Avi Joan – This wonderful heirloom pea comes from Catalonia. Very heavy crops of glorious large peas (10 in a pod) are born on vines that can reach 3 metres. So require very good support for them to climb plus a step ladder for harvesting. My favourite pea, given to me by Jesus Vargas whose wife’s grandfather bred it and named it after her grandmother. Completely stunning and delicious variety. Very rare. Until I met Jesus he was the only person in the world growing this pea.
Currently out of stock
Carouby de Maussane snow pea _ A French mange-tout with pods that can grow to 12cms. Very tasty. Grows to 1.8 metres so needs support. A commercial variety now easier to buy.
CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK
Douce Provence – an overwintering commercial cultivar widely available. My go-to pea for a crop in May from an October sowing. Can grow to 1.2 metres or more. The best of its type in my opinion.
CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK
Hangman’s Door – a tall, purple-podded pea of excellent flavour. I was given this pea with its wonderful name by someone I met at a talk I was giving. Sadly, I have lost their name and in any event they were unable to shed light on teh name or provenance. Delicious eaten as a young shelled pea, both raw and cooked
Jaune de Madras mange-tout – one of the peas used by Mendel in his work on genetics 150 years ago this delicious and beautiful mange-tout would not be out of place in the flower border. Growing to 2metres it yields a heavy crop over a long period. One I grow most years. Bred in France by Vilmorin Andreux, it is held in The Utrecht gene bank. It is synonymous with a commercially available heritage variety called Golden Sweet.
CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK
KAPUZINERӔT BLAUWSCHOKKER A very attractive blue-podded Danish heritage variety that can be eaten freshly shelled but is most useful as a dried pea. Excellent in soups and stews
Maiden’s Blush (Luang Prabang mange-tout) – discovered in Laos, this delicious mange-tout is prolific as well as lovely to look at. Bright green pods with a pink hint make it look just as if it is blushing. Can be left to crop for shelled peas. One of my favourites. Grows to 2-metres. Can be eaten as a shelling and a sa dry pea, but best when young.
Currently out of sock
Purple mange tout – a tall and easy to grow, tasty mange tout with beautiful flowers and heavy crops of tasty pods. does really well in a large container.
TRAIN DRIVER This Swedish heirloom named after the man who first shared seeds with some serious Swedish pea nuts some years ago is a snow pea of enormous proportions and equally enormous sweetness and flavour. I believe it to be synonymous with Roi de Carouby Snow Pea which is held by the HSL Grows to over 2-metres , crops over a long season and can be sown in summer for an autumn crop.
CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK
