What Are Green Peas?

Garden peas are another name for green peas, and they are the fresh and spherical vegetable type that belongs to the legume family. This vegetable family also includes lentils and bean crops. You might be wondering what is the basic difference between fresh green peas and the dry variety on shelves. There are many different types of peas, such as green peas, snap peas, snow peas, and yellow peas, and they are all varieties of the same plant.

For most of the peas, you should consume them in dry form to eat them fresh. You cannot dehydrate all the dry peas and use them as a dry product. Green garden peas are immature pea pods that have had their seeds removed. They don’t have seeds from them when they are at their ripest phase. This usually happens in the Northern Hemisphere in the spring. 

You can consume the peas that are freshly harvested right away, either raw or in cook form. You can also consume them by steaming them and freezing them for later use. On the other hand, we gather shells and dry peas. Prior to eating, you must cook them, typically by rehydrating and boiling them in a hot liquid.

How Healthy Are Frozen Green Peas? 

There are many claims and myths that frozen food is not much nutritious as fresh foods, but it is not always true. On the other hand, frozen foods maintain and preserve the minerals or vitamins for a long period of time. Out of all the frozen foods, Bulk Green Peas Wholesale Suppliers have the best-grade frozen foods at affordable prices. 

According to the USDA Dietary Guidelines, legumes are also known as peas, but they still come under the family of vegetables. In addition to being a source of plant-based protein, frozen peas provide the same health advantages as a starchy vegetable, according to Wunder.

Benefits of Frozen Peas

Frozen peas could be superior to fresh or canned types in addition to having a higher protein content. See a few of the main advantages of frozen peas below.

For eye health, peas can greatly benefit, while carrots typically receive all the credit for improving vision. According to Shapiro, one serving of green peas has 24% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin A. Moreover, the vitamin is most commonly associated with maintaining vision and avoiding macular degeneration.

They’re Higher in Nutrients Than Unfrozen Varieties

When we harvest vegetables and fruits, they have an abundance of nutrients. It slowly starts to degrade and lose the nutrients after that. This was analyzed in a theory and research by the University of California. 

When peas are fully ripe, we harvest, blanch, and freeze the fresh peas. According to UC Davis, the blanching procedure prevents enzyme activity. It would otherwise cause the peas to rot and miss the necessary nutrients over time. This happens by momentarily immersing them in hot water. If we freeze the peas, we can preserve their freshness and nutritional value in this state, increasing their shelf life. It rather gives them more of the good stuff.

You can retain the green peas typically for five to seven days in the refrigerator before they go bad. However, you can store and utilize the frozen peas for up to a year after freezing.

Furthermore, according to UC Davis, the canning process does lose nutrients even though peas with cans may last for years in your cabinet. Fruits and vegetables exposed to high temperatures during canning lose heat-sensitive vitamins and minerals like vitamin C. Additionally, additives like salt and other preservatives may be present in canned goods.

They Provide Fiber

The USDA Guidelines state that we should consume more dietary fiber, which is found in roughly 8 grams per cup of cooked peas. According to the recommendations, for adults, this is a good serving amount of fiber to help reach those daily recommendations of 25 to 38 grams. Eating foods rich in fiber, like peas, has a connection to better digestive health, lowering cholesterol, and blood sugar control.

Peas are a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals like potassium, magnesium, iron, and vitamins C, K, and A. Peas also have fewer carbohydrates than other starchy veggies like potatoes, according to Wunder.

How to Cook Frozen Peas Without Losing Nutrients?

Boiling peas can cause some of the nutrients to be non-functional despite being a wonderful source of nutrients. Some vitamins are heat-sensitive, whereas others are water-soluble. Boiling crops like peas can result in the greatest loss of nutrients, according to a study in Biotechnology and Food Science in April 2018. 

In spite of this, Wunder claims that when steam is one of the gentlest methods for cooking peas while preserving nutrients. You can steam, sauté, cook, bake, or fry the peas in oil or butter on the stove after that. Just be sure to use the least quantity of water possible during cooking, regardless of the method you select.

•         You can retain the actual nutritional value of peas by the following methods, as said by Wunder: 
•         Steam the peas with mushrooms
•         Add and sauté the peas to fresh pasta with some amount of lemon, oil and cheese.
•         You can purify them with lemon, nuts, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese to prepare a crispy pesto sandwich. 
•         Using your preferred seasonings, air fry them to make a crispy snack or food topping.

This is how you can retain the freshness of frozen peas. Cross Foods have the most affordable frozen peas; order them right away to enjoy the Health Benefits Of Bulk Green Peas.