As I'd mentioned earlier, my fall peas were sort of a bust this year. I had sown them in early August; germination was slow and they languished in the August heat. Also, while they did well in September and October, my garden doesn't get enough direct sunlight for them to really take off.
Hence, right now, there are a ton of (doomed) flowers and a hard frost just around the corner. In fact, temperatures are expected to reach down to the high 20's later on this week. There's nothing worst then seeing your fall crops killed off just before they are about to produce.
So this morning, before I head on a business trip for the remainder of this week, I harvested all of the immature pods and a ton of young pea shoots. I thought I read somewhere that pea shoots were supposed to be not only edible, but also very tasty. I just picked the tips of whatever looked young and not too tough. Does anyone have any experience on harvesting and eating pea shoots? If so, any advice would be appreciated.
Oh Thomas..peas shoots...my FAVORITE thing. There is a natural organic food store not far from my house and I always go there for the pea shoots. They really perk up a salad. In the fall I like to add them to the salad along with walnuts..toasted first in a skillet with a little sugar and cinnamon and dried cranberries. Great salad.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice trip and we'll talk when you get home.
Best,
Kary
Hi Thomas - sorry I've not been over for a while, life kind of got in the way!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see things are going well in your garden - I've only got brassicas, leeks, spinach and chard left and we finished the peas (and shoots) weeks ago!
Good to catch up on what you've been doing - very impressive :)
Thomas, I have tagged you for Honest Scrap Awards. Visit my blog for more info...
ReplyDelete... lovely peas, looking very tasty!
ReplyDeleteSorry there wasn’t enough time for your fall peas to mature. I am sure you will habe better luck in the spring.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read this, I didn't know what "pea shoots" were. I googled the phrase and found a plethora of yummy uses for pea shoots. I don’t like peas, but grow them for pea pods. I bet I will like pea shoots too…and they are full of vitamins and nutrients. Thanks for opening my eyes.
Kary - thanks for the tip. I will definitely consider that. My sister told me that lightly stir-fried pea shoots was a popular Chinese dish. I'll have to google "pea shoots".
ReplyDeleteNG - nice to hear from you! I hope your Japanese garden has turned out beautifully. I'll be over to visit soon!
vrtlarica - Ahhh! A second Honest Scrap Award. Does this mean I have to say 20 honest things about myself. I'm not that interesting...I'll try to come up with ten.
GrafixMuse - I love the pods as well. I think I may try to grow snow peas next fall. Maybe I'll have better luck with them.
What Kary said - and also good with walnut oil and a touch of soy, lemon juice, brown sugar and fresh ginger dressing.
ReplyDeleteOr steam with same, leaving out oil.
Perfect pictures.
I tried peas last year, with poor results. I may/may not try them in the spring - as I still have some seeds.
ReplyDeleteThomas,
ReplyDelete20s I bet your pea plants can handle that for a few hours. Our spring peas got snow on them several times with not effect at all. There is a guy at the farmers market here that sells pea greens all summer, the chefs hunt him down for them too.
Ye, they are very good. Just saute it with some oil, garlic, and oyster sauce.
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone for all of your great feedback! I can't wait to cook them for dinner this Friday night. I'll let you all know how it turns out.
ReplyDeleteO, I didnt know you are tagged already... sorry. Im sure that 10 will be enough... you are very popular!
ReplyDeleteThomas, good luck with your pea shoots. I eagerly harvested early thinnings this spring, and was sadly disappointed because they were really tough. I wonder if snow pea shoots would be better. Maybe I just didn't cook them properly. Thanks for this wonderful blog. I'll be looking forward to seeing how they turn out for you.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read about how the pea shoots taste.
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't mind, but I have “hammered” you for the Honest Scrap Award. Please visit here for the details. I don’t know if you participate in this sort of thing and will completely understand if you chose not to. I just want you to know that I enjoy reading your blog.
GrafixMuse - LOL! This is the third Honest Srap Award I've gotten in the past week...I need to get my act together and post ten things about myself. Thanks for the thought!
ReplyDeleteThomas..thanks for stopping by. Glad you're home.
ReplyDeleteMore later,
kary
p.s. 27 degrees !