Shelling peas

[Mini Horses]

I've grown Little Marvel and Maestro. Both did well.

 

[CrealCritter]

I grow over 200 row-feet of peas. I have settled with planting in succession with the first variety being Little Marvel planted before last frost, then Maestro, and Wando last. Wando is the most heat tolerant and extends pea season by a couple weeks.

I tried purple pod peas this past spring. I was hoping for something easier to pick. That they were. very pretty flowers and plants. The texture of the peas was terrible. Not even edible. Grainy and smushy. I like Maestro peas best that are succulent and "pop" when bitten into.

I planted a 25 foot row of Alaska a few years ago. They grew and produced quickly and also popped just like you explained too. Never tried Maestro but it seems to be a favorite here. So I think I'll give them a try.

 

[baymule]

I think I'll plant green peas in the spring. We love them, but haven't really tried to plant them since we moved.

 

[flowerbug]

Green shelling pea. I just really remember sneaking into the garden and eating them raw.

a lot of peas are great that way. we will stand there and eat them so they never make it in the house...

i have a few that work well that way. Dwarf Gray Sugar Pod is also good as a fresh pod to eat. the dry peas aren't that great for cooking and eating, but if i were hungry enough i'd have no problem surviving off them. i also have a green soup pea that works well when shelled young. these have so many tendrils on them that they look like little fuzz balls when they are growing. since they hold onto each other i don't plant them on any supports, but they do eventually get blown over. they are an excellent dried soup pea too.

i have some others too, but since i didn't keep them fully segregated when growing i can't say exactly what they may be. Early Alaska, Wando, and a few others too in the mix. i just plant them by shape and color in blocks and hope they work out ok.

i'd gotten away from growing peas for a few years, but this past spring i planted some to renew my seed stocks and had an excellent harvest.

 

[flowerbug]

Those tendrils are good eatin' too

that reminds me that i eat the green silk off corn on the cob too as it tastes just like the corn. we microwave the corn to cook it and i leave the silk on so it is good. i don't even put butter on the corn.

 

[flowerbug]

There are a lot of parts of our veggies that most people don't eat. Radish leaves have a mild bite like watercress, but the texture means they need to be cooked- I've done both cream soup and stir fry with them.,. and the spent cobs for corn can be boiled to make a "corn broth" that adds a lot of flavor to a chowder. Carrot greens are edible too.
One of the prettiest presentations I ever saw was a "nest" of corn silk that had been quickly fried to make it crispy, and then a poached egg had been slipped into the nest with a few sprinkles of fresh herbs.
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i'm not much into presentation but that is cute.

radish sprouts i will eat in the gardens, but i don't cook with them. i don't mind the texture of the leaves. they remind me enough of spinach in that regards, thicker leaves, i like chard too eaten raw or beet greens.

the radishes get too hot and grow quickly enough that i don't normally eat them. i sent an arm sized daikon radish to a friend because he was talking about radishes so i told him i'd send him one to try out. i've not seen him since then as he lives a ways away. will be funny to talk to him about that. i do think they ate it.

 

[flowerbug]

Radish: French breakfast is a nice mild one. Excellent flavor. No bite. But, all radish must be grown with good fertility and water. Let them dry out or slow their growth, and you're going to have hot pithy roots.

An old timer favorite English pea was Progress #9. that's all my Dad ever grew. Fairly short vine, so no staking required. I believe it's still available.

most of the radishes i grow here are for ground cover, cover crop, flowers and seeds. i hardly ever eat them other than the sprouts. within six weeks the daikons can be bigger around than my arms. they self-seed now so i haven't been having to replant them from my seed supply. the turnips were doing that too, but i chopped them all down this past year so i don't think i have many turnip seeds to sprout for next year out there. i do have a bag of those on hand though (the grain elevator sells them by the lb for a few $) - i think...

 

[flowerbug]

Ever tried sweet radish slices slathered with peanut butter? Addictive.

never tried that. i put peanut butter on carrots and bananas.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

ARGH - peanut butter and veggies should NOT go together! (But, I might try it at least once.) My favorite way to eat radishes is on a saltine cracker with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of salt. Call me crazy, lol!

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Buy a packet of French Breakfast. Then, let me know what you think! I use FB as row markers, as well as planting a few every couple of weeks throughout the summer.