I cleared out the spent snow peas this morning and mulched up where they were ready to plant out some tomatoes next fruiting planting break. I ended up with this bowl of pea seed. Now the dilemma: should I save them to plant next year, or make hummus of them?
On one hand, it’s enough to make a nice little batch of hummus, and I have newly harvested garlic and still some lemons and some tahini. On the other hand, it’s much more valuable as seed – there’s about 400 seeds in there, roughly $25 worth.
But on the other hand, they’re Oregon Giant, which I don’t mind as a variety and I’d like to plant again, but they’re not the variety I loved for years but forgot to record where I got the original seed from and then forgot to save seeds, so lost the variety. I’d rather like to buy seed again next year and keep trying to find it again.
But on the other hand my snow peas all did pretty well this year (after they got through the stage of mice eating them before they even germinated), and it was a wet year, one to test them against powdery mildew, which is usually my pea bane.
But on the other hand, these seeds haven’t been selected as seed – they’re just the ones that I didn’t get around to picking. There’re not the biggest, sweetest, strongest, earliest. And they might have crossed with the peas planted at the same time. But on the other hand sometimes that kind of cross gives good results, or at least interesting ones.
But on the other hand, they’re lovely fresh organic peas and will make the best hummus. It’s a dilemma.
Make the hummus – you know you want to 😀
Or sprouts (micro-greens). Peas do prefer the cooler weather but it wouldn’t be too late, at least try a couple of tablespoons of seeds in a pot with sufficient surface area. They can be grown quite closely. Soak the seeds first then put on top of the potting mix, cover as you would to germinate for planting. When the micro-greens are around 3 or so inches high, have developed some leaves and tendrils, snip off at soil level and enjoy the freshest organic sprouts on the planet. Some seeds will shoot again and you can get a second crop. Fertilise with seaweed or worm liquid. Home-grown ‘snow pea’ sprouts beat the bought variety on several counts.
Would you be planting that many? How about keeping a few to plant next year and making hummus from the rest? Sounds like a win-win situation
Hi Elaine, wow, that’s such a good idea. I think next year I might grow extra just for that.
I don’t seed save, I don’t feel experienced enough, yet! But now I am even more nervous about it. I can see myself agonising over this for hours. One thing my life coach use to say is “you can have it all”. This comment would often piss me off mainly because he mostly was right. Is this one of those situations? How many seeds would you need to keep for sowing, a dozen or two? That still leaves ample for hummus. The decision to plant them can then be postponed. I think you can indeed “have it all”. And aren’t some dilemmas just lovely to have.
Linda you make hummus from snow peas? Aren’t snow peas the flat ones? They appear dried in the picture .. ?
Definately do what Elaine suggests. Fantastic! What an idea.
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Hi Corrin, snow peas are the flat ones, but if you forget to pick them and let them mature, they grow into peas in a flattish pod, and then they mature and dry into seed – which you can plant, or eat. I love Elaine’s idea though. Probably a bit hot now, but next year.
Well, what did you do? Don’t leave us wondering!
Followed Jason and Gillian’s advice. And it was very good.
I never in a million years would have thought of making hummus out of it, what a great idea!