ASPARAGUS PEA
First things first, this is nothing to do with asparagus.
A tender member of the pea family (legume), it gets its name because some people seem to think it tastes like asparagus.
Hmmm. It does have a very distinctive and pleasant taste, but asparagus?
Click here to go to asparagus pea at Tucker's Seeds - currently on special offer (Jan 2014)
Click here for a very jolly article on Asparagus Pea, by a gardener who says it is very easy to grow - but they are in the Caribbean!!!
A tender member of the pea family (legume), it gets its name because some people seem to think it tastes like asparagus.
Hmmm. It does have a very distinctive and pleasant taste, but asparagus?
Click here to go to asparagus pea at Tucker's Seeds - currently on special offer (Jan 2014)
Click here for a very jolly article on Asparagus Pea, by a gardener who says it is very easy to grow - but they are in the Caribbean!!!
Click on the pic to go to Tuckers Seeds website
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I have been trying to find someone - anyone, who has had a good rate of success with this vegetable, so if you've got it cracked then get in touch!!!
Having grown it several times, I would report the following. Yes the taste is delicate and very delicious. Yes, the plant is attractive; low, bushy, with pale green foliage and mahogany red flowers which would be gorgeous if only they were a little larger. |
All references to asparagus pea emphasise that it is important to pick the pods while they are very young, or they become stringy. In my experience, the window of opportunity is very brief. My soil is clay but I have given them a premium spot and even dug water-retaining gel crystals in to try and help keep them moist. Despite this, the period between them being large enough to see, and becoming too woody, is a couple of days. There is a constant supply and you do not need to have a very long row to get a handful every day. However, you can't, as with most vegetables, pick several good portions one day then give it a rest for a few days. Next year I am going to try them in a raised bed in a free-drained, humus-rich compost, and will report on the results. It would also be well worth trying them in a polytunnel or greenhouse, as they do relish heat!
Best used in stirfries or salads where you can use up the small amount you need to pick every day. "Save up" a portion by picking them and putting them in the fridge in a polythene bag till you have collected several pickings together.
Best used in stirfries or salads where you can use up the small amount you need to pick every day. "Save up" a portion by picking them and putting them in the fridge in a polythene bag till you have collected several pickings together.
