Peas are a cool weather crop, and can be planted very early in your garden. In fact, they do best in cool weather. Beans, on the other hand, need warmer soil to germinate well, and they grow best in warmer weather. Because they are planted later in the spring, beans are usually a couple weeks or more behind peas in being available at the local market.

Peas come in three general classifications. There are the shell peas that need to be shelled out of the pod before eating. These are picked when the peas in the pod have developed, but while the peas are still sweet and haven’t over matured. Next there are the snow peas, that are picked when the pods are thin and flat, and are used frequently in stir-fry recipes but can also be eaten raw. And last but not least, there are sugar snap edible-pod peas, which are eaten pod and all. Many people enjoy these raw, as a very healthy snack, either alone or with a vegetable dip. They can also be cooked, but be careful to not overcook peas. They only need to be cooked for a few minutes. The sugar snap peas have perhaps become the most popular type of peas at the market over the past few years as more and more people are finding out how crunchy, sweet and delicious these are. Even most children who may be picky when it comes to eating fresh vegetables seem to like these. My grandchildren especially love these.

Peas are best if used soon after picking. They should be stored unwashed in your refrigerator crisper for no more than three or four days. Peas are rich in vitamin A and C, thiamine, riboflavin and potassium.

Beans come in three colors — green, yellow and purple. The purple beans do turn green when cooked. The yellow beans are also know as wax beans. Beans used to be called string beans, because they had a fibrous string along one side. However, newer varieties no longer have that string, so they are now more aptly called snap beans.

Beans are best if picked when the seed inside is quite small, and the pods are slender. Beans can be eaten raw, but are more often cooked. They are rich in folate, vitamin A and vitamin C.

New potato salad with peas

1 lb. tiny new potatoes, quartered

2 cup bias sliced pea pods

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 tablespoon snipped chives

salt

romaine or bibb lettuce

Cook potatoes in a small amount of boiling water for eight minutes. Add peas to saucepan and cook for two to four minutes more. Drain thoroughly and cool. Mix together sour cream, mayonnaise, dill, chives and salt. Cover and chill this dressing. Line salad plates with lettuce. Mound potato mixture in middle, and drizzle dressing over each.

Herbed peas

3/4 cup sliced green onions

1/3 cup butter

6 cup fresh peas

3 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

3 tablespoon minced basil

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Saute onions in butter. Stir in peas, parsley, basil, sugar, salt and pepper. Saute three minutes. Reduce heat, cover and cook three to five minutes, or until peas are tender.

Green bean bake

8 cup cut fresh green beans

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoon dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon melted butter

Cook beans in water about 5 minutes. Drain and toss with onion, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour into a two quart casserole. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and butter, and sprinkle over beans. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Notes from the garden

The heat and high humidity we had for a couple weeks has temporarily left us, which would make working in the garden much more pleasant, except that now the mosquitoes have arrived. The Fourth of July almost always brings in an abundant crop of these pesky insects. Seems like even the repellents are not working very well at keeping them away. The strawberry crop is coming to an end soon, but summer raspberries are just starting to ripen. The early sweet corn has been tasseling out, but it will still probably be a couple weeks before the local crop is ready. Tomatoes are growing well, and some of the vine crops are starting to spread out. Those people who had tomatoes in the garden early may be having a few ripe tomatoes in the next couple weeks, but the majority of the tomatoes will not ripen until August. Weeds are a continuous problem and we need to keep hoeing, tilling and pulling them out. We are also now into the time of the year where if we don’t get about an inch of rain each week, watering may be necessary. Higher temperatures dry out the soil quickly, and tile crops are now large enough to need a lot of water.

Verlys Huntley is a Master Gardener for the Albert Lea Farmers Market.