Hellooo
has anyone got a good reccomendation for a pea like your birds eye frozen pea ??
kids love em and next yr will be my first pea yr so i could do with a little help please
cheers
carl
Try to find varieties listed as "leafless". These were specifically bred for the canning/freezing industry to reduce the amount of plant 'trash' that harvesting machines had to sort through to obtain the pods. However, they were also bred to allow a once over harvest- all the pods will be ready more or less together!
I appreciate what John says about the commercial pea growers, but why don't you try 'Waverex' or other petit pois varieties. I grow Waverex every year (as well as other varieties) and they are absolutely brilliant. Tight little pods, sweet little peas, good to eat raw as well as cooked.
There was reason I suggested these. I tried growing leafless peas years ago, so I can't remember what variety they were, and they were also "brilliant" for flavour. That was a big surprise too me as I expected a plant so highly bred would be missing that essential facet. I tried them as, being leafless, they were touted as being easier to pick, hence more economical, my concern in a competitive market. Unfortunately they were still uneconomic for hand picking even using my most adept help so I had to drop them from my schedule. It occured to me at the time, and I still believe it, that they would be a crop that kids could pick easily, as the pods are in plain sight, and eat out of hand. Not that I am an expert on kids!
Good points John
John, you intrigued me with your description and so I did a bit of searching on the internet. Found that the variety Bikini is the leafless one most widely grown commercially. Now to find a seed supplier!
have fun googling "bikini" ;) ;)
Oh I hate having to google for something which might come up dodgy. Frinstance, Knobs and Knockers (they sell door furniture) and The Sausage Appreciation Society are two sites which I visit but I dare hardly look when you see some of the options which come up. I set my security to high ;D
Interesting stuff about the peas. My peas Kelvedon Wonder I thought weren't very nice. My husband who is pea mad didn't like them either. So I was interested to hear about delicious varieties which makes me keen to have another go next year. I wasn't going to bother but you've encouraged me
Thanks folks
Wardy
If you want the old fashioned marrowfat type (which I adore too) - they give you a real mouthful - try Lincoln. I sowed these really late this year, and they've done quite well.
I grew Feltham First and Hurst Greenshaft, both of which gave beautifully sweet peas. When left on the plant, they became 'processed' peas as did Alderman.
Petit Pois - a variety - or just cradle snatching??
Quote from: tim on September 09, 2005, 12:33:43
Petit Pois - a variety - or just cradle snatching??
They are a distinct type - pods are small, and peas are small when mature and tightly pack the pod. I'm sure I've grown another petit pois type pea with a french name, but the Waverex are jolly good.
jennym>> who supplies waverex?
wardy>> why not add sausages and knobs (i beg your pardon?) to your favourites list and then you won't have to use a search engine every time you visit the sites?!!
You can buy waverex petit pois seeds here:
http://www.seeds-by-size.co.uk/peasb98.htm or
http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/veg3A.htm or
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/pages/default.asp?mt=Category&senc=CBBXBIECBXG or
http://www.fothergills.co.uk/en/pod-sugar-mangetout-peas.aspx or
http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=251
Plenty of choice. Different prices too.
http://www.burpee.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=2740&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=13&iSubCat=233&iProductID=2740&iSubSubCat=2104
I don't recall this name as being the one I grew (and I got mine from Stokes in Canada) so I'm not endorsing it. Burpees are the oldest seedhouse in the U.S. though and do have a good reputation.
Very interesting to see things like that.
I found that the first couple of pickings from Kelvedon Wonder were fine, but that they fell off after that somewhat. Also, little green caterpillars arrived inside the pods. I guess this is a problem with being organic :(
I wanted to include more peas next year, so will try some of the suggestions here. Any thoughts on caterpillar resistant varieties?
thanks very much all something to think about i think lol
oww petit pois cradle snatching like most baby veg i think
ok ok its just my opinion
carl