Green Peas, English Peas or Whatever Ya'll Call 'Em

[digitS']

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20073415,00.html

From this neck of the woods .

digitS'

 

[seedcorn]

Interesting article Thanks Steve

Do you grow them?

 

[digitS']

Sure do!

That snap pea, I consider the most significant garden vegetable developed during my lifetime.

I discover things. Usually, things that others have known about for years (centuries) - like shallots. I am not sure if I ever ate a shallot until I was in my 40's. They may have appeared on my plate at a restaurant but, I didn't know about it.

If left on my own, I'm like a puppy - scared of anything new. Circle, circle, eyes focused intently, try pawing at it a little first . . .

Burpee has been on point before. I remember when Early Girl tomatoes came out. I jumped at Sugar Snaps a little quicker .

Steve

 

[seedcorn]

I find you can over cook them easily. Fresh seem to be as sweet as they ever are. Cooking seems to take that away.

 

[digitS']

That's true with all the peas, Seedcorn!

Well, I don't know about your's and Bay's blackeyed peas . . .

That's why it's so hard for Smart Red to get them into the house . . . but, I still cook most, um, everything . Except fruit.

You know, we gotta get Bay' to start growing snow peas, too. Then, she can do the stir-fry!


Of course, Bay' can stir-fry all sorts of things - like snap peas and green beans and, and, and, and!

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

Bay, I grow a variety called Alaska for eating the peas. They are one of the quickest to mature, and for me, are very sweet. Myself, I like them absolutely uncooked best. Someone could invent a Pea Salad that's mostly fresh uncooked peas.

For the way I grow Peas, I plant them about a month before I would plant Beans or Corn. In your zone, planting them the time and way you did sounds perfect. You could do a test planting of them in December outside, a few seeds, and try a test planting outside in January too. Surprisingly, they'll take a little frost if it's quick.

But for me, I do not try for more crops from them, just for the seeds I want, to ripen. That simply means a few more fresh pods come on for garden munchies. Actually, this year I may not wait for them to ripen seeds, well, maybe one cage of them. I can use the quick growing Alaska Peas as a preseason crop, pull them when done, and still put some more Beans in.

=====

Just wait for next year Bay. I just may have a new variety, if the other Peas I planted March 16th breed true, or if they segregate, maybe several new varieties. Purple seeded golden podded edible pod peas. As quick to mature as Alaska.

 

[baymule]

Marshall, put me on the list for some of your pea seeds! I never heard of Alaska peas, are they English peas or snap? (I have to get up on all this Nawtherner PEA lingo) I will make up a raw pea salad recipe for you Marshall. But I won't be able to test drive it, because my English peas are toast now.

I like stir fry Steve! I used to stir fry a lot until my mother came to live with us. She doesn't like everything all mixed up. She wants a meat, 3-4 vegetables, bread and dessert. DH and I were happy with whatever was ready in the garden tossed into a deep iron skillet and heated up. We even had what we called tomato suppers. We would each eat a plate of sliced tomatoes and a big glass of sweet iced tea. The sugar snap peas sound good, I will try some next year, fer shure! :tools

Marshall, I am thinking of a pea salad for you.
Here goes....
1 cup raw peas
Couple tablespoons chopped sweet red onion
1 grated carrot
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Sweet Dressing
1/4 cup honey
3 teaspoons powdered ginger
stir well and drizzle over salad

Dressing
1/4 cup mayonaise
Juice from half a lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
mix together and blend into salad

I just made this up, so I can't say if it is knock-yer-socks-off.......or just edible. Didn't know what kind of dressing you like, so made up 2 for you to pick from. Let me know how it tastes! I love to make raw salads from vegetables I just picked in the garden!

 

[897tgigvib]

Alaska Peas are kind of like Maestro, except Alaska's dried seeds are mainly smooth and round spherical. Alaska's pods are not eaten. You pick them when they fatten up, but before the pod begins to ripen or dry, and the pods are still nice and green. Hopefully you plant enough to harvest some batches big enough to take to the kitchen, or maybe like me this year, enough to have some nice garden munchies. I think of each absolutely fresh and sweet pea as a vitamin.

 

[baymule]

English peas--2014.
Today I planted Maestro peas. It was a gorgeous sunny day, 70 degrees and I was barefoot, thoroughly enjoying myself. I tugged dead butterbean vines and cornstalks out, the dogs played tug of war with last year's corn stalks, littering the yard with cornstalk threads.

After the past few weeks of cold, 20 degrees-down to 16 degrees!!! For us that is COLD!!! BRRRRR!!! Today was perfect. I direct seeded the peas in the garden. Will it freeze again and kill them? Dunno. I planted 500 seeds, by golly some of them oughta survive. If I planted too early, then I still have 200 seeds in another baggie.

The 2014 season has commenced.

 

[baymule]

Well, the English peas are up and survived SNOWMEGGDON and the following ice storm. They came up about 10 days after planting, so before the snow and ice hit, I raked a thin layer of leaves over the seedlings. They are about 2" tall now, putting on a second or third set of leaves. Looks like most if not all of the seeds are coming up. YAY!!!