Even kids who don’t like vegetables usually like peas. Peas grow on long vines. They have white flowers and they make beautiful garden plants.
Fun Facts
- English peas are harvested when they’re young and tender. They’re removed from their pods and usually sold frozen or canned.
- Snap peas and snow peas make a great snack. The entire sweet, crunchy pod is edible.
- Field peas are harvested when they’re more mature and dried. They are used to make pea soup. In Medieval times, pease porridge was a diet staple.
- Researchers believe peas were growing in Greece, Syria, Turkey, and Jordan at least 4,000 years ago.
- Peas are most commonly green. They can also be yellow or purple.
- Peas are cool-weather crops. They wither and die in the heat but grow well in the spring and fall.
- Thomas Jefferson grew more than 30 varieties of peas on his plantation.
- These sweet vegetables are high in fiber, protein, vitamin B, and vitamin C.
Vocabulary
- Pod: the outside portion of a pea
- Diet staple: the main food people eat
- Wither: shrivel
Questions and Answers
Question: What is the best way to eat peas?
Answer: Peas are delicious raw. They can be steamed or added to soups, stews, and casseroles. Just don’t boil them!
Learn More
Learn how to grow peas in your own garden.
