Schweizer Riesen pea
$4.00
(Lathyrus oleraceus syn. Pisum sativum)
Carouby (giant snow) pea with bright light green pods of extraordinary width. Unlike some snow peas, the pods do not toughen the instant the seeds begin to swell; in fact, they become sweeter! So let them thicken a bit before picking. Our family waits for these each year with eager expectation. The name means “Swiss Giant” in German; Switzerland being a multilingual country, poised on its Alps in the centre of Europe, this pea is also called Gigante Svizzero in Italian.
Peas like this have been grown in Europe for several hundred years. One of the pictures in the image gallery is a painting by Mateusz Tokarski, Martwa natura z grochem, “Still Life with Peas”, made in Poland around 1795. While the variety is of course unknown, they look almost exactly like Schweizer Riesen peas. For some reason they faded from popularity in the late 20th century, but now are beginning to make a comeback among home gardeners.
45 seeds/packet.
In stock
Plant as soon as ground can be worked. Sow 1” deep and 2” apart, in a double row 8” wide. Trellis if necessary with twine or netting. Pick pods about every two days when they are large and the seeds have swelled a bit. For seed saving, leave some pods on the vines until they turn dry and brown and seeds can no longer be dented with a fingernail.