Yesterday (5/24/2013) we ate our first snap pea from the plants which I grew from seeds. My babies are now taking care of me. I took those that were at least two inches in length. Many more to come.
This is a bowl of salad that I created using peas and lettuce from the garden.
Do you know that you can eat the tender leaves, shoots, tendrils of pea-plants? They taste exactly like peas. Try it out if you have not already done so. In fact the baby pea-plants are full of micro-nutrients. That's why, in Europe especially, people grow peas as micro-greens. Snap peas themselves are full of vitamin C, flavonoids, folic acid, fiber, pantothenic acid, Vitamins A and K (though they have most other vitamins) and other minerals.
I am fascinated with these pea plants. They are easy to grow. Lots of plants can be crammed in small space. All they need is water; they don't have any fertilizer requirement; in fact, they make the soil, in which they are grown, fertile by fixing nitrogen. When the plant dies down, do not rip it off from the soil. Leave it there because as its root disintegrate, it gives out nitrogen to the soil. My fascination has lead me to buy five more packets of peas for fall cultivation.
I also took out some onion flower stalk, spinach-leaves and turnip-leaves from the garden (will I be please allowed to boast again and say that all these plants were grown by your truly from seeds:-D). I made a batter with chickpea flour. Dipped the leaves and finely chopped stalk, and fried them in very little oil. These are the fritters that one usually eats in Indian restaurants. The fritters can be made using almost every sorts of vegetables and leaves, stems and flowers.
Good time is here again when fresh foods from garden can be consumed. I wonder how people, especially in colder Europe, North-America where things cannot be grown during winter, survived the cold months? These people indeed have strength, stamina and spirit which we spoiled, twenty-first century humans have lost. Do any of you have any such ancestral stories to share? This reminded me of the latest news that scientist believe that the early pilgrims turned to cannibalism in Jamestown, Virginia during the harsh winters. The interesting article can be read here.
This is a bowl of salad that I created using peas and lettuce from the garden.
Do you know that you can eat the tender leaves, shoots, tendrils of pea-plants? They taste exactly like peas. Try it out if you have not already done so. In fact the baby pea-plants are full of micro-nutrients. That's why, in Europe especially, people grow peas as micro-greens. Snap peas themselves are full of vitamin C, flavonoids, folic acid, fiber, pantothenic acid, Vitamins A and K (though they have most other vitamins) and other minerals.
I am fascinated with these pea plants. They are easy to grow. Lots of plants can be crammed in small space. All they need is water; they don't have any fertilizer requirement; in fact, they make the soil, in which they are grown, fertile by fixing nitrogen. When the plant dies down, do not rip it off from the soil. Leave it there because as its root disintegrate, it gives out nitrogen to the soil. My fascination has lead me to buy five more packets of peas for fall cultivation.
I also took out some onion flower stalk, spinach-leaves and turnip-leaves from the garden (will I be please allowed to boast again and say that all these plants were grown by your truly from seeds:-D). I made a batter with chickpea flour. Dipped the leaves and finely chopped stalk, and fried them in very little oil. These are the fritters that one usually eats in Indian restaurants. The fritters can be made using almost every sorts of vegetables and leaves, stems and flowers.
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Good time is here again when fresh foods from garden can be consumed. I wonder how people, especially in colder Europe, North-America where things cannot be grown during winter, survived the cold months? These people indeed have strength, stamina and spirit which we spoiled, twenty-first century humans have lost. Do any of you have any such ancestral stories to share? This reminded me of the latest news that scientist believe that the early pilgrims turned to cannibalism in Jamestown, Virginia during the harsh winters. The interesting article can be read here.
They look very tasty! I saw our first tiny tomato today. Not much long here! My grandparents grew tons of them to can for winter months as well as freezing many bags of peas.
ReplyDeleteErin, I hope you collected all the wisdom of growing from your grandparents. They are valuable as gold. Please don't lose those and share some on your blog.
DeleteHello KL, I live in the tropics, so we can grow whole year round. We probably will not have people who are cannibals here hehe... Happy gardening!
ReplyDeleteStephanie, are you trying to make me jealous :-P?
DeleteNice looking peas! Five packets for the fall? Hope you have a lot of room, or you'll have quite a pea-tangle!
ReplyDelete(I believe you if you chop up the vines at the end of the season and till them into the soil, that is supposed to be very good from a crop rotation perspective. But I have not tried that myself. Not sure if you need a mechanical tiller or could do it by hand...)
And yes, I have tried eating the tops of pea vines. Tried it last year. Tasty stuff!! :)
Hi Aaron, I hope I will have space when all these summer vegetables start dying out. I saw masses of pea-plants yesterday in someone's house who has been gardening for the last 30+ years. They looked amazing.
DeleteOoohh! I'm jealous! I love sugar snap peas.
ReplyDeleteBridget, thank you :-)
DeleteI am waiting for my first harvest but with our recent cold weather again everything is delayed...but I do love peas...I will remember I can eat so much more of the peas than the pods...
ReplyDelete