The perfect way to grow your own food without a garden, house or even outdoor privileges. All you need is a windowsill to grow some microgreen pea sprouts.
That's right. Even if you're in a prison cell, as long as that cell has a window, you can grow pea shoots.
Pea shoots are the MOST delicious little tendrils you'll ever try. And the greatest thing about them is they taste exactly like raw peas. So if you're like me and have never actually eaten a cooked pea because they never make it to a pot, pea shoots are going to be your new favourite thing.
Pea shoots grow in a couple of weeks. All you need is a sunny windowsill.
(my windowsill is only kind of sunny and it still works great)
Don't worry about getting official pea seeds. Just buy a box of dried "marrow peas" in the grocery store. But don't buy the ones I just linked to. They're way too expensive. It's much cheaper to get them in the grocery store.
I bet you didn't even know you could find a box of dried pea seeds in your grocery store. You can. You'll find them in the canned vegetable aisle (even though they're in a box.)
It's way cheaper and easier to buy them this way rather than buying regular pea seeds.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Fill a pot with soil.
- Just push the seeds into the soil until they're about the same depth as the seed itself.
- Be generous with the amount you plant. You can fill the whole surface of the pot.
- Keep the seeds watered and within 2 weeks you'll have sprouts big enough to eat.
- To harvest, pinch the shoot off, do not pull it out. Another shoot will grow from the same seed.
- Continue to pinch and eat until the shoots stop producing or you get sick of pea shoots on your salad.
You can start pinching off the shoots once they get about this size.
** Don't pull them out, pinch them off, because they'll grow another shoot from the same root. **
The shoots can also grow longer so they have pretty little tendrils.
How to Use Pea Shoots
- In salads
- As a topping on stew
- In soups
- Stir fry (with the larger shoots)
All you need is a pot, soil, pea seeds and a windowsill. They'll keep you fed and entertained for 25 years to life.
Why is this the first time I've heard of these? Yummy! I'm starting some today. Thank you!
They're so good! ~ karen
I've done this with fresh, shelled English peas. In many parts of the States, it's hard to find dried marrow peas (unless you live near a vibrant British community that has some pull with the grocery store manager). My brother in law brought us a few boxes when he came over so I could make mushy peas like I had near his home in Norwich, but I'd have never thought they could be resurrected to the point of sprouting. Thanks for the great tip! Now I wonder if I can grow a full peavine from them & keep my marrow pea source going!
Terra - As long as the marrow peas are an heirloom variety you could do exactly that! I know, to look at the marrow peas you would *never* think they'd be viable. ~ karen!
As my snap and snow peas were ending I let some fatten up to save seeds. The last batch I opened up were filled with mold. Yuck! Why would they do that? (Other than the near constant 95% humidity and 95°F for the last few months.) Is it humid up there in zone 6? Zone 8 here. Puddle country. Lol.
I snip some off of my outdoor pea vines. Better than peas! Sometimes I have cut some not so tender vines by mistake, I found a great use for those. Stick them in the freezer, then pop them in the pot when making broth, soup, or when cooking dried beans! Adds a lovely little something to the flavor. :)