Slugs and Salal: Veggies

PEAS

An enduring legacy of the convenient dried pea was the ubiquitous porridge. The basic preparation was to boil dried peas in salted water. Sometimes mint was added to disguise the starchy taste of those early pea varieties. Milk and a dab of butter were added when the peas were tender.

Over many centuries families used this filling food as a staple, and kept it on hand to reheat as needed -- one day someone sang out a few words of verse:
Pease porridge hot
Pease porridge cold
Pease porridge in the pot
Nine days old.

[ modern varieties | culture |
trouble-shooting | in the kitchen ]

The pea is such an ancient food that its place of origin is uncertain. Peas carbon-dated to 9750 BC have been found in Thailand, and leftovers from Near Eastern pea feasts have been dated to 700 BC. Swiss Lake dwellings, Neolithic farming villages across Europe, the tombs of Egypt, and the ruins of Troy are further sources of ancient pea remains. It is known that hot pea soup was sold in the streets of Athens, and that spectators at Roman theatres bought fried peas as a snack much as we enjoy popcorn.

But the peas of centuries past were not the sweet and succulent green shelled peas we grow and love. They were small, dark, smooth seeds, starchy like the split peas used in soup today. Peas in dried seed form were a practical food for people in times past because they could be stored for winter and as protection against famine. Dried peas were an important part of a ship's provisions during long voyages.

The first peas to be eaten fresh were high-sugar edible-podded peas, known as early as 1536. They were called sugar peas, Runcivals, or grey peas. Catalogues specializing in heirlom vegetables sometimes still list Grey Sugar. Abundant Life Seed Foundation lists Dwarf Grey Sugar, a pre-1773 variety, with its snow peas.

It wasn't until the end of the 17th century that the idea of eating fresh shelled green peas came into vogue in Europe, thanks to the Dutch who introduced a mutant wrinkle-seeded pea called petit pois into France. A passion for these extra-sweet shelled peas swept the French court and from there the fad spread through Europe.

But peas arrived in North America long before these delicious developments, in 1492 with Columbus and subsequently with colonists who came bearing peas as part of their settling equipment. A 1635 list of supplies recommended by seasoned settlers to newcomers includes "three paire of Stockings, six paire of Shooes, one gallon of Aquavitae, one bushell of Pease."

IN THE KITCHEN

Freezing

Green shelling peas are a big freezer item in my house. I love gathering the pods, then settling comfortably in a lounge chair outdoors to shell them.

I steam-blanch the peas for just a few minutes, until they are all bright green, and cool them quickly in a basin over freezer packs of the type slipped into picnic hampers to keep the food cool. For flavored peas I sometimes stick stalks of mint into the boiling water below the peas in the steamer.

From the basin I spoon the peas in to freezer bags. I usually put a few more peas in each bag than I will use at one meal, because leftover peas are a delectable addition to salads.

Recipes

There is a style of cooking peas that is very French and quite wonderful. Place a few tablespoons of water in a cooking pot and lay two large lettuce leaves on the bottom. Spoon freshly shelled, extra young green peas onto the lettuce. Sprinkle finely minced shallot or green onion and a little sugar over top and dot with butter. Cover the pan and cook the peas gently for 10 minutes.

Snap peas and young snow peas are an easy appetizer, with or without a dip. They add crunch to salads and interest to stir-fry dishes. They can also be lightly steamed, tossed in butter and dusted, if you like, with chopped chives or parsley.

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MODERN VARIETIES

SHELLING PEAS are today's most popular form of garden pea. These develop within pods that become fibrous and tough as the peas swell to a sweet and juicy, usable size. The oldest shelling peas still available are Tall Telephone (Alderman) introduced in 1881, Lincoln (between 1880 and 1900) and Little Marvel (1908).

Among modern varieties I've yet to find one that equals the productivity and flavor of Green Arrow, whose long pods hang in thick clusters on four-foot (120-cm) vines, each pod bearing 10 or 11 peas. For gardens in areas where the virus wilt disease known as enation is a problem, there are enation-resistant shelling peas such as Maestro. Westcoast Seeds offers a good selection of varieties resistant to the disease.

For gourmet peas that are a special treat for Christmas dinner, I plant petit pois, which produce tiny peas that are uniquely sweet. Giroy, from Park Seed, is a spectacular delicacy.

To harvest shelling peas at their peak of quality, pick young and eat or process immediately. Peas lose nearly half their sugar content in six hours at room temperatures. The best way to determine when to begin picking is to open a few plump, bright green pods to see whether the peas have reached a usable size. The pods should be well filled, with a little air space still left between each pea. Once the pods have begun to harden or fade in color they are past the fresh green pea stage and are good only to dry as a soup pea.

CHINESE or SNOW PEAS lack the fibrous, parchment-like lining of shelling types. They were a highly popular mange-tout (eat-all) pea in 16th and 17th century France. Snow peas need to be picked at the flat, or "slab-pod" stage. Once the peas inside start to bulge, stringiness develops and the pod flavor becomes unpleasant. Another sign of a snow pea pod past its prime is twisting. This happens because there is no supportive lining in the pods to hold them straight for long.

SNAP PEA. In 1979, a new development in peas eliminated the common problems of twisting and short vine life in snow peas. Seeking a solution to the twisting problem, a breeder in Idaho crossed a conventional snow pea with a strong-podded processing pea. The outcome, quite unexpected, was a tasty sugar pea that remained juicy and edible into full maturity. It was called snap pea because the pods crack open neatly like a green bean.

The original variety named Sugar Snap, which grows on long vines, has given rise to more dwarf and disease-resistant varieties. So far Sugar Ann is my favorite. William Dam Seeds is a source. Territorial Seeds lists two enation-resistant varieties. Cascadia is resistant also to powdery mildew, a common scourge of pea vines. Snap peas yield more food for the space they occupy than any other kind of pea.

SOUP PEA pods are left to dry on the vines and shelled later like dry beans. Among them, probably the best known is Capucijners, a tall climber with fragrant pink and purple flowers. Salt Spring Seeds lists nine soup peas, Capucijners among them. Another called Manitoba Pea has "large tendrils that are excellent in salads."

All pea shoots are usable in salads and stir-fry dishes. They are often found in gourmet mixtures of salad greens in food stores. For tender shoots, harvest the top four inches (10 cm) from young vines.

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CULTURE

Though they occupy a fair amount of space, I give priority to green shelling peas in my vegetable garden not only because they are a favorite food but because it's impossible to buy peas of the quality the home garden can produce. To address the space problem I transplant lettuce and seed spinach with other speedy salad greens around freshly seeded double rows of peas. Radish and spinach are good companion plants for peas. A common sight in in my early spring garden is lengths of pea netting supported on poles and flanked by lettuce framed in crushed egg shells as a slug barrier.

The ideal site for all types of pea is sunny and open, with a well-drained, humus-rich, fertile soil that is not acid. It's important not to overload the soil with nitrogen. The pea is a legume, a group of plants that host nitrogen-fixing bacteria on their roots. Too much nitrogen in the soil short-circuits the pea's natural method of teaming up with these special bacteria to produce nitrogen the plants can use to grow.

Peas are a cool-season crop that benefits from an early spring planting. The problem with planting early is that the seeds tend to rot in cold, wet soil. Many times I've had to reseed, and sometimes reseed again. In my garden, which is blessed with a light, sandy, fast-draining soil, I've found an early April sowing to be most successful.

Earlier plantings, which are recommended for gardens where the enation virus is a problem, benefit from a sprinkling of an inoculant containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Roll the seeds in a bag of the inoculant before planting or dust the inoculant over the seeds in the furrow before covering them with soil.

Though humus-rich organic soils generally are amply supplied with the bacteria, these microorganisms may be somewhat inactive in cold, early spring soils. The idea behind early planting as a disease prevention measure is to move the plants into production before aphids begin spreading the virus around in the warmth of early summer. Raised beds prepared with compost are helpful where soils are heavy and late to dry in the spring. And such beds are best for early plantings.

Bush and short-vined peas can be grown without support or with brushy prunings stuck in the soil to encourage upward growth that keeps stems and pods off the ground. Climbing peas need the support of netting or wire. Plant a row on both sides of the support, making the furrow one inch deep and placing the peas one inch apart in the furrow. Set trellised double rows three to four feet (90 to 120 cm) apart.

I prepare the lines of soil where the rows will be after the netting is in place, digging in a dusting of a balanced natural-source fertiizer and between two and four inches (five and 10 cm) of compost. As the weather warms and soils lose their natural moisture, pea plantings will require watering. A mulch of compost over the roots at this time helps to keep them cool and conserves moisture. Spraying pea plants every two weeks with a seaweed fertilizer solution or compost tea helps to prevent disease, correct micronutrient deficiencies, and boost production.

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TROUBLE-SHOOTING

Pea Enation Mosaic virus causes yellowish leaf spots that later turn white with crinkling. Swellings (enations) appear on leaf undersides. Vines stop flowering and developing pods become distored and warty. Eventually the vines wilt and die. Choose resistant varieties and contol aphids, which spread the disease. Burn or bury infected plants.
Powdery Mildew causes a white coating on leaves. Plant in humus-rich soil and mulch young pea vines with compost. Avoid sheltered parts of the garden for pea plantings. Do not let the soil dry. Spray developing plants with a seaweed solution or compost tea. As a last resort, spray or dust with sulphur, observing label cautions. Do not compost mildewed vines. Bury them deeply in the garden or burn them.
Root Rot causes vines to wilt or dry off, beginning with the lower leaves. Change the location of pea vines from year to year, allowing four years before returning to a previous pea site. Plant only in a fast-draining site that is open and sunny. Try planting with a little extra phosphorus to boost root development and health. Bone meal is a natural source of phosphorus. Otherwise avoid overfertilizing, especially with nitrogen.
Pea Leaf Weevils eat ragged notches from leaf margins of young plants. Dust affected plants with diatomaceous earth or rotenone.
Pea Moth maggots burrow through pods and into the seeds. Early varieties often escape damage. If maggoty peas have been a problem in the past, spray at 10-day intervals during the flowering period with Safer's Trounce, Vegetable Garden Insecticide, or BTK Biological Insecticide.

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