The snap pea, also known as the sugar snap pea, is an

edible-pod pea The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...

with rounded pods and thick pod walls, in contrast to

snow pea The snow pea is an edible-pod pea with flat pods and thin pod walls. It is eaten whole, with both the seeds and the pod, while still unripened. Names The common name snow pea seems to be a misnomer as the planting season of this pea is no ea ...

pods, which are flat with thin walls. The name mangetout (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

for "eat all") can apply to snap peas and snow peas. A snap pea named "butter pea" was described in French literature in the 19th century, but the old snap pea was lost in cultivation by the mid-20th century. The present snap pea originated from Calvin Lamborn's cross between a shelling pea mutant found in 1952 by Dr. M.C. Parker and a snow pea cultivar. Researchers at

Twin Falls, Idaho Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 51,807 as of the 2020 census. In the Magic Valley region, Twin Falls is the largest city in a radius, and is the regiona ...

hoped that the cross might counteract twisting and buckling seen in varieties at the time. With this cross, snap pea was recreated and the first new snap pea was released in 1979 under the name ‘Sugar Snap’. Snap peas, like all other peas, are pod fruits. An edible-podded pea is similar to a garden, or English, pea, but the pod is less fibrous, and is edible when young. Pods of the edible-podded pea, including snap peas, do not have a membrane and do not open when ripe. At maturity, the pods grow to around in length. Pods contain three to eight peas. The plants are climbing, and pea sticks or a trellis or other support system is required for optimal growth. Some cultivars are capable of climbing to high but plants are more commonly around high, for ease of harvest and cultivation.

Cultivation

The snap pea is a cool season legume. It may be planted in spring as early as the soil can be worked. Seeds should be planted apart and deep in a band. It tolerates light frost when young; it also has a wider adaptation and tolerance of higher temperatures than some other pea cultivars. Snap peas may grow to or more, but more typically are about . They have a vining habit and require a trellis or similar support structure. They should get 4–6 hours of sunlight each day.

Cultivars

Below is a list of several snap pea

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s currently available, ordered by days to maturity. Days to maturity is from germination to edible pod stage; add about 7 days to estimate shell pea stage. ''Amish Snap'' is the only true heirloom snap pea. ''PMR'' indicates some degree of

powdery mildew Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant diseases to identify, a ...

resistance; ''afila'' types, also called semi-leafless, maintain an erect, interlocked, plant habit that allows good air movement through the canopy and reduces risk from lodging and mold.

Production

Commercial snap peas for export are produced in

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Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Preparation

Snap peas are often served in salads or eaten whole. They may also be stir-fried or steamed. Before being eaten, mature snap pea pods may need to be "stringed," which means the membranous string running along the top of the pod from base to tip is removed. Over-cooking the pods will make them come apart.

References

{{Reflist

External links

veggiegardeningtips site

Florida site

Edible legumes Pod vegetables Nitrogen-fixing crops de:Kefe id:Kapri sv:Sockerärtor