Make peas with the cold

Carol Stein grows it

Sweet peas, garden peas, green peas. Whatever you call them, they're the only legumes that prefer cold weather.

Green peas can be started from seed in the garden or containers between early January and the first week of March, when soil temperatures are still about 40 degrees. Emerging vines don't require extra protection during cold snaps. The peas will be ready to harvest about two months after germination.

Look for seed packets labeled Wando, Green Arrow or Freezonian (that name hints at how cold-hardy green peas are). Sow seeds in loose soil rich in organic matter with a neutral pH (6.7 to 7.0) . Top with a thin layer of compost or leaf mold. Follow package directions for seed depth and water requirements.

Pea vines need support, so borrow trellises from your flower garden. Or plant peas near sunny fences or walls where you can attach 4- to 5-foot lengths of twine for the pea tendrils to climb vertically.

I've grown peas in large containers (20- to 24-inches wide) with several skinny bamboo stakes placed to form a teepee about 4 feet high. If you can't find skinny stakes, use whatever stakes you have, and weave a web of twine around them for the tendrils to grab. Use fresh potting soil, and plant about a dozen seeds in each 24-inch container.

In the garden, allow 2 or 3 inches between plants.

Pretty pea flowers add lavender, white or baby pink splashes of color in dismal winter gardens prior to producing the pods.

Plant peas as early as possible. If the pods haven't matured enough to pick and shell before the weather heats up, you risk losing the essence of this sweet winter garden treat.

Debbie Moose cooks it

Tender green peas, fresh from the garden, are a spring delight. Like fresh asparagus, they are at their best for a short time as the weather warms, in March, April and May.

After that small window, peas turn into the rock-hard ingredient in many cafeteria-line abominations.

Those who have experienced peas only as chunky bits in casseroles and mushy soups don't know the joy of spring garden peas. As a kid, I looked forward to them each year in my father's garden, where we picked them when the peas inside the pods were tiny jewels.

Look for peas with fat, unblemished pods. The pods should be bright green and the peas inside, crunchy and sweet. Cook them as soon as possible after picking, because the starches in peas begin turning to sugar very fast. If you must refrigerate them, do so for no more than two or three days and leave them in the pods. Shell them just before using.

If you buy shelled peas at a farmers market, use them immediately.

Fresh garden peas are great simmered simply with some spring onions, small new potatoes and a little butter. Don't overcook peas - they should retain a little bite, but be tender.

This recipe is a triple-pea threat of crispy green goodness. It comes from "Simply in Season" by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert (Herald Press, 2005), which is full of easy seasonal dishes.