Seems like we have been an early spring but the morning are still a bit frosty. I am itching to start digging in the dirt but its still too early, except for peas. Peas like it cold, in fact, they prefer to be sowed two weeks before the last frost (workable soil, of course). I am happy to say, that my pallet garden is off to a good start with a whole pallet dedicated to peas. I have another one waiting to be sowed with peas, I will get to it this weekend. Along with the peas, I could not contain myself and sowed a row of kale and spinach, both cold hardy vegetables. I am not expecting much from these but if I have some greens sooner than later–bonus!I haven’t done a good job at updating my A to Z section of the blog. I thought I would have more time in the winter but sheesh it went by fast! With that said, I hope to do an update as I plant my seeds and starts. So lets talk peas.Here are some good resources I found online:http://www.almanac.com/plant/peashttp://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/growing-peas-zmaz09fmzraw.aspxWhat I know:
Peas like the soil to be a little bit on the colder side so planting before the last frost is OK and recommended.
Peas fix nitrogen.
Plant 1 inch deep about 1.5-2 inches apart.
Snow or a little bit of frost will not bother the seeds or plants
Peas will need a trellis of some sort to climb (they get tangled very fast and easy, place the trellis before the plants are taller than 2 inches.)
Harvest anytime after pods form. You can pick shell peas as soon as pods are full.
These are pictures from a few years ago…We had so many peas that we froze a bunch…Recipes:We eat a lot of peas during the growing season as it is one of our children’s favorite veggies. We generally eat it raw! Paul and I eat them with humus. If we do cook with peas it is usually to make stir fry or split pea soupStir fry: In my wok, I sauté (barely) vegetables of choice with a little bit of coconut oil and soy sauce. Super easy and delicious. Paul usually adds chili flakes to his.Split pea soup:Cook peas in your choice of broth, add cubed raw potatoes (while still cooking) and some ham or cooked bacon if that appeals to you. I personally like it with ham! Humus:Can of garbanzo beans, 1/4 cup of tahini, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, blend until smooth and devour. I like to add either pine nuts or hazelnuts to my humus, I like the nutty flavors.
I haven’t done a good job at updating my A to Z section of the blog. I thought I would have more time in the winter but sheesh it went by fast! With that said, I hope to do an update as I plant my seeds and starts. So lets talk peas.
Here are some good resources I found online:
http://www.almanac.com/plant/peas
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/growing-peas-zmaz09fmzraw.aspx
What I know:
We had so many peas that we froze a bunch…
Recipes:
We eat a lot of peas during the growing season as it is one of our children’s favorite veggies. We generally eat it raw! Paul and I eat them with humus. If we do cook with peas it is usually to make stir fry or split pea soup
Stir fry:
In my wok, I sauté (barely) vegetables of choice with a little bit of coconut oil and soy sauce. Super easy and delicious. Paul usually adds chili flakes to his.
Split pea soup:
Cook peas in your choice of broth, add cubed raw potatoes (while still cooking) and some ham or cooked bacon if that appeals to you. I personally like it with ham!
Humus:
Can of garbanzo beans, 1/4 cup of tahini, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, blend until smooth and devour. I like to add either pine nuts or hazelnuts to my humus, I like the nutty flavors.
