native to: central Asia and the Middle East
in season here: July, with a possible second crop in the fall
Botanically speaking, peas are a fruit. Green peas, also called shelling peas, garden peas, or English peas, are the immature seed of dried peas, also called field peas and most often seen as split peas. Dried peas have been around for at least 5000 years, but fresh green peas didn't come into vogue until the 16th century. Edible pod peas, often divided into snow peas (with a flat pod and very small peas) and snap peas (similar in appearance to shelling peas, being a cross between snow and shelling peas), are a more recent development. Snow peas were developed in Holland in the 16th century; snap peas were developed in 1979. All are varieties of Pisum sativum and members of the Fabaceae or pulse family, related to garbanzos, lentils, and beans.
They're best fresh, especially since commercial processing of peas involves immersing them in a salt brine to separate the younger, sweeter peas from the older, starchier ones. Also, canned peas are preserved in a sugar solution, instead of the salt brine most canned vegetables get. The natural sugars in peas convert to starch fairly readily, so even frozen or canned peas should be used soon and fresh peas should be eaten as soon after picking as possible.
Peas are also environmentally friendly. They're nitrogen fixers, converting nitrogen gas to natural fertilizers, and the plants break down readily, moving that fertilizer into the soil. They're also drought-tolerant and their shallow roots help prevent erosion.
Peas are high in protein, fiber, anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatories, B-complex vitamins, vitamins C, E, and K, zinc, omega-3s, carotenoids, and niacin. They're good for the eyes and can help lower the bad kind of cholesterol, improve heart health, reverse insulin resistance, support the immune system, and prevent constipation, osteoporosis, wrinkles, Alzheimer's, arthritis, bronchitis, and stomach cancer.
Read more:
label-style nutrition information for raw green peas
label-style nutrition information for raw snap and snow peas
World's Healthiest Foods
Healthy Eating
Pea Shoots
Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish.
Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.
