Peas began to be grown in China and India more than 5 thousand years ago. However, for many millennia, peas were consumed only in boiled form, as a rule, after drying. Eating green peas immediately after harvesting unripe fruits became popular in Europe only in the 17th century.
Useful properties of green peas
Green peas are high in antioxidants and vitamins. Regular consumption of a green pot strengthens the nervous system, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, bone disease and cardiovascular system. Also, the vitamins contained in green peas have a positive effect on the body's immune system.
Canned green peas are a part of many recipes, add an exquisite taste and summer charm to salads and soups, and can be an addition to any side dish and table decoration.
Green peas have an average calorie content. 100 grams of the product contains 55 kcal. At the same time, canned peas are very easily absorbed by the body and quickly cause a feeling of fullness and improve digestion. Therefore, this tasty and valuable product is included in many diets.
You can make canned green peas at home by following any of the simple, step-by-step recipes below.
Selection and preparation of peas
The best varieties of green peas for canning are brain peas. These varieties received this name due to the fact that after drying, the fruits wrinkle, and the surface of the grains becomes like a brain. Grains of smooth-grain (shelling) pea varieties remain smooth after drying. Another difference is that after boiling, the cereal varieties retain a bright green color, while the peas of the smooth-grain varieties fade, acquiring a gray tint.
For canning, it is better to use peas in a state of milky ripeness. Large amounts of starch in overripe fruits impair the appearance and taste of canned peas.
When preparing for canning, the peas must be removed from the pods and the bad grains (shriveled, crushed, dry, pests or diseases) must be removed.
Harvesting a green pot without preservatives
The most delicious and healthy green peas can be prepared without using preservatives. This product can be used in any salad, no matter how salty its other ingredients are. Canned green peas, prepared without preservatives, can be used for baby food. However, since the fruits of the green pot do not contain acids, such preparations can only be stored in the refrigerator.
For a half-liter jar of green peas, according to the simplest recipe, you will need:
- 1 liter of water;
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Rinse the peas thoroughly, taking care not to damage the grain. Put the washed peas in jars and pour boiling water over them. Leave for 10 minutes.
Prepare syrup by stirring salt in water. Add sugar to the syrup to taste, but not more than 1 teaspoon.
Drain the jars of peas and pour the syrup into them. Place the jars in a wide pot of water so that the water covers the jars by 3/4. Cover the jars with sterilized lids. Bring water to a boil and let stand for 1 hour, adding hot water to a saucepan if necessary.
Roll up the finished jars with peas with lids and put, turning the lids upside down, cool on a towel. After cooling, put the jars in the refrigerator.
You can store green peas in jars prepared without preservatives only in the refrigerator and no more than 3-4 months.
Canning a green pot without sterilizing
Prepare jars and metal lids by thoroughly washing them with detergents and sterilizing them. Put sterilized jars with lids on a dry towel and let dry completely.
Soak the sorted peas for an hour in cold water.
Prepare the syrup by dissolving two tablespoons of salt and one tablespoon of sugar per liter of water. Place the syrup on the stove and bring to a boil. Pour peas into boiling syrup and cook for 20-30 minutes.
Five minutes before the end of cooking, add citric acid at the rate of half a teaspoon per liter of syrup.
Remove the peas from the pan with a slotted spoon and place in the jars. Strain the syrup through cheesecloth and boil again. Pour boiling syrup over the jars, immediately cover with sterilized lids and roll up. It is undesirable to use plastic lids when harvesting green peas without sterilization.
Peas made with this recipe can be stored in a cold storage room or in a dark cellar.
Canning a green pot of vinegar
A simple recipe for making a green pot with the addition of vinegar. It will be needed in proportion to a half-liter jar of a pot:
- Peas - 0.6 kg;
- Water - 0.7 liters;
- Table salt - three tablespoons;
- Sugar - two tablespoons;
- Vinegar 9% - one hundred milliliters.
Peel and sort the peas. Pour the peas into a colander and rinse under cold water.
Pour water into a saucepan and pour half of the cooked salt and sugar into it. Bring the brine to a boil.
Pour green peas into a saucepan with boiling brine and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the peas with a slotted spoon and immediately pour cold water.
It is advisable to remove peas that have cracked and collapsed during blanching. If this is not done, the brine in the jars may become cloudy. After the peas have cooled, put them in prepared sterilized jars.
Add the rest of the salt and sugar to the brine. Bring the brine to a boil again, then remove the pan from the heat and add the vinegar. Pour jars of peas with the resulting marinade. Cover the jars with sterile lids and place in a hot oven for 30 minutes.
Remove jars with peas sterilized in the oven, close the lids tightly and put to cool on a towel.
Green peas marinated with carrots
To prepare green peas marinated with carrots, you will need in a proportion of 1 kg of peas:
- carrots - 1 piece of medium size or several young small carrots;
- black pepper - 5-6 peas;
- cloves - 2-3 heads:
- citric acid - on the tip of a spoon;
- sugar - 1 tablespoon;
- salt - 1 teaspoon;
- vinegar 9% - 100 ml;
- water - half a liter.
Soak the peas in cold water for two hours.
Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and pour citric acid into it. Pour green peas into a saucepan, bring to a boil again and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then remove the peas from the pan with a slotted spoon and place in the prepared jars.
Peel the carrots, cut into cubes, distribute in jars of peas. You can put whole little young carrots in the jar.
Add the rest of the spices to a saucepan of water in which the peas were blanched. Bring to a boil and pour the boiling marinade over the jars.
Sterilize for half an hour and roll up the jars with a lid. Ready to cool the bank and put in a dark place.
After 3 days, the peas marinated with carrots can be served and used for making salads and snacks.
Little tricks of canning green peas:
- For canning green peas, it is better not to use tap water containing chlorine and other reagents. Instead, you can buy still drinking water from the store.
- If, during sterilization, salt is poured into the water, then its boiling point, and hence the quality of sterilization, will be higher.
- To preserve the bright green color of the peas in the jars, you can add a little spinach or nettle to the pot where the peas are being finished.
- Within a few days after canning, it is advisable to periodically check the jars to see if the brine has become cloudy.
