Learn how to grow heirloom pea varieties-one of the oldest garden vegetables.
"Heirloom Vegetable Gardening" by William Woys Weaver is the culmination of 30 years of first-hand knowledge of growing, tasting and cooking heirloom vegetables. As a staunch supporter of organic gardening technology, Will Weaver has planted each of 280 specialty vegetables, and he led novice gardeners to understand the basics of planting, planting and seed preservation. Old-fashioned recipes-such as parsnips cake, artichoke pie, and pepper wine-are scattered throughout the gardening advice to accentuate the flavor of these vegetables. The following excerpts about heirloom pea varieties are taken from Chapter 27 "Peas".
'Dutch Grey' Pea' Magnum Bonum' Pea' Marrofat' Pea' Prince Albert' Pea' Prussian Blue' Pea
To find mail order companies that carry these heirloom pea varieties, please use our custom seed and plant finder. Check out our collection of articles on growing and harvesting heirloom vegetables in Gardening and Heirloom Vegetables.
Peas are one of the oldest vegetables in our garden. They have been cultivated in the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean since 7800 BC, and have evolved into many different varieties over the centuries. In botany, there are three main types: Pisum sativum var. sativum, common pea; a variety of pea. Medulla, the so-called "bone marrow fat" peas; and pea varieties. saccharatum or axiphium, sugar pea. There is also a subspecies called Pisum sativum var. arvense, which is a smooth-seeded pea, is mainly grown as a field crop, such as Golderbse. All of these peas cross each other, so there are hundreds of varieties located between these larger sectors, and it is not easy to classify them.
The British raised the cultivation of peas to a sophisticated level, and many of the old varieties found in early American vegetable gardens can be traced back to British sources. England’s cool climate is good for pea culture, but unfortunately, spring is very short in most parts of the United States, so we don’t have a long and mild growing season. At the beginning of our hot summer weather, many varieties that perform well in England or Continental Europe will burn out, so our selection is usually limited to new heat-resistant varieties, such as Italian peas, pisello nano sole di Sicilia — a very good one The heat-resistant variety of peas, by the way. On the positive side, sugar peas can also tolerate hot weather, and we have recently found that they are very suitable for lighter cooking methods. In fact, peas are an important source of vitamin E, so they should not be omitted from a properly balanced diet.
Amelia Simmons mentioned many peas in her "American Cooking" (1796, 15). These peas have a lot of historical documents, but they are rare today, even among the seed keepers. is also like this. Including the Crown Empire,
Considered to be one of the most suitable areas for our climate during the colonial period; Crown Pea; Rouncival, also known as Egg Pea or Dutch Admiral; and Spanish Marotta. George Lindley commented in his A Guide to Orchard and Kitchen Garden (1831:567) that egg peas and Spanish marota peas are considered poor people's peas. This is a comment on his indifferent social attitude and an exposure of the working class background of Amelia Simmons. Most of these old varieties were known in the late 1600s or early 1700s and grew well in the mid-19th century. They were gradually replaced by new varieties developed in England, the Netherlands, and Germany, but it was difficult to determine the date of introduction until 19th-century garden publications that reported new varieties each year appeared.
Americans also began to develop their own varieties of pea in the 19th century. David Landres of Philadelphia introduced Landres’ early bush peas in 1823, one of the earliest American varieties. But there is also a marrow pea called Tall Carolina-the ancestor of Tall Telephone-and a smaller, smaller pod shell pea called Eastern Shore. Seed conservators in this country tend to keep small garden varieties rather than tall ones. Therefore, quite a few important varieties have been omitted from the seed file.
In August 1836, an article in the Gardener's Journal was extremely useful to horticultural historians. The article outlined a large-scale field experiment on peas conducted by the gardener of the London Horticultural Society, George Gordon. Gordon not only described the variety of peas that were grown at the time, but also provided synonyms, which are various aliases for peas. In addition, he explained how sowers divide peas into nine groups according to the type of dry seeds or vines, thereby classifying peas on a commercial basis. These divisions are not based on classification, but based on artificial similarity. However, they provided the basis for the names of many common heirloom peas that are still grown today, so it is useful to remember them.
Peas can be planted in early spring, as long as the ground can work. They can be planted at the same time as onions and potatoes, for me it is usually the end of March. Although the workload is heavy, I prefer to put the peas on flat ground in the greenhouse and transplant them when the weather is slightly warmer. There are three benefits: I know exactly which seeds have sprouted and which have not sprouted, I can dig out fragile vines and plant more seeds if necessary, and I can avoid the loss of seedlings by cutworms, rabbits and birds. Pea is very fragile when it first breaks through the ground, because the new growth is delicious to all kinds of creatures. Once plants grow to 4 to 5 inches tall, they are less fragile, and if they are planted next to nets, birds tend to ignore them.
Historically, taller peas were grown on equipment called "pea sticks". The June 1828 illustration in Gardener's Magazine shows what they look like. The pile shown is 6 feet high and 3 x 1 1/2 inches thick. Drill holes in the stakes at even intervals, and use elm or hazel branches to jam the holes-the small branches produced by these two types of trees are perfect for this application. For higher peas, such as Carling, the stakes will be twice as high. I like this ancient pea planting method because it does not use plastic or man-made materials and uses small branches, otherwise it may be thrown into the township garbage dump, so it is not harmful to the environment. Branches and dead pea vines can always be chopped for mulch at the end of the season, while the stakes themselves can be reused for several years.
No matter what peas I grow in the garden, this pea variety from the late 19th century is always the first to bloom, and usually the first to produce peas. Therefore, its name is well-deserved. Pea is a fixed hybrid of the English Champion and McLean Little Gem, also known as the Early Dwarf. Vilmorin (1885:422) and many other popular writers on the kitchen garden paid considerable attention to it.
The American miracle blooms white flowers on 10-inch shrub-like vines; anything taller than this is not an American miracle. Pods of 2 to 2 1/2 inches can produce 3 to 5 peeled peas, but there are not many pods on each plant, so you need to put at least 100 vines to harvest. I planted compulsory vines from the greenhouse on April 21, and they bloomed only a week later, which is impressive. However, although American Wonder may produce early, it will end sooner or later, so it should be planted as the first crop with later varieties.
Peter Henderson (1904, 261) considered the American Miracle to be one of the best peas for the kitchen garden. The woodcut below is copied from his book. When the pods are ready to be harvested, this is a true representation of peas, but there are quite a few small vines squeezed together—perhaps 10—to create this effect. A similar pea, but 2 inches tall, is the old gloire de Quimper (SSE PEA 220), a variety developed from très-nain de Bretagne in the 1830s. It sometimes leads the American miracle when planted at the same time, and as far as I am concerned, it produces one of the best small varieties of any dwarf variety.
Seed holders should note that the dried peas of the American Miracle are round, smooth, and have two green marbling, although some seeds also have small dimples. Do not plant it near varieties with similar seed and pod types, because it is impossible to know whether a cross has occurred. In addition, always pay attention to abnormal peas with abnormal color or texture. These may be sports or hybrids, and they are likely to produce new and unique varieties.
'Arbogast' Pisum sativum
This pea was recommended to me by a member of Seed Savers Exchange who was interested in possible connections with the Dutch Arbogast family in Pennsylvania. The genealogy footnote has not yet crystallized, but there are good reasons to believe that this excellent sugar pea is David
Landreth & Sons used to be popular high-sugar peas under another name. To be sure, this pea is an ancient gray sugar pea, so it is more closely related to Blue Pod Capucijner and a red pea from Brazil called ervilha torta flor roxa than to the sugar pea that is common today. In fact, Arbogast pea is special in many ways because it is not suitable for any common gray varieties known before 1850, except for the purple flowering varieties sold by Landreth.
The seeds are crumpled reddish brown with dark brown spots. If soaked overnight in warm water the day before planting, the seeds will germinate better. The vines reach a height of 7 to 8 feet and require a shelf or some other very strong support. The pods are 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 inches long and contain 7 seeds when fully mature. When planted in mid-April, the vines start to produce at the end of May and peak in the first half of June. Continuous harvesting can extend the planting time, especially if the vines are kept well watered. The young pods are large, flat, crispy and crispy. They are delicious raw.
'Blue Pod Capucijner' Pisum sativum
Capucijners is a category of Dutch peas, which is equivalent to the British gray. Because of their hardiness, many early Capucijner peas were sent to Pennsylvania Dutch by Mennonites in the Netherlands, possibly as early as 1683. Folklore has assigned the development of Capucijner pea to Capucijner monks in the Netherlands. Although it may be true that in the late Middle Ages, an ancient pea that is now called gray or capucan evolved in the cloister gardens of these monks, most of the named varieties belonging to this group were created or perfected by the Dutch a long time later The seeder. These names have long been used as a convenient label for peas and do not necessarily indicate their origin. Blue Pod Capucijner is an example, because in France it is called pois à crosse violette, and this name has nothing to do with monks.
In fact, it is simply called pisum magnum peregrinum in Hortus Eystettensis (Barker 1994), where it is depicted as two flowers fading blue. This reference can trace peas back to at least the 1580s. In addition, it may be equivalent to the ancient purple pod gray pea in England, a vigorously growing gray sugar pea that can reach 6 to 7 feet tall and therefore requires a lot of support. A 2 1/2-inch pod contains 5 to 7 seeds, but the peas are not harvested for cooking when the pod is full of seeds. Instead, it is when the pods are very young and underdeveloped, just like the young scarlet water chestnut beans. At that stage of maturity, they are boiled or steamed until tender and eaten like string beans. The texture of the miniature pea pods is similar to that of water chestnut beans, and the surface is slightly wrinkled, like creases on leather. Dare I say, the mature pods of Blue Pod Capucijner are exactly the same as the leather? If the peas have matured to that extent, let them run onto the dried peas. The porridge they make in that state is delicious. But this pea has other assets worth mentioning.
It's spectacular. The flowers are two-tone, with rose pink and burgundy gradually turning bright blue as they wither. Followed by tiny dark chestnut pods, as they mature, they will turn dark blue. This is one of the most decorative peas I have ever raised, and it has always been a topic for tourists.
There is also a Capucijner worth mentioning, Raisin Capucijner (SSE PEA 10), a type of dwarf or shrub with 3 feet of vines. These plants are intertwined and produce a large number of peas in about 60 days. Very young pods can be cooked like peas, but dried peas were used in historical cooking, especially pea porridge. This is the perfect crop to restore the soil in which potatoes are grown. After harvesting the seeds, I rummaged under the vines and used them as green manure. By the way, dried peas really resemble raisins.
'Carlin' or'Carling' Pea Pisum sativum
Carling Pea (SSE PEA 163) is a tall gray peas that grows on vines 8 to 9 feet tall and is harvested strictly as dried peas. The seeds are small and brown, with 3-inch pods, which resemble horse beans. The flowers are pale pink with deep rosy veins. The whole plant has an ancient appearance, and it should be, because it is considered to be one of the oldest surviving pea species in England, and its history may be traced back to the Elizabethan era. Therefore, it may represent a pea similar to the pea brought to the United States by British settlers in the early 1600s. However, the name is very attractive because it implies an ancient British custom.
The name of the pea comes from Carlin or Carling Sunday, which is a medieval festival still observed in the northeast of England. According to John Brand in his Observations of Popular Antiquities (1900, 57-61), the name is derived from Old English Care or Carle Sunday — Charsontag in German — the second before Easter Sunday. On this day, people will give relief money to the poor in the form of peas. This custom has been recorded in England as early as the 12th century. Celebrations are usually centered on March 12, which is an important place in the lunar week on the Celtic calendar. The original pagan significance of this day has disappeared under the many levels of Christianity, but it has survived the popular practice of providing pea puree for free in beer houses or providing ham for guests at home.
The general practice is to cook the peas for about 20 minutes until tender, then drain and fry them in butter or lard until crispy (about 2 to 3 minutes). They are then eaten as a rich snack with salt and pepper or sugar and vinegar, which gave rise to the old English proverb "Banny on Sunday, fart on Monday".
Unless planted in a medieval way, the vines require a large number of trellises to allow wandering on the dead bushes brought into the garden. Carling pea matures at the same time as another heirloom pea called Colderbse, a rare old pea named Danzig pea by Fearing Burr (1865, 519-20). The vines of Colderbse and Carling peas can be chopped and used as green manure. The old practice was to light dead vines on August 1, the Celtic feast in Lughnasa, thereby burning the thorns and providing potash for the soil and purification at the end of the harvest.
"England Champion" Pea
The original name of this pea was Fairbeard's Champion of England, and it was introduced to England in 1843 by William Fairbeard. It was originally a variation or movement of the Cavalier Dwarf Pea, and it quickly became one of the most widely grown peas in the UK and the United States. Since the Cavalier’s Dwarf Pea is also known as the glory of England, it is not difficult to see that Fairbeard is How to name his peas. The glory of Britain is called the Wabash Pea in the United States.
The vines of Champion of England are 5 to 6 feet tall (5 feet more commonly), and the branches are about 18 inches above the ground. The plant produces 3 inch pods at each lateral joint, which distributes the peas on the plant-a nice feature to avoid top-heavy vines. There are 6 to 7 peas in the pod, which become wrinkled when they are ripe and are pale olive green. This white-flowered variety is considered a late pea because it can withstand some of the hot weather we encountered in this country in mid-June. Peter Henderson (1904, 263) recommended it as "the best of all late varieties".
I plant peas in early April and peas in mid-May. Therefore, the dry seeds were harvested before mid-July, and space in the garden was freed up for planting other crops. I should point out that the English champion peas circulating among the seed holders are only 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall, which does not fit the old description. However, in all other respects, it seems to have similar characteristics.
The peas preserved under this name (SSE PEA 185) are not the original British Dutch ash of the past. That pea, also known as Grey Rouncival, grows 8 feet tall vines and broad, thick pods, somewhat flat. The brown seeds have yellow spots and a black eye, and are considered only suitable for field cultivation.
Now the heirloom cultivated as Dutch ash is indeed the old gray pea defined by Gordon, but it is a short type because its vines are no more than 36 inches, and many are shorter than this. The olive-tan seeds are almost the same as Arbogast sugar peas, but both varieties are larger and therefore similar to horse peas in the Middle Ages. This flower is ocher yellow and has a rose color in the throat. If it were sweet pea, it would be a striking cut flower.
The planting cycle is very short. If I plant these peas at the end of April, they will fully bloom at the beginning of June. The dried peas are harvested after 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the weather. Therefore, the space can be reused to grow beans or cucumbers for the second time, or hot weather vegetables such as Celtuce or Tetragonia. This peas is an excellent yield, with 4 to 5 peas in each 3-inch pod. Dried peas can be cooked like dried beans or ground into pea flour. Pea flour is an excellent flat bread.
This is my thoughts on the perfect late season peas. A British pea developed in the late 19th century, it is an excellent companion pea for Tall Telephone, because as Tall Telephone stopped, it began to grow almost when prompted. Peas are planted on April 1st and do not begin to bloom until mid-June-don't worry. Like Tall Telephone, it needs a lot of shelving to support, because the peas are mainly formed on the top of the vine.
The vines are about 9 to 10 feet long and can produce 3 1/2-inch pods, each with about 6 plump peas. This is a peeled peas that cannot be ignored, because even raw peas are sweet and delicious. The pods themselves are round and hang straight down. Although they are not tasty, they can be boiled with leeks and bay leaves to make a rich vegetable soup.
Bone marrow fat is usually regarded as a late-maturing or major crop variety because they peak at the end of June or even July, depending on when they are grown-later in cooler summer areas. The most respected British marrow peas are a variety developed by Thomas Andrew Knight of Downton Castle, Herefordshire. His Knight's Giant or Tall Marrow Pea was launched around 1827. It has been popular for many years and has been used by subsequent breeders to breed various improved varieties of marrow pea. New Englander Thomas Fessenden (1839, 149–50) heartily endorsed the use of Cavalier Pea in the New England Garden.
The standard for bone marrow peas in the United States in the 19th century was the large white bone marrow fat derived from the United Kingdom. This is a heavy crop with 5 feet long vines and oblong pods with 6 or 7 large peas in each pod. It is grown for summer crops and is popular as soup or canned peas, although it is grown commercially and sold dry as peas. The pith peas of the knot seed net is a dwarf variety with white flowers and 14 to 16 inches in height. It is similar to England's glory in many respects, but only half its size. This pea is planted in early June and is only one foot tall when it blooms at the end of the month. Peas are harvested in early to mid-July and must be harvested every day, otherwise they will deteriorate and become bitter.
"Prince Albert" Pisum sativum
The pea was named after Queen Victoria's husband and was introduced in 1842 by the Cormac and Oliver Seed Company in London. Fearing Burr (1865, 533) thinks it is no different from an old pea called Early Frame, which is a greenhouse pea and one of Thomas Jefferson's favorites. In the Jefferson era, early
Frame is one of the first peas grown, usually grown in a cold frame, and is a prolific producer of high-quality peas. The Early Frame strain, developed by the Baltimore Seed Company of R. Sinclair Jr. & Company in 1841 and sold under the names Cedo Nulli or Sinclair's Early, still exists in the USDA seed archives.
Unfortunately, Fearing Burr's description of Prince Albert is wrong; the Early Frame is a bit short, about 4 feet tall. It exists in France under the names of Michaux de Hollande, pois Baron and pois Laurent, or did not exist until recently. In my case, if Prince Albert is like any other variety, then it is like an early Charlton, a pea that is about 10 days later than the early frame. The Prince Albert pea grows 6-foot-long vines with 2 1/2-inch pods. The pods are very thin when they are young, because they are strictly a shelled pea, although it is a good pea. It blooms in pairs of snow-white flowers on its long stems. I think this is one of its distinguishing features that is easy to recognize. By the way, Prince Albert is not alone. Victoria pea was introduced in 1841. Royal couples can still plant together, but be careful not to get too close, or they will quarrel.
The Prussian is a pea that dates back to the 18th century and was once popular in the British and American colonies. Thomas Fessenden (1839, 149-50) considered them to be high-quality common peas suitable for various American vegetable gardens. Seed member Bernard M'Mahon mentioned that they are part of his standard seed bank (1806, 582). Thomas Jefferson planted them in Monticello in 1809. The list of famous Americans who grow this pea is long. Perhaps because Prussian Blue was developed in Germany, it has better adapted to North American conditions, because there is no doubt that it will flourish in most parts of the United States, except for the Southwest. For the same reason, it is also very popular in France, where it is called nain vert petit, nain Royal and gros vert de Prusse. The truest variety of Prussian blue produces vines about 3 1/2 feet tall with white flowers. The strain circulating among Seed Savers (SSE PEA 89) is only about 2 feet tall, probably from 1831 as a
An improved strain of Prussian blue. The pods are 2 1/2 inches long, and each pod can produce 7 or 8 peas. The seeds are round, smooth, dark blue-green and almost gray, hence the name. Because the vines are tall and narrow, 3 seeds are usually planted every 2 inches so that the plants can grow tightly together.
Prussian blue is considered by most American gardeners to be an excellent summer shelling peas. It was not developed for fresh consumption, but was originally raised as dried peas. Fearing Burr (1865, 514) recommends planting them on the first day of May to produce pods in July-when blight and many other viral problems are most likely to occur. I moved the planting back to mid-April, so peas usually finish poding at the end of June. The crops used for cooking can be harvested in advance after the pods have withered, and then dried manually, but the seed reserve must be mature grape vines.
Prussian blue is an excellent peas, but like any dried peas, it should not be stored for more than one year. An insightful article "Why peas are boiled hard" appeared in the Gardener Magazine (April 1831, 249) and explained that if peas are stored for too long, they will "harden", no matter how long they are cooked. Really softened. This observation is as true now as it was then, with a footnote: Peas stored for two or three years have also lost a large part of their nutritional value. This is why it is important to date all dried peas and beans in stock.
'Risser Sickle' Pisum sativum
I always associate the beginning of June with sickle peas, which oscillate on the vines amidst plenty of snow-white flowers, the pleasant buzzing of bees, and gooseberries. Peas and gooseberries do not mix, but they enter the season at the same time, and for a brief period on the calendar, my garden was transported to England in the 18th century. In fact, Risser sickle peas is a true 18th century variety. It is preserved by the Landis Valley Heirloom Seed Project in Pennsylvania. Although the seeds have recently come from the German community in Pennsylvania, the sickle peas themselves have been grown in Pennsylvania by English and German-speaking kitchen gardeners since the colonial era. Pea is known in England—a possible source of Pennsylvania seeds centuries ago—and was specifically mentioned by Mawe and Abercrombie (1779, 482). By the 1830s, it was not even a variety recognized by most British seeders, and Fearing Burr did not mention it. However, it is an excellent old-fashioned pea, which is disease-free compared to many highly inbred varieties.
The name comes from the shape of the pod, which is 2 1/2 to 3 inches long and curved like a sickle or crescent blade. The flowers are snow white, and if the soil is fertile, the vines can grow up to 8 feet long. Therefore, plants need strong support. The small pods are edible like sugar peas, or the peas can be shelled and made into small pods, each with 6 to 7 peas.
Named in honor of Alexander Graham Bell’s invention, this crumpled marrow pea comes in many variants and is known for its huge fat pods: the modified tall phone (SSE PEA 28), the dwarf phone or Carter’s daisy , And its English counterpart Alderman (SSE pea pod 432). As the most popular of all American heirloom peas, this is indeed a tall peas that produces 7 to 8 feet tall vines with hundreds of pods hanging straight down. They are about 4 to 4 1/2 inches in length and usually contain 8 peas, although there are also a certain percentage of empty pods. Peas are great for shelling, and the pods can be boiled to season broths and stocks. Boil fresh peas in the microwave on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.
Tall Telephone’s vines are top-heavy and require strong support, especially after the pods begin to form. Otherwise, heavy rain or thunder gusts will dump them and the peas will deteriorate. Continuous harvesting will brighten the vines and extend the harvest time, but in order to ensure a long-term supply of peas, please plant Magnum Bonum to harvest later in the season.
Tom Thumb is named in honor of the famous 19th century dwarf and was introduced in the 1850s by David Landreth and Sons of Philadelphia. It is a smooth-seeded pea that can produce about 5 to 6 peas per pod on extremely dwarf vines no more than 6 to 8 inches in height. If grown in the open air in fertile soil, the yield may be very high, but this peas is most often grown in a cold frame for winter production, which is the reason for its small size. In the south, the overwintering characteristics can be better cultivated. Thumbs are usually planted in late autumn with 10 inches per row and about 2 seeds per inch. The florets are greenish white.
I am not as passionate about Tom Thumb as many gardeners in the South, mainly because there are other varieties that surpass and surpass it in Pennsylvania, where we do not have the benefits of a continuous mild winter. However, its resistance to freezing is impressive. In April of a year, a cold current of 26°F froze the ground for two days, but the peas were unscathed. The vines are completely exposed, and I took a risk because they are said to be able to withstand 20°F. However, as a cold frame peas, Tom Thumb may be one of the best peas. It is very suitable for multi-tunnel cultivation and is easy to grow in flat ground at table height. It's really impressive to serve my own fresh peas to friends in January, and it's so good that even at the winter solstice, an efficient kitchen garden will not stop.
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Illustration provided by William Woys Weaver. Photo courtesy of Fotolia/Virynja.
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