Peas for fresh eating, or cooking

The wild pea is restricted to the Mediterranean Basin and the Near East. The earliest archaeological finds of peas date from the late Neolithic era of current Syria, Anatolia, Israel, Iraq, Jordan and Greece. In Egypt, early finds date from c. 4800–4400 BC in the Nile delta area, and from c. 3800–3600 BC in Upper Egypt. The pea was also present in Georgia in the 5th millennium BC. Farther east, the finds are younger. Peas were present in Afghanistan c. 2000 BC, in Harappan civilization around modern-day Pakistan and western- and northwestern India in 2250–1750 BC. In the second half of the 2nd millennium BC, this legume crop appears in the Ganges Basin and southern India.

In early times, peas were grown mostly for their dry seeds. From plants growing wild in the Mediterranean Basin, constant selection since the Neolithic dawn of agriculture improved their yield. In the early 3rd century BC, Theophrastus mentions peas among the legumes that are sown late in the winter because of their tenderness. In the first century AD, Columella mentions them in De re rustica, when Roman legionaries still gathered wild peas from the sandy soils of Numidia and Judea to supplement their rations.

In the Middle Ages, field peas are constantly mentioned, as they were the staple that kept famine at bay, as Charles the Good, count of Flanders, noted explicitly in 1124.

Green "garden" peas, eaten immature and fresh, were an innovative luxury of Early Modern Europe. In England, the distinction between field peas and garden peas dates from the early 17th century: John Gerard and John Parkinson both mention garden peas. Sugar peas, which the French called mange-tout, because they were eaten pods and all, were introduced to France from the market gardens of Holland in the time of Henri IV, through the French ambassador. Green peas were introduced from Genoa to the court of Louis XIV of France in January 1660, with some staged fanfare. A hamper of them was presented before the King. They were shelled by the Savoyan comte de Soissons, who had married a niece of Cardinal Mazarin. Little dishes of peas were then presented to the King, the Queen, Cardinal Mazarin and Monsieur, the king's brother. Immediately established and grown for earliness warmed with manure and protected under glass, they were still a luxurious delicacy in 1696, when Mme de Maintenon and Mme de Sevigné each reported that they were "a fashion, a fury".

The world’s first sweet tasting pea was developed in the 18th century by amateur plant breeder Thomas Edward Knight of Downton, near Salisbury, England.

Snow peas have been cultivated since ancient times, and much of the history of the peas is unknown. Experts point to the Mediterranean, the Middle East, or Central Asia as possible origination sites. Snow peas were spread throughout Europe and Asia through trade routes, and they were thought to be introduced to China and Japan as early as the 7th and 8th centuries. It was in the Edo period in Japan, spanning from 1603 to 1868, that Snow peas were extensively cultivated and consumed as a staple culinary ingredient. Snow peas were also introduced to the New World via migrating peoples, and the peas became a widely planted garden crop. Today Snow peas are cultivated mainly in Japan in the Wakayama Prefecture, in the United States, especially in California, and in India, China, England, and Hungary. Outside of commercial production, the peas are grown in home gardens worldwide. Snow peas are sold domestically in local markets, grocers, and through distributors or are exported to neighboring countries.

USES

Depending on the variety, peas are either eaten fresh, or dried peas are cooked. In modern times peas are usually boiled or steamed, which breaks down the cell walls and makes them taste sweeter and the nutrients more bioavailable. Along with broad beans and lentils, these formed an important part of the diet of most people in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe during the Middle Ages. By the 17th and 18th centuries, it had become popular to eat peas "green", that is, while they are immature and right after they are picked. New cultivars of peas were developed by the English during this time, which became known as "garden" or "English" peas. The popularity of green peas spread to North America. Thomas Jefferson grew more than 30 cultivars of peas on his estate. With the invention of canning, peas were one of the first vegetables to be canned.

Fresh peas are often eaten boiled and flavored with butter and/or spearmint as a side dish vegetable. Salt and pepper are also commonly added to peas when served. Fresh peas are also used in pot pies, salads and casseroles. Pod peas (snow peas and snap peas) are used in stir-fried dishes, particularly those in American Chinese cuisine. Pea pods do not keep well once picked, and if not used quickly, are best preserved by drying, canning or freezing within a few hours of harvest.

In India, fresh peas are used in various dishes such as aloo matar (curried potatoes with peas) or mattar paneer (paneer cheese with peas), though they can be substituted with frozen peas as well. Peas are also eaten raw, as they are sweet when fresh off the bush. Green Peas known as Hasiru Batani in Kannada are used to make curry and Gasi. Split peas are also used to make dal, particularly in Guyana, and Trinidad, where there is a significant population of Indians.

Dried peas are often made into a soup or simply eaten on their own. In Japan, China, Taiwan and some Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia, peas are roasted and salted, and eaten as snacks. In the Philippines, peas, while still in their pods, are a common ingredient in viands and pansit. In the UK, dried yellow or green split peas are used to make pease pudding (or "pease porridge"), a traditional dish. In North America, a similarly traditional dish is split pea soup.

Pea soup is eaten in many other parts of the world, including northern Europe, parts of middle Europe, Russia, Iran, Iraq and India.

In Chinese cuisine, the tender new growth [leaves and stem] dou miao (豆苗; dòu miáo) are commonly used in stir-fries. Much like picking the leaves for tea, the farmers pick the tips off of the pea plant.

In Greece, Tunisia, Turkey, Cyprus, and other parts of the Mediterranean, peas are made into a stew with lamb and potatoes.

In Hungary and Serbia, pea soup is often served with dumplings and spiced with hot paprika.

In the United Kingdom, dried, rehydrated and mashed marrowfat peas, or cooked green split peas, known as mushy peas, are popular, originally in the north of England, but now ubiquitously, and especially as an accompaniment to fish and chips or meat pies, particularly in fish and chip shops. Sodium bicarbonate is sometimes added to soften the peas. In 2005, a poll of 2,000 people revealed the pea to be Britain's seventh favourite culinary vegetable.

Processed peas are mature peas which have been dried, soaked and then heat treated (processed) to prevent spoilage—in the same manner as pasteurizing. Cooked peas are sometimes sold dried and coated with wasabi, salt, or other spices.

In North America pea milk is produced and sold as an alternative to cow milk for a variety of reasons.

Peas are also sprouted as edible sprouts.

Here are 17 fresh pea recipes.

How to cook split peas with several recipes for using.

PRESERVATION

Letting peas dry on the vine, you can store the seeds in a jar. Fresh snap and snow peas can be frozen.

GROWING

SEASON & PLANTING
Seed can be started in August and planted throughout the cool season. Legumes don’t transplant well, so it is best to direct seed peas. Most plants are vines and it is best grown up a trellis or fence. A few varieties are compact and bushy and don’t need a substrate to grow on.

SOIL & NUTRITION
Plant in amended garden soil. Peas are legumes which fix nitrogen, and can grow in the less rich parts of your garden bed. Don’t plant peas next to root crops and other crops that may not want the extra nitrogen produced by legumes.

TEMPERATURE & SUN EXPOSURE
Plant in full to part sun. Peas are generally cold hardy and can tolerate temperatures down to the low 20s. To be on the safe side, you might consider covering plants on cold nights.

WATER
Provide steady, regular water, as usually found in a garden bed.

HARVESTING
For snap and snow peas, harvest when tender and young. The more mature the pods become, the more fibrous and less sweet they are. For shelling varieties, let pods mature on the vine and collect when dry.

WILDLIFE
Peas seldom get aphids, but healthy plants can handle them. Powdery mildew can occur, especially on overly-shaded plants.

INVASIVENESS
Peas doe not seem to escape cultivation in our region.