This rare, wild pea, has been grown in Italy for centuries, and consumed as a staple by local populations. It produces small, speckled peas, which are dark brown, purple, reddish or dark green in color. The flavor is rich and more like a fava bean than a soup pea. Wild, dry peas are a protein-rich food and a delicious and nourishing addition to soups. In Italy they are also used to make farecchiata (a kind of polenta).
I found these very easy to grow. They prefer a cool growing season. I direct seeded in rows on the 10th of April. They reach a height of about 4′ and require a trellis. I harvested in mid July by cutting the whole plant and hanging until pods are completely dry. Easily threshed by placing plants into a pillow case and then gently stepping on the pillow case to release the peas from the pods. Winnowing is done in front of a fan. Excellent yields.
Seed Saving: Isolate from other Pisum sativum varieties by a minimum of 50′ for home use, or 150′ for pure seed.
Hi. Thanks for the beautiful pictures and detailed information. Do I need to order one by one? I’m so thrilled to see the crop species and varieties I’ve always wanted to try. Thanks. 🙂
Hi there and thank you for providing so much useful information! I’m down south in the Indianapolis area so warmer. I was wondering if anyone had experience fall or frost seeding with these peas? Thank you
I personally have never tried it up here.
I tried it in zone 6 West Virginia and it works much better planted in the spring. I think only one or two fall-planted plants produced peas.
Thank you for the replies gentlemen. I’ll stick to spring seeding.