The Main Plant entry for Peas (Pisum sativum)

"The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a (pea) flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking.

A pea is a most commonly green, occasionally purple or golden yellow, pod-shaped vegetable, widely grown as a cool season vegetable crop. The seeds may be planted as soon as the soil temperature reaches 50 °F, with the plants growing best at temperatures of 55 to 64 °F. They do not thrive in the summer heat of warmer temperate and lowland tropical climates, but do grow well in cooler, high altitude, tropical areas. Many cultivars reach maturity about 60 days after planting.

Peas are starchy, but high in fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and lutein. Dry weight is about one-quarter protein and one-quarter sugar. Pea seed peptide fractions have less ability to scavenge free radicals than glutathione, but greater ability to chelate metals and inhibit linoleic acid oxidation."

Taken from wikipedia's page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P...

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I love peas. All sorts of peas. I buy them both canned and frozen at the supermarket, but nothing beats the taste of my own home-grown peas fresh from the garden in spring. And peas are so easy to grow. Start them early in spring for that first crop and then sow a second crop in late summer for peas to eat in fall.

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