Heirloom Purple Peas!

We love these purple peas! We've grown them here for a few years now, and what a great harvest this year.  We've also left enough on the vines to save seed for next year's planting. They are an old Dutch "soup pea" called Blue Podded Pea (Blauwschokkers) that has been grown for hundreds of years in Europe, an heirloom variety that is considered a shelling pea and needs to be cooked or steamed to really bring out the sweetest flavour.  They can also be eaten as snow peas if harvested at a very early stage. I think they are just so beautiful to grow in the garden, the deep pink blossoms are lovely on the vines, the purple pods are striking, and the green peas inside are delicious.  Our whole family got involved around the table to help shell the peas, and then a large amount were enjoyed for dinner with the extras frozen for other meals in the winter to come.