How to Preserve Peas The Easy Peasy Way!

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With this guide you’ll learn How To Preserve Peas, including step-by-step instructions covering freezing, canning, and dehydration methods! Keep your fresh pea harvest nutritious and delicious for months!

A close-up of green pea pods growing on a plant, with one pod open showing peas inside. Supported by a green garden net, this image from BLESSTHISMESSPLEASE.COM hints at tips on how to preserve peas for freshness.

Preserving Guide: How To Preserve Peas

Fresh peas are one of spring’s greatest treasures, but their season is frustratingly short. Learning how to preserve peas properly means you can enjoy their sweet, tender goodness throughout the year!

From freezing methods that maintain peak nutrition to traditional canning techniques for long-term storage, preserving peas is easier than you might think — especially with this guide — and also incredibly rewarding for your home, and your wallet.

Preserving Guide: How To Preserve Peas
When To Harvest Peas
How To Store Peas
Dehydrating Peas
Canning Green Peas
How To Freeze Peas
Expert Tips
More Tips For Preserving The Harvest

When To Harvest Peas

Pick when pods appear well filled but before they begin to harden or fade in color. Pods should swell to nearly round. Edible pod peas or sugar peas are picked at 2-3 inches.

How To Store Peas

Store fresh peas in the refrigerator.

Dehydrating Peas

CUT: select young, tender peas of a sweet variety. Shell.
DIPPING: Steam blanch quickly after shelling, for 2-3 minutes
DEHYDRATOR: 8-10 hours, stirring frequently while drying
APPEARANCE WHEN DRY: hard, wrinkled, shatters when hit with a hammer

Canning Green Peas

QUANTITY: An average of 31-1/2 pounds (in pods) is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 20 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 30 pounds and yields 5 to 10 quarts – an average of 4-1/2 pounds per quart.

PREPARE PEAS:

Shell and wash peas.

Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jar, if desired.

HOT PACK

Adjust lids and process.
Cover with boiling water.
Bring to a boil in a saucepan, and boil 2 minutes.
Fill jars loosely with hot peas, and add cooking liquid, leaving 1-inch headspace.
Process in Pressure Canner for 40 minutes for pints or quarts.

RAW PACK

Fill jars with raw peas.
Add boiling water, leaving 1-inch headspace.
Do not shake or press down peas.
Process in Pressure Canner for 40 minutes for pints or quarts.

How To Freeze Peas

PREPARING PEAS

Harvest when pods are filled with young, tender peas that have not become starchy.
Wash and shell.

FREEZING PEAS

Water blanch 1-1/2 minutes, cool and drain.
Package, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
Seal and freeze.

🍎🫙 Get a free Preserving Guide for all the details to dehydrate, can, and freeze 42 fruits and vegetables — get the FREE GUIDE here!

Expert Tips

Choose the Right Timing: Harvest or purchase peas at their peak sweetness, typically in the morning when sugar content is highest. The best peas for preservation are plump, bright green, and tender – avoid overmature peas that have become starchy.
Work Quickly After Harvest: Process peas within 2-4 hours of picking for optimal quality. Peas lose sweetness rapidly after harvest as sugars convert to starch, so speed is crucial for maintaining that fresh, sweet flavor in your preserved peas.
Prevent Freezer Burn: Remove as much air as possible from freezer bags or use vacuum sealing for best results. Lay bags flat initially to freeze quickly, then store upright to save space. Maintain freezer temperature at 0°F or below for optimal preservation.