of peas!
I ended up with only 5 1/2 quart bags full of peas, both kinds combined. It took me almost all day with a few other things in between.
In the early hours of the following morning (yesterday), I was lying in bed attempting to sleep while my wrist, hand, and arm were aching severely. In my half-awake state, I thought maybe I should go get some Ibuprofin, but I couldn't wake up enough to do it. When I finally did get up and start my day, I could hardly use my right hand at all--no brushing my hair, no turning on the faucet, no gripping the phone. I did turn some pancakes with difficulty. Wow, I was not expecting that. I guess my pea muscles were really out of shape!
This morning I woke up and my hand was feeling a lot better. And tomorrow I have to start all over again!
After an hour, there were other things pressing on our time, so we took a break. I later came back and finished shelling, then I blanched and froze those peas and started on the sugar snap variety. I used a small pair of scissors and snipped both ends off each pea pod, sorting out those that had grown beyond the flatness that makes them best for stir-fry. I blanched and froze those, then I started shelling the sugar snap peas that were too large to be used in the pod. The pods are not tough at all, so rather than just splitting open, they came apart all over the place and it ended up being a real exercise in extraction to get those peas out! I actually gave up before I got to the end, and I took what was left to the goats. Then, I blanched and froze those peas. By this time, I was sick of peas!I ended up with only 5 1/2 quart bags full of peas, both kinds combined. It took me almost all day with a few other things in between.
In the early hours of the following morning (yesterday), I was lying in bed attempting to sleep while my wrist, hand, and arm were aching severely. In my half-awake state, I thought maybe I should go get some Ibuprofin, but I couldn't wake up enough to do it. When I finally did get up and start my day, I could hardly use my right hand at all--no brushing my hair, no turning on the faucet, no gripping the phone. I did turn some pancakes with difficulty. Wow, I was not expecting that. I guess my pea muscles were really out of shape!This morning I woke up and my hand was feeling a lot better. And tomorrow I have to start all over again!
1 comment:
I love peas...but sometimes I wonder if they are worth the effort! So much work for so little peas. Sometimes I think, "Maybe I'll just buy a bag for $1. I'd pay a dollar to not do the work!" Haha.
Post a Comment