Can you eat sweet pea pods?

The pods of flowering sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) plants are edible only during the early stages of development. Do not eat the pods from sweet-pea vines that have been sprayed with pesticides or other toxic chemicals.

According to North Carolina State University, the seeds, or peas, of the sweet-pea plant are toxic when consumed in large quantities. Pick young sweet-pea pods in the early summer months and soak them in warm water to remove dirt before cooking. Sweet-pea pods can be boiled, steamed or sautéed. The pods of other pea varieties, such as garden peas, snow peas and sugar-snap peas, are also edible.