Growing some Carlin peas. They've nicely germinated now.
Carlin peas have a long history in the UK, particularly in The North, but are rarely eaten here now. You likely won't find them in the supermarket.
You grow them and let them dry, so they're kind of like dried beans. That's the kind of thing I love, something that stores well for ages, and tasty and nutritious!
I'm new to this so not expecting a big crop.... but keen to get up close with the whole lifecycle of growing.
My little pea babies graduated! 🌱 🎓
I built a frame from some hazel branches I collected locally, some nasty plastic netting I bought, and twine that was in the house.
I dug, weeded, and spread manure, then planted 70 little ones in the ground (and broke the fork in the process 😢).
They seem very dense, but internet told me 2" apart... let's find out 🤞
I used some nasty chemical slug pellets, can't do it wholesomely this time, sorry.
They're looking happy this morning..
@nick Cool. Where did you get them? I might give that a go.
@SoftwareTheron I bought a pack of these https://hodmedods.co.uk/products/black-badger-carlin-peas from a local wholefood co-op.
They are not specifically intended for sprouting and growing but https://nodighome.com/2019/04/30/three-delicious-versatile-veg-to-sow-now-for-winter-feasts/ told me they work great!
@nick Sweeet! Thank you!
F1 hybrids maybe... they may not breed true?
@SoftwareTheron I just read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F1_hybrid but still not much the wiser.
you mean the ones they sell might already be a cross breed? and that makes an impact on the peas they would produce?
@nick Yes. If they're F1 the plants may be quite varied - obviously they will still be pea plants but they might be either/any of the hybridised varieties. I'll be interested to see what happens.
(I'm not a botanist or gardener; what I know about this comes from parents and grandparents, who were both.)
@nick It doesn't mean they're hybrids at all, obvs. Complete guess on my part (though there are definitely plants which will give you that result - most apples, IIRC, and a lot of roses).
@SoftwareTheron it's a fascinatingly deep topic.. that reminded me to re-find a note of a few recommendations from @dans who is the growing brain behind a lot of our growing at @DryArchGrowers
three recommendations:
- https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/breed-your-own-vegetable-varieties/
- https://www.realseeds.co.uk
- https://seedsavers.net/resource/seed-savers-handbook/
I might get these if my interest continues...
@nick @dans @DryArchGrowers Excellent, thank you very much!
@nick I love Carlin peas. I hope yours turn out well.
I bought already-dried ones from Hodmedod's and, after soaking & pre-cooking them, they're brilliant in this Spanish-inspired recipe https://ko-fi.com/post/Carlin-Pea-experimental-Garbanzos-y-Espinaca-rec-G2G34ES7O
@stephaniejne yum, salivating looking at the pics of the food.
when I can be bothered when doing chickpeas I cook them with bicarbonate of soda and tea, following a tip in an indian recipe, to get them to absorb water and get really soft inside... I wonder if the same applies to carlin peas...
... let's see if I can grow any first though (well, I've got the rest of the pack still)
@nick The bicarb tip also works! I do this, although I hadn't heard of using tea.
Have you got a slow cooker? It's the easiest way I've found to cook both chickpeas & carlin peas, plus it makes really good aquafaba at the same time (only with chickpeas, sadly!)
@stephaniejne the tea thing seems maybe more known for indian food, here's an example in a recipe https://www.manusmenu.com/chole-masala
I think I originally saw the tip in a video tutorial, which introduced it as a way to get the benefit of bicarb, without the taste impact (something like the tea has a slow release that neutralized the bicarb after it's done it's work... something like that).
I'd love a slow cooker, and a pressure cooker.... on the wishlist for now...
@nick thanks for the recipe link 👍
(And my slow cooker was £4 in a hospice charity shop 😉 )
@stephaniejne my delay is because I'm going to be living with only access to limited power DC-only electricity supply, so needs some deeper research :)
@nick ahh, that's like us on our boat now. We've only got 12v from the solar unless we're actually journeying along a canal. I'm yet to find a 12v slow cooker 🤔
@stephaniejne I was looking up DC pressure cookers, e.g. https://m.alibaba.com/product/1600310260498/Ewant-5L-Multifunctional-Portable-travel-24.html?spm=a2700.shop_plser.41413.5.34f04a94UJsuDa&redirect=1
After reading this report https://mecs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/eWant-24V-DC-5-litre-cooker.pdf
... need a bit more research to trust in that though ...
Maybe there is a slow cooker too like that.
@nick that report is interesting. The 475w for heat up could be too heavy for our batteries in the winter months, but the 158w cooking power is fine for half an hour or so.
It could be a question of pressure cooking the food in the middle of the day (on cloudy days) to take advantage of whatever power was coming in, then just quickly reheating the meal on the hob at dinner time.
Definitely something to ponder 🤔
@nick I just remembered I have also successfully cooked chickpeas in a basic diy solar cooker too (on a sunny day, obviously!)
I just made a 'box' out of that silver painted bubblewrap insulation stuff, and used my slow cooker's black metal pan with its clear lid. I did start them off in preheated water, then they cooked to soft in about four hours.
@nick
1/2
For me, Frisian by nature, theses peas look exactly like what we call Grauerbsen, engl. grey peas.
Today only a traditional dish which remembers times of starvation during the "Dreissigjähriger Krieg", 'Thirty Years War'.
It is also known in the Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In estonia it is a natinal dish, I was told.
Even in Sibiria there is a tradition to eat grey peas at carnival eve.
@nick
2/2
AFAIK grey peas grow under harsh conditions, cold, wet, salty soil... What is to expect in the norther reagions close to the shore.
A common name for grey peas in eastern prussia was horse peas.
Guess why 😁
The kitchen of northern England / Scottland and Friesian kitchen are quite close in some traditions.
@nick My friend in Liverpool grows these. Currently selling plants! 🌱
@violetmaze nice. Maybe that could be a sideline for me too 🌱🌱🌱🤑🤑🤑
I put my little Carlin pea friends out into modules now ... 2 per hole, let's see how they do! 🌱
... And the excess sprouted seeds into my salad sprouting seeds for eating