Monday, June 30, 2014

Do you Shuck or Shell . . .


. . . Peas?

one down . . . 


It's a simple question.  So I thought I'd ask.  I've used both terms, but truthfully I've never really sat down and shucked/shelled peas - until I bought a bagful the other day.  Which by the way ended up only being 3 cups!!!  3 cups!!!  Did you hear me?  I sat for what seemed for like hours!!!


Truthfully, I really enjoyed it!  I think it was because I had lots of company and the time really did fly by!  But, I was thinking that if I hadn't had all the visits from family and friends, it could have been a very tedious job!  I hope to get some more and package them and put them in my freezer.  I love having local produce in my freezer - especially in January!


What I've learned - I will never complain about the price of peas.  Like clams, I never complain about the price of clams, have you ever watched people digging for clams in the mud flats?  Nope, there are some things you just don't complain about paying for!

What are your favorite pea recipes?  How do you like to use them?


I bought these beauties at a farm stand in New Hampshire with my friend Susan at From Beyond My Kitchen Window.  From there we went to a farm in Dracut, MA, and bought some veggies that they grew in their greenhouse, and then to Carlisle, MA in the hopes of purchasing farm fresh eggs - sadly they were on vacation, but it was a beautiful day for a drive!  Susan and I always have fun when we are out and about!

Thank you for your friendship, I truly appreciate your comments and your visits.  Have a wonderful week ~ and for my U.S.A. friends a very Happy 4th of July!

44 comments:

  1. The last time I was in a vegetable garden and picked my own peas was in the early 1980s, and since there is just one word in German for the process of shucking or shelling peas, I can't tell you what I'd have called it :-)
    I like all vegetables, and a few peas eaten freshly while you are still picking them are a pure delight, very sweet and juicy!

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    1. I'd love to know the German word! It would be such fun to say! I can only imagine the looks I'd get though! LOL

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    2. In proper German, you'd say "schälen". In a less formal way, you'd say "pulen". So there are, after all, two words :-)

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    3. Hi Meike, now I have to work on my German, which I've never done! Thank you! Have a great week!

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  2. Shell is the term that was used when I was growing up in the South and I definitely shelled my fair share of peas and beans as a child. Sounds like you had a delightful drive to the farm.

    Happy 4th to you too Mary.
    Sam

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    1. Hi Sam, Susan and I always have a great time! We were more of a string bean or butter bean family in the summer - I remember snapping plenty of ends off!

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  3. I shuck peas and am waiting for the next farmer's market to buy a bag so that I can make a lamb curry with fresh peas that I saw on'line last week! Happy Summertime, Mary!

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  4. We don't have those kind of peas in Georgia, not that I know of anyway, we have field peas but we just call them peas and we SHELL them. We SHUCK corn! No matter what word you use, just give me those home grown vegetables, they are the best! :-)

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  5. I am from Maine Originally and we shell. My gram use to send us out to pick those peas and we would eat more than we would bring back. I need to get out and get some peas I have some in my garden but they are not ready.
    Cathy

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  6. Here in Maryland, we shell peas and shuck corn...

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  7. I shuck oysters and corn and shell peas. It's hard to beat the flavor and sweetness of freshly picked peas. When I was growing up, mom made creamed ones, but by far my favorite pea dish came from marrying Bev and discovering peas and dumplings. This recipe (http://southern.food.com/recipe/green-peas-and-dumplings-82243) is similar to how Bev does it except she makes drop biscuits with Bisquick - OMG good. I grow peas just for this dish.

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  8. Here in Pennsylvania we shell peas, shuck corn and oysters. And the taste of those freshly shelled peas is so good! Just had some last week. Love your blog!
    Mary

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    1. Thank you! I'm in search of a few good pea recipes! I found one that I think sounds pretty good and Larry shared one too! Yum!

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  9. I'm chuckling at your experience with fresh peas. There is nothing I like better than growing them in the garden, but we soon tired of that. Picking, then preparing them for the freezer, turned out to be more labor intensive than the amount produced was worth.:-) Oh! I shell my peas and shuck my corn!:-) We enjoy pea salad at times, though my favorite way to prepare them is with fresh mushrooms and tiny pearl onions.

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    1. Laughing at my expense ahy! LOL!!! I chuckled too when I sat down with that bag of peas! Thank goodness for company! The time flew!!!

      Your recipe for pea salad sounds delicious, care to share? I agree, mushrooms and pearl onions is a delicious recipe for peas.

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  10. I do neither, but I have spent many hours coshing peas, which is the Cambridge fenland word for what you're doing. Those peas look very small - are you sure you didn't buy sugar snap peas that could have been eaten uncoshed? I'm surprised they were harvested so young.

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    1. Hi Celia, they were various sizes! They didn't taste like sugar snap peas, they were not that sweet, but they were delicious!

      Thank you for defining "coshing" ~ every definition I found for it meant to "hit" LOL!!! So I had this image of people hitting each other with peas? Then I found one English definition, and all it said was that it was English!

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  11. Growing up in the south shelling peas and snapping beans were jobs to keep little hands busy during the heat of the afternoon. Shucking corn was better left to grown-ups. There is nothing better than fresh produce. Have a wonderful holiday week. B.

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    1. I think it's a great task for children, I love seeing children who help out! We snapped beans, and it was fun!

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  12. We shell'em! Haven't had any yet this year.

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  13. I shuck corn and shell peas, but I couldn't tell you why...lol...

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  14. I've never shucked or shelled :) When I buy fresh peas they are always snow or sugar peas so all I have to do remove the string. I love peas though and maybe I need to create a new experience!

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    1. If you remove the string, are you removing the peas? If so then you are a certified "Sheller" of peas!

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  15. I think we "shell" here. Well, I don't. When I grew peas my children did all that fun work! Other that boiling or steaming them, the only other way I've used them is in 7 layer salad...the peas were always my favorite part!!

    It sounds like you and your friend had some good old fashioned fun the other day! I have already missed month's worth of farmer's markets in my area. I just can't keep track of time!!

    Happy 4th!!

    Oh, the No Dumping sign was found in Asheville about 4 years ago. When we were there a few weeks ago they still had them out in front, poked in the grass!! Ha!

    Jane

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    1. Jane, you crack me up! Let's just say it was an experience, it wasn't on my bucket list or anything like that, but It wasn't bad! I do want to do more though!

      I just saw another one of those signs in Maine today! LOL!!! If I can't find one, I'm going to make one!

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  16. Shell. We call it shelling peas in these parts.
    We used to sit on the porch in the early mornings of summers days and shell peas.
    We also would snap beans; forever.
    Still, produce put by, tastes so much the sweeter in January :)

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    1. It looks like shelling is the winning word! Although I have a couple of shuckers! LOL!!! I agree 100%, local produce is best, it's like summer in a jar!

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  17. Another GA. girl here and we shuck corn and shell peas. Just shelled purple hull peas today for hubby. Although my favorite is butter peas but I have a special place for blackeyed ones.

    It does seem like it takes a long time to shell enough peas to cook for a meal. I'd rather snap green beans. ;)

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    1. I think you are today's "pea expert" ~ I've never seen purple peas or heard of butter peas! I agree, snapping beans is easier & faster! Thank you for the visit!

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  18. Here in VA we shell peas and shuck corn (and oysters too!) I've shelled many a pea! When I was growing up everybody pitched in and shelled. :)

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    1. I've never shucked an oyster! Hmm, with all that company I had, no one offered to pitch in! LOL

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  19. I love snow peas so that I can eat the entire pea--shell and all! I recently went on a trip to Napa Valley, CA and ate at Michael Chiarello's restaurant Botega. I had sauted soft shell crab served over an amazing spring pea risotto! The whole dish was fabulous and now I want to make my won risotto wit tender spring peas--yum!

    Happy 4th of July, Mary!

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    1. Hi Pat, what a delicious dish! I love making my own risotto and I'll bet a spring pea one is simply delicious! Maybe I'll add some lobster, after all we are in Maine for most of the summer!

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  20. Shell peas and shuck corn. I have vivid memories of spending hours doing shelling peas as a kid and then having to suffer through them on the dinner plate. Of course, now I would love to have a plate of fresh peas on my dinner plate...but too much work I think.

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    1. Hi Steve, I think it was good that I wasn't tortured as a child shelling peas! Because I probably wouldn't have done it as an adult, as it is I want to go back and buy more to have in my freezer. Pat from MilleFiori Favoriti gave me an idea for a spring pea risotto. Doesn't that sound delicous? Happy 4th!

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  21. I love shelling peas and shucking corn. Grew up with both. I remember as a teenager, running into farmer's corn patches and borrowing a few ears; usually feed corn, but we had no idea at the time. Silly teenage pranks in our rural area of Michigan. Getting lost in a corn field looked like fun. Oh my, I hope I am now a better person.

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  22. LOL, at least you didn't tip cows! Judging by your posts & followers I'd say you turned out just fine! ;)

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