I'm enjoying watching this beautiful pea in my garden. The Capucijner pea is a field pea, a variety specifically grown for drying. Here's some information I found about them: "During the late Middle Ages, Capuchin monks in Holland and northern Germany devoted considerable energy to the improvement of field peas for agricultural purposes. This has resulted in a group of large-seeded gray peas referred to as Capuchin, especially those from the Netherlands where the breeding of new pea varieties became a national pastime by the early 1600s. One of the classic peas from this group and one which dates from the 1500s is the handsome blue pod Capucijner, a soup pea growing on six-foot (two m) vines." (source) My dad can pronounce the Dutch name just fine, but I wouldn't even dare to try.
Pisum sativum, spp. arvense
6 comments:
I hadn't heard of the Capucijner pea before. It sounds very interesting and yours look beautiful.
I'm sorry to bug you in a comment but I tried to email you this weekend and it might not have worked. I have started a site called Veggie Garden Info where I post a snipet of good articles like this one with links to the author's post and blog. I used your posts from last week and I would love to use this post. But I don't want to keep linking to your posts without your permission. Is it okay to use your posts?
If you would like to answer me by email, my address is Marc@gardendesk.com. - Thanks!
Actually, this is a slightly debated topic in Europe. I was in Belgium a few months ago, and almost got into an argument with a gardener who felt the Capucijner was really a Belgian pea.
I also got some seeds from a Latvian source of a remarkably similar Latvian pea.
I suspect all over Europe there are countries with similar 'local' heirloom peas.
You said you dad can pronounce the name, has he had them before?
Hi Marc, That's great if you use my posts for Veggie Garden Info. You're welcome to use any posts that you like. It is a nice site.
Hey... thanks for the great info - I'm a new-to-the-area gardener and really appreciate your plant-it-when list. I found a great rent a plot site and can't wait to get my first garden in this spring.
I've never seen the dried peas like the Capucijner - I look forward to trying them out as I'm back into my canning and preserving.
Thanks Again!
I've never heard of rent a plot sites. Always nice to hear about another garden in the area! Good luck.
I hope to finish this year's planting schedule sometime around late December, and then order my seeds in January. I'll post my schedule.
I know the pea you mentioned and its known as the Latvian grey pea (But its brown) the guy who owns Pennard plants grows them in his garden and may be able to help you, they are not on the national list for approved seeds sales so will be hard if impossible to find, try him, on;
www.pennardplants.com
email: sales@pennardplants.com
(His name is Chris)
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