Speckled Peas: More beautiful than a bouquet of flowers!

I like to drive through the fields on Sunday afternoons to check up on how things are doing – what is ready for harvest and what still needs a little more time. My wife Mary and I are usually dressed in our Sunday best for the drive and this time was no different.

I pulled up in our pickup truck next to a field of speckled snow peas and even though I was wearing my finest pair of overalls, I couldn't resist getting out of the truck, wandering deep into the field and kneeling down next to one of my favorite new crops this season.

Most of us associate peas with the springtime but some varieties actually love the cold, the speckled pea first and foremost on this list. We planted them in late August this year, knowing that they can withstand the frost and actually grow sweeter with each passing autumn day when the air is tinged with the promise of the coming winter.

We collaborated with a plant breeder for our new speckled pea. He is working with us on selecting pea varieties to produce a vegetable that is so extraordinary in color and flavor. I gathered a purple-yellow bouquet of them for my bride and proudly carried them back to the truck.

When she saw me approaching with a bunch of peas in my hands she looked at me like I had lost my mind until she caught sight of their beauty. A big smile spread across her face as she accepted my gift, more beautiful than a bouquet of flowers, sweeter and more delicious too.