Green Peas

Green Peas – From Seed to Plate

It's easy to pick up a bag of frozen green peas from the supermarket and toss them in your stir fry or soup, but have you ever stopped to think about all that has to happen to bring your favorite veggie to your plate? On our journey to learn how this incredible food comes to life, let's follow the green pea from seed to plate.

Planting and Growing

Every journey starts with a single step, and for the green pea that step is planting. A good place to start green pea cultivation is by ensuring the soil is a good fit. Green peas prefer well-drained soils that are slightly acidic, with a pH of 5.8-7.0. They do best in fertile loam and sandy loam soils with plenty of moisture. The most suitable temperatures during planting range from 40-85 degrees F. An important consideration in many parts of the world is the use of pea inoculants, which are viruses and bacteria that are used to help green peas create the enzyme nitrogenase, which helps the plant fix nitrogen from the air into the soil. This is important for seed growth, flowering, and the development of pods and peas.

Then it's time to plan the seeds! Green peas, like other legumes, have the ability to fix their own nitrogen, meaning they don't rely entirely on nitrogen-rich fertilizers to complete their life cycle. However, they can also benefit from fertilization, particularly nitrogen-based fertilizers, as well as phosphorus and potassium. When applying nitrogen-based fertilizers, it's important not to apply too much or too fast, as this can result in lush foliage growth but poor yield. Plant the seed 1-2 inches (2-5 cm) deep and keep the soil moist and warm while the seedling establishes!

Once your seedlings are established, there are a variety of factors to consider to ensure a successful crop. Weed control is important to provide your green peas with the water and nutrients they need, and mulching can also help keep in moisture and discourage weeds. Green peas require plenty of sun and adequate water, which should be provided evenly and regularly throughout the season.

Harvesting and Processing

Once your peas are mature and the vines are dry and brown, it's time to harvest! Green peas are considered a dry crop, meaning they require little to no postharvest handling before packaging. For fresh markets, the peas can be picked when the pods are full and the seeds are firm but before the pea shells become tough. As soon as the peas are harvested, they should be cooled quickly to preserve their quality and flavor.

Once the green peas have been harvested, they need to be processed and packaged. This process typically involves cleaning and separating the peas from their hulls, grading according to quality and size, blanching or freezing to prepare them for packaging, and finally, packing them in appropriate packages (bags, cans, or frozen containers). Depending on the desired product, different pre-processing treatments may be used. Blanching, for example, is used to make canned or frozen peas. This process involves the peas being plunged into boiling water for a few minutes, which helps them retain their color, flavor, and texture.

After the peas have been processed and packaged, it's time to transport them to grocery stores and markets. Most peas are transported in refrigerated trucks to maintain their quality and safety. The journey lasts from several hours to a few days, depending on the final destination.

Enjoying On the Plate

After all the hard work, it's finally time to enjoy your green peas!

Green peas are a highly versatile vegetable, used in a variety of dishes around the world. They can be cooked whole and added to salads, steamed and added to casseroles, mashed and added to burgers, pureed and used to top pizzas and tacos, or simply served on their own. They are also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, and Phosphorus.

In conclusion, we have explored the fascinating journey from seed to plate that green peas undertake. It's a fascinating process that requires plenty of dedication and sweat from the farmers that plant and grow these unique vegetables, and without them, we wouldn't be able to enjoy the delicious dishes and nutritious benefits that green peas bring!