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Post by hortusbrambonii on Feb 27, 2014 6:41:33 GMT -5
I do have seeds of 'sugar magnolia' purple podded snap peas.
My question is very simple: do they keep their color when cooked, or do they turn to green like purple podded beans do?
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Post by oxbowfarm on Feb 27, 2014 7:48:52 GMT -5
I have never cooked one, but I'm sure it would turn green.
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Post by ferdzy on Feb 27, 2014 11:15:41 GMT -5
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Post by diane on Feb 27, 2014 11:34:33 GMT -5
You just blanched them briefly, so they stayed purple. Longer cooking in water would probably have removed the purple.
They also stay purple if they are cooked in oil or microwaved.
(This works with purple podded beans and purple cauliflower, too)
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Feb 27, 2014 12:00:29 GMT -5
Adding a bit of vinegar to the cooking water may help to retain the purple color better.
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Post by diane on Feb 27, 2014 12:21:08 GMT -5
I wonder if acid would have an effect. Some more experimenting to do in the summer.
It was someone on this forum last summer who wrote that purple pigments are anthocyanins, and that they are soluble in water.
I should have guessed this when I was pouring off purple cooking water.
So I stopped using water to cook any purple vegetables,
and had more colourful meals as a result.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Feb 27, 2014 12:36:12 GMT -5
So I stopped using water to cook any purple vegetables, and had more colourful meals as a result. Oh so clever!!!  Astronomy Domine cooked in the microwave really retains it's color. Gets too tough for my liking though. I aughta try roasting. |
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Post by ferdzy on Feb 27, 2014 12:42:01 GMT -5
Well I don't cook very many vegetables for long times - I like them snappy. But the Sugar Magnolia do hold their colour surprisingly well, even when frozen then steamed. Yes, they lose some colour into the water - it pours off turquoise! But they stay pretty strongly coloured, for any length of time I'm going to want to cook them.
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Post by hortusbrambonii on Feb 28, 2014 15:39:27 GMT -5
Sounds like good news then... I suppose they do taste fairly sweet if they are called 'sugar magnolia' too?
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Post by ferdzy on Feb 28, 2014 18:06:09 GMT -5
They taste good. I would not say they are the best snap pea ever (that would be Amish Snap) but I consider them well worth growing.
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Post by hortusbrambonii on Mar 1, 2014 4:20:36 GMT -5
Why are the Amish snaps the best snap pea ever? Do they have qualities that the more modern varieties don't have?
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Post by ferdzy on Mar 1, 2014 11:20:01 GMT -5
Well, it may just be my prejudice! I think they are best in terms of flavour - the modern varieties may be better in other ways.
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Post by galina on Jun 16, 2014 5:09:14 GMT -5
Why are the Amish snaps the best snap pea ever? Do they have qualities that the more modern varieties don't have? They keep going a long time into summer here. Love them. |
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Post by galina on Jun 16, 2014 5:12:12 GMT -5
You just blanched them briefly, so they stayed purple. Longer cooking in water would probably have removed the purple. They also stay purple if they are cooked in oil or microwaved. (This works with purple podded beans and purple cauliflower, too) Yes, but you can also reuse the cooking water for sauces, soups, for cooking rice (one cup of rice, two cups of water, lid on, boil for 8 minutes, switch off and let stand for another ten minutes). You can cook other grains or polenta with it too. There is no need to lose the goodness leached into cooking water. |
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Post by templeton on Jun 17, 2014 3:08:14 GMT -5
Is Amish snap a real 'heritage' variety? I thought snap peas turned up spontaneously in the 1970s?
T
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