Farm To Table:
Rediscovering: Peas
Peas and spring. What a wonderful combination! Not just a lowly vegetable, these little beauties can liven up a dish or make a superb side and compliment to many a meal. Botanically, peas are a fruit, that in cooking is treated as a vegetable. Earliest archeological finds of peas comes from Neolithic Syriah, Turkey and Jordan; in Egypt the finds date 4800-4400 BC in the delta Nile area and farther east, the finds date even earlier in Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwest India dating, 2250-1750 BC. You can easily grow peas from seeds and plant them in early spring. There are many varieties of garden pea seeds, like Little Wonder, Wando and Mr. Big to name a few. In Europe in the Middle Ages, the pea became an important part of their diet. By the 1600 and 1700’s eating peas while immature and right after they were picked became popular. Especially true in France and England where eating green peas was said to be ‘both a fashion and a madness”. New cultivars of pea were developed by the English, becoming known as ‘English peas’; the popularity spread to North America and on Thomas Jefferson’s estate, he grew more than 30 cultivars of peas. 
Growing them, even in limited space is easy, especially since they grow ‘up; just think vertical garden. Cooking peas, even from frozen can be done to keep them fresh and sweet. This is best done by putting the peas in a heat safe bowl and pouring boiling water over them, drain and prepare to serve. For more sophisticated peas, add in a little drizzle of olive oil, lemon zest or chopped mint; adding in nuts like slivered almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and tossing them with cooked shallots or even green onions for that burst of spring flavor. Creaming them is also a particularly tasty treat, tossing them in some sour cream or cream while warm.
04-2010
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Video: Growing Peas From Seeds |
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Book: Urban Gardening: The Backyard homestead |
Springtime Tea
Spring is the perfect time to embrace an old tradition and make it your own: the springtime tea. Whether you go out and enjoy somewhere casual like one of my favorites, the Little White House Salon Café or somewhere more formal like The Empress Hotel, Victoria BC, the flavors of the season are a huge part of the renewal of this fashionable and delicious activity. If you are feeling so inclined, you can whether casual or more elaborate assemble a lovely spring time tea incorporating all the richness of taste and color that brings the season alive. Imagine a meal of Lavender 
Scones with Rose jelly and Devon cream, chopped egg sandwiches, cucumber and mint croissants, herb omelets, roasted tomato crepes with hollandaise sauce. If desserts are your thing, the Sweet Petits at the Little White House are heavenly and deliciously addictive. Springtime tea is one of those traditions that is easy to adopt and is at this time of year is the perfect way to herald the blossoms and sunshine.
Enjoyed inside or outside, dressed with hats and gloves or just t-shirt and jeans, this little luxury is in everyone’s price range. Here is some food for thought for planning your own tea. Whet your appetite for a springtime tea with this video featuring Rob Anderson of the Fairmont Hotel Victoria introducing you to the mostly locally accessed, mouthwatering food: a three-tiered tea tray (of which I’ve eaten and it was phenomenal!)
Traditional Afternoon Tea Explained At The Fairmont Empress Video
03-2010
Rediscovering Bread
Can you imagine what life would be like with no bread? I can’t and would not want to. This ancient food, now a household staple and should be embraced. Bread has been consumed by man since recorded history. It was first produced as a way to consume wheat berries. A wheat berry is the entire wheat kernel except the hull. When the seeds sprouted, they were planted and this produced more seeds. One place in the world that embraces bread is France. Parisians get fresh bread every day, sometimes twice! The Boulangerie and Pastry shop (Patisserie) are often the same and they produce a dizzying array of deliciousness.
I love this quote about bread:
“Bread is the king of the table and all else is merely the court that surrounds the king. The countries are the soup, the meat, the vegetables, the salad but bread is king.”
Louis Bromfield, American novelist (1896-1956)
Take a look at this video of a Parisian Boulangerie (bakery) and the fabulous breads (and pastries!)
02/2010
Related Articles:
Meet a Farmer: Grass Fed Beef | Rediscovering Bread | Adopt an Olive Tree | Chocolate Growers | Movie: Food Inc.
