Asparagus peas

[debbilove]

I have just harvested my first 8 asparagus peas, not exactly a meal fills worth, and wondered if anyone else has grown these and if you've had much success. I will grow them again, if only for the look of them. They are truly a beautiful plant when grown and flowering and don't look out of place in any flower border.

[debbilove]

[pumkinlover]

I grew them a few years ago and was not that impressed, but then I found out that they need eating when ver small so it was my fault :-[

[gavinjconway]

I grew them 2 years ago and yes they are a lovely plant with their red flowers. If you pick them when they are no longer than 30mm and simmer them for a few minutes and add butter like with asparagus they are delicious.... but leave them any longer (like 50mm) and they are really stringy and you can only suck the pulp and seed from them.. A good taste tho and worth a grow.

[Emagggie]

I grew these too a few years ago. I decided that they weren't prolific enough and therefore a waste of valuable growing space...but they are pretty ;D

[Digeroo]

I think they have lovely flowers, not sure I think of them as a great value food crop. Only grew them once.

[chriscross1966]

I'd suggest all asparagus pea threads be moved to inedibles..... :D

[gavinjconway]

I had 4 plants and they gave us loads.. they grew to about 3' high and wide.. long branches all over.

[gavinjconway]

I'd suggest all asparagus pea threads be moved to inedibles..... :D

Nooooo they are delicious if eaten at the right time...  :P

[debbilove]

Thanks for the replies.  I only grew about 8 plants in the flower border at home. I wasn't expecting much harvest to eat and I initially grew them for the ornamental value.  Good job really as they don't really produce much.

[irridium]

i'm curious about this too, as i'm all for edibles looking pretty. i thought with my first-time sown crimson-flowered broad beans were amazing this year that it was worth growing them for the flowers.

think i read somewhere that you can use the asparagus peas as a green manure, is that right? are they part of the legume family?

[gavinjconway]

i'm curious about this too, as i'm all for edibles looking pretty. i thought with my first-time sown crimson-flowered broad beans were amazing this year that it was worth growing them for the flowers.

think i read somewhere that you can use the asparagus peas as a green manure, is that right? are they part of the legume family?

Sounds about right... it certainly can be used as a green manure.. The flowers are great and you get a good bush if you persist.. 

[sunloving]

Yurk waste of space, I hated them as I did  the strawberry sticks chenopodium. Shame on the seed companies for their BS.
x sunloving

[cleo]

I use the same recipe as I do for fresh water bream,place on cardboard for 24 hours then eat the cardboard

[gavinjconway]

I use the same recipe as I do for fresh water bream,place on cardboard for 24 hours then eat the cardboard

Cleo - a bit off topic I know but, you would never ever have done that with our Bream in Africa.... they were the best tasting fish around...

picture this - sitting on the banks of the river, sun setting with fantastic reddy orange sunset on the horizon,  pulling out a fish with every few casts.. pulling out a 1-3 pounder each time, cold beer placed strategically in the sand next to your chair, fire behind you with your "gilly" (AKA .. helper / butler / cook / worm fetcher) attending to your fresh fish, gutted, slit open in half, bit of salt rubbed into the lovely white flesh, squeeze of lemon and then placed above the coals to BBQ....  it was really hell in Africa .. 

[debbilove]

Am I somehow missing the link between asparagus peas and bream fish?

[gavinjconway]

Am I somehow missing the link between asparagus peas and bream fish?

No Debbie - I just wandered off on a tangent in a reply to the post (below) from Cleo about them tasting of cardboard.. sorry..

I use the same recipe as I do for fresh water bream,place on cardboard for 24 hours then eat the cardboard

[debbilove]

Oh ok....I can take the bemused look off my face now! 

[gavinjconway]

Oh ok....I can take the bemused look off my face now! 

It just took me back a few years...