Simple and unassuming green peas: how to preserve a tender legume with a dryer? How to dry green peas at home.

In order to facilitate the work of post-harvest cleaning, sorting, drying and storage of grain, good drying of the threshed mass in the field should be achieved.

If dry grain comes from the combine, it is much easier to clean and sort it; it does not need drying and is well preserved in both cold and warm periods of the year.

Sometimes, due to the prevailing unfavorable weather conditions, it is necessary to thresh a mass of high humidity, to get raw, clogged grain containing unripe specimens. Such grain must be subjected to rapid post-harvest processing, otherwise it will self-heat, reduce seed and food quality.

When the humidity is more than 21%, it is necessary to carry out primary cleaning, double drying and secondary cleaning; at humidity within 16-21% - primary cleaning, drying and secondary cleaning; at humidity up to 16% - enough primary and secondary cleaning. In all cases, the best results are achieved with the flow method of work at grain-cleaning drying stations, which are now equipped in almost every collective and state farm.

For the primary cleaning of food peas, ORP 20 is mainly used. Seed lots are processed, for example, on OS-4.5A, OSM-ZU, etc. machines.

When cleaning peas on the OSM-3U machine, sieves with round holes with a diameter (in mm) are used: A 1 - 16-20; A 2 - 10; B 1 - 6.5; B 2 8; B - 3.5. The sieve is placed with oblong holes 4.5-6 mm wide.

Drying of peas for food and seed purposes is carried out in the sun, in dryers and installations for active ventilation. Preference should be given to the first and third methods, especially when working with seed material. They are the cheapest and meet the characteristics of large seeds of legumes, providing better preservation of the viability and germination of seeds.

For solar drying of large batches of grain, special currents are arranged. The site for them is chosen on a dry and high place, located on the southern slope, at a distance of at least 100 m from the forest and the reservoir, near the harvested areas. The area of the profiled part of the current is 3-4 m 2 per 1 ha. Its total area, taking into account the space for truck scales, temporary sheds, grain cleaning machines, grain harvesters, should be approximately 1.5 times larger. Small batches of grain are dried on granary sites, roofs of agricultural buildings, as well as on special sites. The grain is poured in a layer of 10-15 cm, depending on the humidity and weather conditions. It usually dries out in 3-4 days.

In many farms there are points for active ventilation with atmospheric or heated air. The effectiveness and expediency of such ventilation depends on the temperature and humidity of the air, as well as the grain.

Based on N.'s experiences - and. Institute of Agriculture of the Central Regions of the Non-Chernozem Belt, as well as a number of collective farms and state farms of the Moscow Region, B. Karpov (1965) concludes that an inexpensive and effective method of drying pea seeds is active ventilation (VPT-600) with heated air. Drying plants, built and tested in a number of farms, provide a fairly fast and high-quality drying of large batches of seeds with any moisture content. Their manufacture is available to every household, as they are developed on the basis of equipment already produced by the industry. On the territory of the Institute in 1971, a similar facility with a capacity of 1000 tons per season was effectively functioning.

For drying pea seeds, shaft dryers of the SZS-8.0 type are also used. A feature of drying large seeds of legumes is the provision of low coolant temperatures, since they quickly crack when heated strongly. The instructions of the Ministry of Agriculture of the USSR for drying seeds of peas, vetch, lentils, chickpeas and rice recommend a special regime.

Dried to 14% moisture food and seed grain of peas is well stored both in bulk and in bags. The permissible height of the embankment of seed material in the warm season is 2 m, in the cold season - 2.5 m, and the number of rows of bags is 6 and 8, respectively.

Peas are one of the most popular and widespread leguminous plants not only in our country, but throughout the world. This is facilitated by the unpretentiousness, precocity and productivity of the crop, as well as the high nutritional value of the harvested beans. Even in the Bronze Age, people knew how to collect and dry the fruits of wild legumes.

Today, peas are recognized as a storehouse of protein, fiber, sugars and vitamins. Mature peas contain up to 35.7% protein, while the fruits are one and a half times more caloric than potatoes. It is not for nothing that green peas are called sweet, because at the time of technical maturity it accumulates about 4.8-7% sugar, quite a lot of ascorbic acid, vitamin PP, carotene and B vitamins. In addition, sodium and potassium, phosphorus are present in juicy peas , iron and calcium, essential amino acids, proteins and fiber.

Under current conditions, peas grown by agricultural enterprises are not only dried, but also frozen, canned, flour and other products are obtained from it.

But how to dry, pickle and freeze peas at home? Depending on the structure of the bean, shelling and sugar varieties are distinguished. The shells of the shelling pea pod become stiff as they ripen, as a layer similar to wax paper or parchment is formed inside. Sugar peas can be eaten along with juicy shoulder blades, no less useful than the fruits of the plant.

Ripe peas, as they lose moisture and dry out, acquire a wrinkled surface, but there are also varieties that retain their smoothness and rounded shape when dried.

Today, both green fresh and dried peas are an integral part of the diet of many Russian families. How to prepare for the winter peas grown in the beds of your own plot?

How to dry peas at home?

To obtain high-quality peas, which are used for cooking soups, mashed potatoes and other dishes, they collect the fruits of wax ripeness that have not had time to harden. So that the peas do not lose their useful properties, drying should be started no later than 5-6 hours after harvest. But before drying peas at home, they peel it, sort it out, removing peas that are not formed or damaged by pests.

Then peas:

blanch for 1-2 minutes to fix a beautiful green color and keep the creamy consistency of peas;
cool quickly under running water or with lump ice;
blanched again and re-cooled;
dry and spread on a baking sheet in a thin layer.

At home, it is necessary to dry peas in an oven or electric dryer in two or three doses, for 2-4 hours, trying to heat delicate raw materials as little as possible. The ideal temperature is 40-50°C. Between sessions of staying in the oven, peas are kept at room temperature for 3-4 hours. As it dries, the drying temperature can be increased to 60-65 ° C, making sure that the peas do not crack and have a uniform color.

The less moisture remains inside dense peas, the longer their shelf life will be.

If the technology is observed, peas harvested for the winter will retain an intense green color, and dishes from it will turn out to be tasty and healthy.

If not green, but already almost ripe yellowish peas are collected for drying, then the final product will turn out to be coarser, starchy, but quite suitable for cooking nutritious soups, making cereals and other side dishes.

From home-dried peas, excellent flour is obtained, from which you can bake bread, quickly make dressings for soups and sauces.

How to store dried peas at home? Since it is dried beans that most often attract pests, peas prepared for long-term storage are poured into glass containers with tightly ground lids. It is better to put jars of peas in a cool, dry place where the cereal will not have contact with the sun's rays. From time to time, the peas are shaken and inspected for insects and mold.

How to freeze peas the right way?

Juicy, well-formed green peas are suitable for freezing.

If sugar beans are intended for processing, both individual peas and whole pods can be frozen.
If shelling peas grow on the site, before freezing the peas at home, they must be freed from the shoulder blades.

To prepare peas for the winter, and it remains as juicy and healthy as in the garden, the beans are peeled, sorted out, be sure to blanch for 1-2 minutes and cool, pouring ice water. This will allow you not to lose the green color of the peas and preserve its texture and taste. When the peas are cooled, they are laid out on paper napkins and dried thoroughly.

Scattered on pallets or baking sheets, tender beans are frozen, this will prevent individual peas from sticking together and forming a shapeless lump. And already frozen at home, peas are poured into bags or containers for subsequent storage in the freezer.

If you immediately pack the peas in bags and containers, then from time to time, until the freezing process is completed, the containers are taken out and shaken, breaking the resulting clods.

Sugar juicy peas are also frozen in pods at home. To do this, the beans are sorted, washed, and the petiole and coarse fibers connecting the valves are removed. If desired, the pods can be cut into 2-3 parts. Then the prepared raw materials are blanched in a colander for 2-3 minutes and cooled with ice cubes or a stream of water. It is important to cool and dry the peas well so that no traces of moisture remain on them. And the already prepared green pods are laid out in bags or containers, tightly closed and put into the freezer, where peas prepared for the winter can be stored for 6-8 months without losing their taste and useful qualities.

Natural canned peas

Everyone's favorite green peas, without which holiday salads and everyday side dishes are indispensable, can also be made in your own kitchen from raw materials collected on a personal plot. Peeled and sorted peas are boiled for half an hour before being sent to jars, then the water is drained, the vegetables are dried and, distributed in glass containers, poured with boiling brine.

To fill a liter of water, you need 10 grams of salt and the same amount of sugar. If desired, you can add your favorite spices to the liquid, for example, a currant leaf or parsley. Filled jars are sterilized. Along with peas, corn kernels, carrot slices, and asparagus can be preserved in this way.

It is better to store peas at home in the basement or in the refrigerator.

Pickled peas for the winter

In order to marinate the peas collected from the beds for the winter, they are peeled and boiled for 30 minutes.

Peas prepared in this way are distributed in small jars and poured with boiling marinade, which will require 1 liter of water, 30-40 grams of table salt, 15-20 grams of sugar and 100 ml of 9% vinegar. After filling the jars, they are sterilized and sent to a cool place for storage.

How to pickle peas at home?

Before salting peas or whole pods at home, the collected green peas are washed in running water, if necessary, the coarse parts are peeled or cut off from the pods. Before salting, peas, depending on the degree of maturity and the chosen preservation method, are boiled for 5-10 minutes, then cooled and distributed in clean jars. Prepared vegetables are poured with hot brine so that 300 grams of salt per 1 kg of peas.

Slices of garlic, a little pepper and other spices will add piquancy and a bright taste to the original appetizer for meat dishes.

Now the containers can be closed and, after cooling, sent to the refrigerator for storage.

Canned peas for the winter - video

Dried peas are always on sale and are inexpensive. But few people know that such a product can be prepared for the future on their own, especially if a large crop of legumes has ripened in the garden. Home-dried peas differ from store-bought ones in that they do not contain preservatives and extraneous additives, which means they are healthier and safer for our health. The secrets of harvesting dried peas for the winter are set out in this review.

Drying peas

There are two main ways to dry legumes: without special heating and with it.

The first method takes more time, but does not require the cost of electricity or gas. The inconvenience is that its implementation requires free space, moreover, well-ventilated and lit, otherwise the product will not dry, but rot.

Did you know? In 1971, boys from the English village of Witcham (Cambridgeshire) organized a pea-pipe target shooting tournament. The locals liked the idea so much that the competition began to be held annually, and today the championship has acquired an international scale, gathering enthusiasts from the UK, Holland, Spain, the USA and New Zealand.

Since such conditions may not be created in every farm, let us dwell in more detail on the second, accelerated drying method. It is better to use a special electric dryer for this, but you can use a conventional oven.

In the oven

Before you start drying, green peas should be boiled.

Step-by-step instructions for drying green peas in the oven:

Prepare raw materials. Peas for drying it is better to take shelling. Brain and sugar varieties are usually consumed fresh, since all their benefits are completely lost when dried. It is also desirable to harvest before the fruits are completely hardened and overflowing with starch. It is considered ideal to remove the pods 2-3 weeks after the plant has faded, and the seeds must be processed immediately after harvest, otherwise they will lose most of their useful properties.
Extracted from the pods and peeled peas, rinse under running water.
Pour into boiling water and boil for two minutes after re-boiling.
Drain the water by pouring the raw material into a colander, and pour into a prepared container with cold water (you can add a few ice cubes to the water). This procedure is necessary so that the fruits retain their original bright green color.
Dip the peas in boiling water again, this time it is enough to boil it for only a minute.
Drain the water(it should remain transparent).
Arrange the fruit in a single layer on a paper towel. or other moisture-absorbing material and leave for a while until completely dry.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for baking. Spread the peas on paper, trying not to allow the fruit to be arranged in several layers.
Put the baking sheet in the oven, preheated to +45 ... +50 ° С(it is better to use the top shelf of the oven so that the fruits do not dry out and burn).
Close the oven door leaving a small gap for air circulation.
After an hour, remove the pan from the oven. and leave to cool at room temperature for 60-90 minutes.
Run the rolling pin across the surface of the fruit to get rid of the air pockets., formed inside the pea during extreme drying and preventing the "preservation" of useful substances. For the same purpose, oppression can be used.
Repeat the drying process in the oven by increasing the temperature by 15-20 degrees.
After an hour, the peas should acquire a hard texture and lose their gloss. However, properly dried peas should not feel like stones to the touch; rather, they acquire a velvety surface. Another sign of readiness is the presence of wrinkles around the entire circumference of the fruit.
If, when pressed on a pea, it loses its shape, drying is not completed. However, in order to prevent all the moisture from peas from evaporating (and such a product can be considered spoiled), it is better to leave the legumes to dry at room temperature and only then pack them in storage containers.

In an electric dryer

In the presence of an electric dryer, the procedure for harvesting the product looks simpler:

Install special nets on the trays of the electric dryer so that small peas do not fall inside during drying.
Prepare the peas. The rules for assembly, cleaning and pre-washing are standard and do not depend on whether an oven or an electric dryer is used in the future. The same applies to blanching, although some housewives skip this step and send the product raw to the electric dryer.
Put the peas on the trays strictly in one layer. Regardless of how many trays will be occupied by raw materials, everything needs to be installed in the dryer, this is important for proper air circulation during the drying process (in order not to “drive” the unit idle, you can put other products suitable for drying on a free surface - vegetables, fruits or herbs such as fresh dill).
Set the temperature to +60 ° C and leave the peas to dry for 7-8 hours(you can load in the evening and leave the electric dryer to work until the morning).
After a while, the product is ready. It remains to pour it on a flat surface and cool.

How to dry peas in an electric dryer: video

Storage rules

Many store dry peas in a cellar or refrigerator, while others prefer to store them in containers at room temperature. Both of these methods can be used, the only question is how high-quality the raw materials were and how accurately the drying technology was followed.

Important! Properly dried peas can be stored for several years at room temperature (not higher than +25 °C). If the fruits are covered with mold, this means that the harvest was of poor quality.

To ensure the safety of the product, you should be guided by the following rules:

it is possible to pack only after complete cooling, warm fruits will begin to sweat and release moisture, which will subsequently lead to the development of mold;
store dry peas in a tightly closed container, preferably glass, but plastic food containers are also suitable;
for storage, you need to choose a place protected from light and absolutely dry;
To protect the product from dampness, it is recommended to place small cloth bags filled with common salt on the bottom of the container before packaging.

What can be cooked?

The first dish that comes to mind at the mention of peas is soup.

There are many recipes for pea soup, for example:

on different types of meat (chicken, beef, lamb, pork) or lean;
with smoked meats (pork ribs, bacon, sausage, chicken and even fish);
with celery;
with chickpeas;
with meatballs;
with mushrooms;
with stew;
with dumplings;
with sour cabbage (a kind of cabbage soup).

You can also make porridge or mashed potatoes from legumes and use them as a side dish or independent dishes, especially if you flavor them with cracklings or fried bacon, smoked meats or wild mushrooms.

In addition, peas in the form of porridge or mashed potatoes are used as a filling for pies and other types of pastries. You can also make casseroles from it.

Dried peas occupy a special place in the menu of vegetarians, because they are one of the few plant foods rich in protein. Substitutes for meat dishes are prepared from it - cutlets, meatballs, "sausages".

In the cuisines of the world, there are original pea dishes, some of which have become famous and loved outside of one ethnic group. Perhaps the most famous of these dishes is hummus.

Did you know? In 1975-1990, many refugees from Lebanon moved to the United States, where a civil war was taking place at that time. Obviously, migrants instilled in the indigenous population a love for hummus. According to surveys, one in five Americans consumes this dish constantly.

Fans of Indian cuisine are probably familiar with such a dish as dosas. These are spicy rice and bean fritters fried in oil. The recipe for their preparation also contains dried peas.

Let's summarize. Home-made dried peas are a simple preparation that can enrich and diversify the winter diet.
Cooking and eating such a product is more pleasant than its purchased counterpart, since it contains the main secret component, without which truly wholesome food is impossible - a good mood and love for your loved ones.

Varieties of vegetable peas are divided into shelling and sugar.

Shelling, or brain, sweet and large peas, which we know and love under the name of green peas, were brought out by the Dutch around the end of the 16th century, and now it is spread literally throughout the planet. Sugar peas can be eaten whole along with young fleshy shoulder blades. The fact is that in the wings of beans, or, as it is often called, in the pods, sugar peas do not have a hard parchment layer.

An ordinary green pea is a kind of tablet with a whole group of vitamins and microelements. The sweetness in this pea is represented by glucose and fructose. Canned green peas are cheap and can be stored for years without losing flavor, freshness, or nutrients.

Ordinary peas are no less useful. But, the nutrients that it is rich in are completely absorbed by the body only if the peas are well boiled or crushed. The so-called pea flour is easy to obtain by grinding dry peas in a coffee grinder. By the way, a stock of peas can be created for a year: it retains its nutritional and taste qualities for 10-12 years.

How to grow shelled peas?

Now in the store you can buy canned, dried, crushed peas. And pea flakes are generally a godsend for the hostess, in my opinion. And yet I want to pick and eat green and sweet peas.

In an era of scarcity, I grew peas for soup. Somehow they gave me a handful of peas of a new variety, which was bred in Belarus. I don't know its name. I gave him mine: "Let's join hands, friends." You have already guessed that during growth, the tendrils of a pea plant cling to their neighbors and together they rise to the sun. Plants are not tall and very beautiful.

At first it seemed to me that they did not need support. But after a hurricane wind, all these children, holding each other, lay down on the ground in one thick blanket. We had to get everyone up at once. Since then, I have been planting them like this: I plant peas in a narrow bed to a depth of at least 5-6 cm, then I put metal pins with rings at the top in the corners of the area occupied by peas. You can just put stakes. Then, starting from the bottom, I gradually wind the synthetic cord around the perimeter of the site around the stakes, raising the cord higher and higher. I fix the top layer in the rings. If you have stakes, you can drive studs into the top of the stakes, bend the studs, and secure the ends of the cords. Now it will be possible to approach the pea only when it begins to bear fruit.

If the peas are planted densely, then a dense wall of plants will not allow weeds to develop. If the weather is dry, then the peas need to be watered occasionally. Because peas are cold hardy, they can be planted early when there is plenty of moisture in the soil. I plant this variety of peas at the same time as parsley.

But sugar peas, which are intended for immediate consumption right next to the garden, I plant later. This is usually the last decade of April. I do the props the same way. Here I plant it in nettles.

That one, the first variety, I now grow in small quantities. Although it is not sweet, I pick its first green pods and we eat. I add to soups. And I collect the rest for seeds so that the variety does not disappear.

How to dry peas at home?

If the harvest is large, then I dry a little for soups. I am using an old recipe. When full-fledged pods have formed, you need to pluck them. Clear. And pour the peas into a colander. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and lower the colander with peas into it for 5-6 minutes. Take out a colander with peas, pour over with cold water and spread on gauze in one layer. The old recipe says that then the peas should be put on the Russian stove. Most of us do not have a Russian stove.

And I began to use this recipe only when I got an electric dryer for fruits and vegetables. And before, I just waited for the pods to ripen. And then she cut it off, peeled it and simply scattered it on a tray, and the peas dried out in the loggia.

It is best to store peas in a cold room. Sometimes I just keep a bag of peas in a drawer at the bottom of the refrigerator. Sometimes I leave it in a plywood box on a glazed loggia. In the cold, no pests are bred.

Today, peas are recognized as a storehouse of protein, fiber, sugars and vitamins. Mature peas contain up to 35.7% protein, while the fruits are one and a half times more caloric than. It is not for nothing that green peas are called sweet, because at the time of technical maturity it accumulates about 4.8–7% sugar, quite a lot of ascorbic acid, vitamin PP, carotene and B vitamins. In addition, sodium and potassium, phosphorus are present in juicy peas , iron and calcium, essential amino acids, proteins and fiber.

Under current conditions, peas grown by agricultural enterprises are not only dried, but also frozen, canned, flour and other products are obtained from it.

Ripe peas, as they lose moisture and dry out, acquire a wrinkled surface, but there are also varieties that retain their smoothness and rounded shape when dried.

Today, both green fresh and dried peas are an integral part of the diet of many Russian families. How to prepare for the winter peas grown on your own plot?

How to dry peas at home?

To obtain high-quality peas, which are used for cooking soups, mashed potatoes and other dishes, they collect the fruits of wax ripeness that have not had time to harden. So that the peas do not lose their useful properties, drying should be started no later than 5–6 hours after harvest. But before drying peas at home, they peel it, sort it out, removing peas that are not formed or damaged by pests.

Then peas:

blanch for 1-2 minutes to fix the beautiful green color and keep the creamy consistency of the peas;
cool quickly under running water or with lump ice;
blanched again and re-cooled;
dry and spread on a baking sheet in a thin layer.

At home, it is necessary to dry peas in an oven or electric dryer in two or three doses, for 2-4 hours, trying to heat delicate raw materials as little as possible. The ideal temperature is 40-50°C. Between sessions of staying in the oven, peas are kept at room temperature for 3-4 hours. As it dries, the drying temperature can be increased to 60–65 °C, making sure that the peas do not crack and have a uniform color.

The less moisture remains inside dense peas, the longer their shelf life will be.

If the technology is observed, peas harvested for the winter will retain an intense green color, and dishes from it will turn out to be tasty and healthy.

From home-dried peas, excellent flour is obtained, from which you can bake bread, quickly make dressings for soups and sauces.

How to freeze peas the right way?

Juicy, well-formed green peas are suitable for freezing.

If sugar beans are intended for processing, both individual peas and whole pods can be frozen.
If shelling peas grow on the site, before freezing the peas at home, they must be freed from the shoulder blades.

In order to prepare peas for the winter, and it remains as juicy and healthy as in the garden, the beans are peeled, sorted, blanched and cooled for 1-2 minutes, pouring ice water. This will allow you not to lose the green color of the peas and preserve its texture and taste. When the peas are cooled, they are laid out on paper napkins and dried thoroughly.

If you immediately pack the peas in bags and containers, then from time to time, until the freezing process is completed, the containers are taken out and shaken, breaking the resulting clods.

Sugar juicy peas are also frozen in pods at home. To do this, the beans are sorted, washed, and the petiole and coarse fibers connecting the valves are removed. If desired, the pods can be cut into 2-3 parts. Then the prepared raw materials are blanched in a colander for 2-3 minutes and cooled with ice cubes or a stream of water. It is important to cool and dry the peas well so that no traces of moisture remain on them. And already prepared green pods are laid out in bags or containers, tightly closed and put into the freezer, where peas prepared for the winter can be stored for 6–8 months without losing their taste and useful qualities.

Natural canned peas

It is better to store peas at home in the basement or in the refrigerator.

Pickled peas for the winter

In order to marinate collected from the beds for the winter, it is peeled and boiled for 30 minutes.

Peas prepared in this way are distributed in small jars and poured with boiling marinade, which will require 1 liter of water, 30–40 grams of table salt, 15–20 grams of sugar and 100 ml of 9 percent vinegar. After filling the jars, they are sterilized and sent to a cool place for storage.

How to pickle peas at home?

Before salting peas or whole pods at home, the collected green peas are washed in running water, if necessary, the coarse parts are peeled or cut off from the pods. Before salting, peas, depending on the degree of maturity and the chosen preservation method, are boiled for 5–10 minutes, then cooled and distributed in clean jars. Prepared vegetables are poured with hot brine so that 300 grams of salt per 1 kg of peas.

Slices of garlic, a little pepper and other spices will add piquancy and a bright taste to the original appetizer for meat dishes.

Now the containers can be closed and, after cooling, sent to the refrigerator for storage.

Simple and unassuming green peas: how to preserve a tender legume with a dryer? How to dry green peas at home.

How to dry peas at home?

How to freeze peas the right way?

Natural canned peas

Pickled peas for the winter