Last year, I wanted to eat pea pods. I wanted them so badly I could practically taste them. I planted and nurtured and waited for the magical day when all my pea pod dreams would come true.

Only, some critter rudely ate the blooms off them and I got none.

So this year, I planted a kingdom of different kinds of pea pods (who even knew there were several varieties?). Then I  surrounded the garden with seven feet of fence to keep out the marauding riff-raff.

Ta-dum –I have pea pods!

Gallon bags upon gallon bags of pea pods. Pea pods to feed all the serfs in the neighborhood village. Enough pea pods to pile high and climb up to Jack’s beanstalk.

When I was a kid, I remember helping freezing green beans and sweet corn. But not pea pods. There just aren’t any family fairy tales I can refer to for guidance here.

Can I freeze them? Do I blanch them and then plunge them in cold water like green beans? For how long? Or should I just get creative and figure out how to eat them?

In less than a week, my snap peas have gone from this:

To this:

It takes a lot of will power not devour these tiny treats before they are full size. If I can’t eat them now, I can at least think about how to cook them.

How do you like your snap peas? Straight off the vine? Stir-fried with a little garlic and olive oil?

Today’s post comes from GG reader Jennifer Twin Mom. She’s a green gardener who can grow perfect parsnips. This year, she wants to experiment with the three sisters method — a interplanting technique for corn, squash and beans developed by Native Americans.

Her plan involves planting FIVE HILLS OF ZUCCHINI — Is this crazy talk? Please weigh in fellow GG readers!

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From Jennifer Twin Mom:

When I originally envisioned this year’s garden, my plan was to build some support system on the south side of my house so that my pole beans and zucchini could climb up it and bask in the hot sun. Yesterday my husband (who I suspect is trying to get out of having to build the aforementioned support system) suggested that we try The Three Sisters.

I know that I can’t expect a huge crop of corn, considering the size and shape of my garden, but I like the idea of corn even from just an aesthetic perspective, so I’m OK with that (hey, I grew up in farm country).

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So, what did you learn in your garden this year? Here’s my list:

1. Red plastic mulch is alright, but it’s a pain to put down. Entertain the neighbors and decide to do it on a windy day.

2. Green plastic tomato supports were great in May, but burly ‘maters popped off their arms and made them look like weaklings by August.

3. If you plant several kinds of sauce tomatoes and they all grow, you’ll be standing in the kitchen at midnight making tomato sauce several nights a week in September.

4. Potato beetles suck.

5. If you want cucumbers, you actually have to get around to planting them, not just buying seeds and saying “I should get the cukes planted today” until fall.

6. Oregano is wonderful on homemade pizza. I need to grow much more of it.

7. You can grow peaches in Minnesota. At least this year.

8. Planting beans and peas is a nice way to feed the local wildlife.

9. Pollinators like honeybees need all they help they can get.

10. One of the most satisfying things I can think of is sitting down to dinner and counting up the ingredients that came from your garden.

I’ve tried bush beans. I’ve tried pole beans. This year, I decided to mix things up and plant dry beans, Tiger’s Eye dry beans to be exact.

Green, leafy and about a foot tall, the plant looked like any other green bean variety. As the pods swelled and lengthened, amber-colored jewels formed inside. I planted only three short rows, and to my surprise, I actually harvested enough beans to chef up a decent burrito (about 1 cup).

I haven’t had time to cook them yet, but according to Seed Savers, Tiger’s Eye beans have a “wonderfully rich flavor and smooth texture, great for chili or refried beans.”

For those curious gardeners who want to try their hand at dried beans next year, check out Seed Savers Eating Bean Sampler. I got mine last week, and the beans inside sure are pretty. I hope they taste as good as they look.

What are your favorite heirloom beans? How do you like them prepared? Have you found a local source you could recommend?