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Report From An Opinionated Gardener – June 16

Earlier this season I bought two packs of different varieties of sugar snap peas. I planted one package on one of our reinforcement wire walls and the other packet on the other. The seeds on the lower fencing sprang up quickly and there was nearly a hundred percent germination. The other variety was not as quick to sprout and grow, and only a quarter of the seeds germinated.

When the lower support’s peas began to form it was clear from the start that they weren’t sugar snap peas but snow peas. They grew larger but not fatter. They aren’t as sweet.

I was, of course, tempted to be very annoyed. I want the fat, sweet kind! But faced with the abundance of vegetables being produced, it really seems ungrateful not to appreciate the garden’s bounty.

Snow peas are great in stir-fry dishes, of course, and they can even be eaten raw with dips. So that takes care of two day’s harvest… Now what?

Tonight I decided to try something new with this crop. I cut each snow pea into matchsticks. Since I had a few young potatoes in the fridge (not from our garden this early, unfortunately) I cut those into similar sized pieces. When it was almost time for dinner I heated a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and sautéed the potatoes for about two minutes until they were golden and cooked. Then I added the snow peas into the pan for just over a minute, stirring constantly.

Once the peas were cooked but still crispy I seasoned with salt and pepper and topped them with shredded parmesan cheese…delicious.

I plan to go in a number of directions with these matchstick snow peas. Grated lemon rind and olive oil with capers, pesto and toasted pine nuts, or grated ginger, toasted sesame oil and soy sauce.

Maybe vegetables that we’re not overly thrilled about are just waiting to be given a fresh look.

Cutting the ingredients into match-stick slices...

and serving the finished dish.

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