The pea that saved a family in Siberia, and the look-alike of the Green Pea.
A yellowish pea was found in a crack of a barge. Tall, purple pods. Not preserved.
Long, sweet garden peas with edible pods, bright green, delicious.
Grower: Maija Galiņa, 79 years old, certified organic farmer, chemist from Bērzaune parish of Madona county, "Jānīši"
HISTORY
My Siberian peas are gone. But the story is as follows: my grandmother was taken to Siberia in 1941. Because she was old, she was sent to clean a barge. She found a single pea in a crack and planted it, even though no one else grew peas in that village. Grandmother cherished the pea and harvested 48 seeds. The following spring she planted all 48 seeds and then supplied the entire village with the seeds of the pea, as the locals ate them all in the summer, leaving no seeds behind. And that is how she supplied both her village and neighboring villages with these peas throughout her time in Siberia and brought them back to Latvia. But I did not grow them anymore, as they were not remarkable: long, dark purple pods, inedible, cream-colored grains, and a flavor that was nothing exceptional. I only kept them for my collection, but they eventually perished.
I gave those peas to someone, perhaps Pakalniešu Gunta still has them. During the Flower Days event, I placed both beans and pea seeds in the barn, and anyone who wanted them took them. There were about 13 different varieties of peas.
Now I only have one variety, peas from the 1940s: bright green, and when cooked, they do not fall apart, so you cannot tell if the green peas are from a can or mine, which are simply soaked and boiled. They can be eaten with the pods, children love them, and if turkeys find them, there is nothing left. These peas are quite fast-growing, but this year I was unable to plant them because I spent the spring in the hospital. They are bright green and ridged. They ripen quite early and are sweet. My mother brought them from Kurzeme or Riga in the late 1940s. They are about a meter tall and require poles.
RECIPE
These sweet, bright green peas are soaked and cooked in a soup or stew, and even the most discerning gourmets cannot distinguish them from store-bought peas.
These peas have been in my family since the postwar years, and I grow them to avoid buying canned peas. They are soaked, boiled, and indistinguishable from canned peas. If not overcooked, they retain their shape and color. Even unboiled, they are delicious and can be eaten with the pods.
Do others enjoy the peas?
Children love them.
And the turkeys?
Turkeys love them even more! Once, they ate so many that only a few seeds remained. I barely managed to save them. And then I managed to save them again because I had given the seeds to a neighbor, who later returned them to me. I always share peas with others – if someone else has them, they are safe.
Sandra Stabinge and Anitra Tooma visited Maija Galiņa on July 3, 2020.
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