Field peas are one of the most commonly consumed foods in America, right after corn and potatoes. This story discusses what these peas are like, their growth requirements, their nutrition, and lists some easy recipes you can try at home.
Commonly used in our daily diet, field peas are a yummy treat for our taste buds. Botanically this plant is known as Pisum sativum, and has small spherical seeds inside a pod. These peas have a life cycle of a year and are used in fresh, frozen, or canned forms.
They prefer cold weather and need the soil temperature to be a minimum of 10 degrees C. The vegetable plants of these peas are grown outdoors in the winter, and gardeners don't usually grow them in green houses. There are many varieties of field peas found, and each have different features.
Nutrition
Field peas are cultivated to be used in two forms: (1) where they are sent to the dry market, and (2) where they are used as a fresh vegetable. These peas have been proven to provide a good amount of nutrients to the human body
These peas have considerably high levels of amino acids like lysine and tryptophan, which are very important for your metabolism.
They are very rich in protein. When used as fodder, these peas act as a very healthy alternative to cereal grains which fail to provide enough protein to livestock and cattle.
In 100gms of field peas, 886 kJ energy is provided along with 0.8 gms of fat, 18 gms protein, 40 gms of carbohydrates, and 19 gms of fiber.
The values can vary according to growth factors like variety, environmental conditions, and age of the peas.
Recipes
There are many delicious varieties of food that can be made with field peas. Their rich green color and sweet juicy taste adds a unique taste to any dish.
Salad
Ingredients:
1 can field peas
1 can shoe peg corn
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons oil
½ cup white vinegar
Directions: For this healthy salad, use a large mixing bowl and add the field peas and corn in it. Then add the onions, sugar, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper as the marinate. Refrigerate the salad overnight before serving.
Soup
Ingredients:
2 medium chopped onions
2 cups field peas
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and nutmeg
Directions: Blend all the ingredients together, add the salt and pepper and then heat it on low flame. Bring it to a boil until it has a desired consistency. Serve it nice and hot with a fresh thyme garnish.