RED FOX CARLIN PEAS

Pisum sativum

Limit 3 packets per customer please!

These amazing little peas are essentially the British answer to garbanzo beans. Flavorful burnished peas maintain their shape when cooked and are delicious in warm salads, stewed like French lentils, or toasted and seasoned like nuts. An heirloom dating to the Medieval, this peculiar pea is unique to the region historically known as Northumbria and is very rarely grown or marketed elsewhere in the world.

Among the most remarkable aspects of this particular selection are the flowers, which are a beautiful dusky apricot pink. We know of no other pea on Earth with such color! The sturdy 4' plants also feature tons of sweet succulent tendrils that will readily grab hold of a stake or adjacent plant. An absolute pleasure to have in the garden, and truly ideal for edible landscaping.

Like all true peas, these plants prefer to grow and flower in cool damp weather, but the pods mature and dry more easily in a warm dry summer. They are most appropriate for a spring or early summer crop, and rarely produce a viable autumn crop for us at all. As an additional challenge, the ripe dry pods tend to shatter in the garden given a nice sunny dry spell. Pay close attention if you wish to collect these peas before they are strewn about the garden.

Seeds may be sown directly into loose well-drained garden soil in spring, even as soon as the soil can be worked. Tuck around 1” beneath the surface of loose garden soil and water. Thin seedlings to around 6", and stake or trellis if your garden is particularly windy, or plant in blocks so that the plants may support one another. Allow pods to mature and dry somewhat in the garden, but collect before pods shatter. Dry completely indoors before shelling and storing these pretty peas in a glass jar on the countertop. Soak overnight and boil as you would any dry pea or bean. Be sure to save some seeds for planting the following season!

Addendum: In 2025 we discovered that these peas tolerate clay soils and extreme heat better than most, but even so our plants were killed by an early freeze before most pods could ripen. We only have a very limited supply to share this year. Peas are self-pollinating and only very rarely cross with one another, making them ideal for beginning seed savers. And these peas are INTENDED to be harvested in their fully ripened and dry state, so just put some in an envelope for the next season. Done.

Grown by Farmacie Isolde.

Packet contains at least 20 seeds.