Dwarf Pea Ceresa

The Ceresa Pea (Pisum sativum in Latin) is an exceptional new variety of pea. Very productive, it offers an abundance of pods containing up to 10 delicious peas. The plants have few leaves but are equipped with numerous tendrils, making the use of frames optional. It is sown from March to June for a harvest from June to September.

The Pea is an annual vegetable belonging to the Fabaceae family (formerly Leguminosae) which has ancient origins in the Near East. It is one of the oldest cultivated vegetables in Europe and Asia. It was long consumed dry and crushed before cooking, its fresh consumption is rather recent.

There are many varieties of Peas: dwarf or climbing (with frames) producing pods filled with smooth or wrinkled round grains. They are cooked after being shelled because the parchment-like pod in which they are enclosed is not edible. Only snow peas (with flat, crunchy and buttery pods) are consumed in their entirety.

In general, climbing Peas are more productive but they are less early and require the installation of a structure of 1.5 to 2 metres (5 to 7 feet) that they can climb. Their harvest is easy. Dwarf or semi-dwarf Peas suffice with a few branches or canes (from 50 cm (20in) to 1 metre (3 feet)) as frames. Some recent varieties, whose foliage is largely replaced by tendrils, support themselves and the use of frames is then optional.

Smooth-grained Peas are resistant to spring cold. They are very early or early varieties that can be sown early in the year under protection, but they do not appreciate excessive heat.

For late spring and early summer sowings, wrinkled-grained varieties with a sweeter flavour are used, as they tolerate heat and offer longer harvests.

The Pea is a vegetable highly appreciated in spring, but it can be harvested, by carefully choosing the varieties, over a long period from June to September.

In cooking, Peas can be consumed raw, but they are traditionally cooked to accompany meats and fish or to prepare delicious soups. It is a fairly calorie-rich vegetable as it is high in carbohydrates, and it contains a lot of fibre, iron, and vitamins C and B9.

Peas like mild and humid climates but dislike extreme weather conditions such as high temperatures, frost, and a lack/excess of water, which weaken them and make them susceptible to powdery mildew and the pea moth, a small caterpillar that eats the seeds.

Harvest: Depending on the varieties, Peas are harvested between two and a half and four months after sowing. The picking should be regular and done when, under finger pressure, the pods feel well-filled. Don't wait too long... Peas tend to harden as they age!

Storage: Fresh Peas are stored, unshelled, in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. They freeze very well once blanched in boiling water.

The gardener's little tip: Peas, like all Fabaceae, have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil, they play a role similar to green manure. This nitrogen supply is beneficial both to plants that are nearby and to those that will be planted subsequently in a crop rotation logic.