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Versatile and tasty

Peas or batani can be grown in the kitchen garden

A FIRST Peas have the dubious honour of being the first vegetable to be canned and deep-frozen

The pea belongs to the family Leguminosae, and is a climbing annual with slender hollow stems. The leaves are pinnately compound with three pairs of leaflets, terminated by branched tendrils.

The leaflets are ovate or elliptic, entire with undulated margins. The stipules are larger than the leaflets. The large white flowers are borne either singly in the axils or in racemes.

The pods are slightly curved and swollen with five to eight globose, smooth light green seeds.

Peas are grown as cold season annual all over our country.

It can be grown in small kitchen garden easily with appropriate support. In the kitchen garden, a very satisfactory trellis can be made by using stakes and wire mesh.

The vine twists in and out of the woven meshes of the wire netting and is also attached by the leaf tendrils so that there is no chance of the vines being blown down.

They prefer a cool, moist, loamy, nitrogenous soil into which the roots can penetrate deeply. The soil should be ploughed or dug pretty deep.

Peas are harvested in an immature condition to be cooked as vegetable. Pick when young, crisp and juicy and make salads or cook.

Steaming or stir-frying is most likely to retain the delightful fresh sugary taste. Peas contain protein, carbohydrates and fibre. Picking of the pods should be commenced as soon as they are filled.

While gathering the pods great care should be taken not to injure the plants. It is better to use a pair of scissors for removing the pods from the veins.

Peas have the dubious honour of being the first vegetable to be canned and deep-frozen.

To get rid of skin blemishes, apply paste of dry pea flour mixed with milk to the affected areas.

CHITRA RADHAKRISHNAN

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