Drying Peas

[journey11]

I am wanting to put up my peas dried this year (instead of freezing them). Just how long do I have to leave them on the vine to cure? The vines and pods are *mostly* yellow now. The peas still have some moisture in them. Can I uproot the vines and hang them to dry or do I have to leave them in the rows? I have looked around on the internet and can't find any good info on this one...

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Yes, hang the vines somewhere very airy but under cover until properly dry. Keep inspecting them & remove any that are attacked by insects so they don't spread to the rest of the crop. :happy_flower

Good luck.


:bee Hattie :bee

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd treat them the same as saving them for seed. You can leave them on the plant until they completely dry up, but a wet spell can cause a lot of harm if you try that. You can hang the plant in a dry place and let it completely dry, like Hattie said. You could hull them and dry them on a screen like you can do for dried beans, just turning them often to keep them from molding. Or you can pick the pods and dry the whole pods on a screen. They are probably a little easier to hull if the pod is completely dry.

 

[digitS']

And, Journey, you may want to both dry and freeze them.

I have problems with weevils in pea seed.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange advises: "To kill weevils, freeze
thoroughly-dried seed for 24 hours."

Steve

 

[journey11]

Thanks for the tips. It's raining today, so I guess I'll have to wait another day to yank them. I'll be glad to free up their space so something else can go in.

I had weevils once in some hollyhock seed I saved, so I'll be freezing them just in case!