Calabrian Peas Fresh from the Garden

Remember when I shared Judy Witts Francini’s recipe for Piselli alla Fiorentina from her wonderful cookbook Secrets from My Tuscan Kitchen? I had to use frozen peas for that dish because ours weren’t ready yet . . . but then they got ready. And man do I love fresh peas from the garden.

Peas are even gorgeous as plants, aren’t they? Such pretty flowers!

I know the goats agree, and although I’m sure they’d love to munch on the peas at any stage of growth, they usually just get the pods once we’ve removed the peas.

And they love ’em!

If you’ve been following along at Goat Berries, you know that these photos are from a few weeks ago as we no longer have the goats pictured above. *sigh*

But we still have Pasqualina and Pinta, and they both love the pea pods too (and fava pods if you got ’em) . . . as I also wrote on Goat Berries, we now even get gift bags of pea and fava pods left in front of our door just for the girls!

I don’t have to tell them twice to eat their veggies!

Come back Wednesday for another great fresh pea recipe — this time with pasta!

What’s growing in your garden right now?

13 Beans of Wisdom to “Calabrian Peas Fresh from the Garden”
  1. We or I should say my husband has planted tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, eggplant, thyme, rosemary, sage, and basil. Yummy looking peas Michelle. πŸ™‚

    Julie

    Haha, Paolo is the planter here too, more or less…enjoy!

    .-= Julie ~ jbulie’s blog´s last blog ..Inspiring Spring ~ Country walks, jogs, and a new bike. =-.

  2. Gil
    05.24.2010

    When we were kids we would eat fresh peas until… We used to have this old Jewish couple in the next town, they had a small garden operation and sold their excess produce. When the peas were ready “The Pea Lady” would call my parents and let them know. In her latter years she would call my wife to let her know that the peas were ready. We still refer to her as “The Pea Lady”!!!

    That’s awesome, Gil…did she know she was the Pea Lady? Hee hee πŸ™‚

  3. Cathy
    05.24.2010

    Those fresh peas are just lovely. We have started an orto and so far, the lettuce has been the most successful. There will be tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, onions. And yesterday we were getting the watermelons and melons in the ground. Fingers crossed for those, my father in law adores watermelons!!!

    Sounds great Cathy! We’re getting a late start this year — except for those peas πŸ˜‰

  4. The flowers on the pea plants are pretty as well.

    No garden as yet but some day!!

    Some day indeed! One of the coolest things about growing peas is that when we were out in the campagna, I was able to recognize a wild pea plant b/c of the flowers…I used to be rubbish at doing things like that (remembering flowers and identifying them). I think my brain is actually working in different ways here….

    .-= nyc/caribbean ragazza´s last blog ..All this negativity is making me more motivated. =-.

  5. Leslie
    05.24.2010

    Those are yummy looking peas!!! I actually have had one cutting of rhubarb (16 cups)!!!! It is still to cold and even had snow this weekend to do much else, sadly! Must move to a warmer climate B-)

    Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever even *had* rhubarb…now I know where to go to find some (lots) πŸ˜‰

  6. 05.24.2010

    Not a darn thing. Sigh.

    Haha, as always thanks for stopping in πŸ™‚

  7. 05.24.2010

    Are you sure those are peas? Or did you put beautiful green pearls inside that peapod? My peas looks puny compared to these, but my lettuce is lush and delicious. Hugs to Pasqualina and Pinta.

    That was a particularly beautiful pod, I will say πŸ˜‰ Kudos on the lettuce! There is *nothing* like homegrown lettuce…the flavor is so very different IMHO.

    .-= Ciaochowlinda´s last blog ..Crostini Time =-.

  8. 05.24.2010

    Yum! Yep, lots of memories of eating peas I was meant to be helping my Nanna peel as a child growing up in Sydney, Australia. My husband Terence brought some fresh peas – along with beautiful baby artichokes – from the Rialto markets in Venice today. Can’t wait to see what we’re eating tonight! I’ll be directing him to this!

    Michelle – and your readers – do consider entering our May blogging competition on our Grantourismo site http://grantourismotravels.com/ – this month’s theme is ‘food and travel’ so you can write about anything food and travel related: inspiring produce, eating experiences, memorable meals, great recipes/dishes, cooking lessons etc from your travels. Prizes include a holiday rental stay of your choice anywhere in the world, an Olympus camera, tours with Context Travel and Viator, and a subscription to AFAR magazine. There’s just 5 days left and you only have to submit a post (which you post on your own blog) of up to 500 words max & 1 pic. Hope to read your entry! πŸ™‚

    Sounds like a great dinner ahead, Lara! And thanks for the reminder on the contest…I posted about it on FB earlier in the month, but I’ll repost again today πŸ™‚

    .-= lara dunston´s last blog ..The Feast of Saint Isidoro in Sardinia =-.

  9. 05.24.2010

    ciao Michelle!
    the first picture with the open peas looks so fresh and yummy:-)i have the feelng i can almost smell them!
    when i was little my grand parents had also fresh ones from the garden…but i actually hated to sit for some hours and open them….people do change…
    buon appetito!i am looking forward to your next blog entry:-)
    buona settimana,
    Jana

    So true, Jana! So many of the things I hated to do as a kid, I love doing now…sometimes it just takes a while for us to appreciate things πŸ™‚

    .-= Jana´s last blog ..(a/the) unknown fruit: nespole/ loquats/ neffle du Japon/ japonische Wollmispel =-.

  10. Mary Floridia-Rankin
    05.25.2010

    Those peas look so delicious I could just reach in the computer and take them out and pop ’em in my mouth.

    I planted peas this year along with other veggies and hope they look and taste like yours.

    Keep us posted, Mary πŸ˜€

  11. 05.25.2010

    Awww…they’re so adorable and my heart breaks for them, for you…and especially for Pasqualina.
    On a happier note, I look forward to Pasta with pizzelle…yum.

    Pasqualina is bouncing back well…some extra face scratches go a long way apparently πŸ˜‰

    .-= lucy´s last blog .. =-.

  12. 05.25.2010

    I’ve got peas (and lettuce and peppers) going in my garden right now. Can’t wait for the recipe!

    Yum! P tells me that peppers won’t grow well in our spot…boo. Lots of peperoncini though, of course πŸ˜‰

  13. 05.26.2010

    Not a single edible plant in sight in our garden…just a bunch of “erbacce”. Haven’t even planted my herb garden this year…patetica! Well, at least my blog is a blossoming! πŸ™‚

    It took us a while to get organized enough to do some gardening, Melissa…so I hear your erbacce πŸ˜‰ Anyway, for the herbs, even a windowsill is great πŸ˜€

    .-= Melissa Muldoon´s last blog ..β€’Β deliziose espressioni del giorno =-.

Michelle KaminskyMichelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived. 

Calabria Guidebook

Calabria travel guide by Michelle Fabio

Recipes

 

Homemade apple butter
Green beans, potatoes, and pancetta
Glazed Apple Oatmeal Cinnamon Muffins
Pasta with snails alla calabrese
Onion, Oregano, and Thyme Focaccia
Oatmeal Banana Craisin Muffins
Prosciutto wrapped watermelon with bel paese cheese
Fried eggs with red onion and cheese
Calabrian sausage and fava beans
Ricotta Pound Cake