Give Peas a Chance

In our home, the first vegetables or fruits of the season are typically eaten in the garden. Young, tender and sparse, the new foods are greeted like old friends who we haven't seen since the last time they were in town. They rarely survive long enough to the kitchen before being devoured. It isn't until the middle of the season, or towards its end, that our kitchen invariably becomes over-run with the masses as we cook, and experiement with new ways to preserve in an attempt to extend the season a little longer.

Today we picked the first peas of the season. According to Stephanie Alexander, peas are one of the world's oldest cultivated foods and have up until very recently mainly been dried before eating. For my taste, however, there is nothing like a fresh pea picked straight from the vine.

Peas are a kind plant, and will survive in just about any kind of soil. We planted ours when we first moved moved into our house, in May this year though in Canberra you can plant them just about any time during winter.They need a sunny spot, and depending on the variety, some sort of support as they are a vigours vine. One of the great things about peas is that they "give back" to the soil by helping to fix nitrogen, stabilising and replenishing the earth. As a result, after the peas have finished, vegetables that are heavy feeders (such as broccoli) can be planted.

Lilly enjoys the first pea off the vine

Peas are a wonderful vegetable to use in your garden to entice young (and older!) kids outside. Delicate flowers and tiny tendrils create a mystical feel, and the creeping vines a "hidden world" away from it all. And, as Lilly discovered today, a fresh pea is a totally different experience from the bland, frozen variety we are so used to eating. The tendrils & shoots will also add an exotic touch to any spring salad.