RED FOX CARLIN PEAS

Pisum sativum

SOLD OUT! We will not have these again until 2025. Sorry!

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 unfortunately did not 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. Gardeners are advised to pay close attention if they wish to collect these peas before they are strewn about the garden.

Seeds may be sown directly into the garden 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 for planting in 2024, as we will not have the opportunity to grow these in 2023!

Grown by Farmacie Isolde.

Packet contains at least 30 seeds.