peas

Small, spherical, sweet seeds (*Pisum sativum*) grown inside a pod. Garden peas (or English peas) are shelled for their starchy, incredibly sweet interior, which degrades rapidly into bland starches after picking, making frozen peas generally superior to out-of-season fresh ones. **Selection & Storage:** For fresh peas, choose firm, bright green, and plump pods. Keep unwashed pods in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator and shell them immediately before use.