Growing Peas That Please
(Via washingtonpost.com - A Cook's Garden by Barbara Damrosch)
At the time of our country's founding, the saying was that a good gardener could produce peas by the king's birthday. The date was the Fourth of June, and the ruling monarch was George III, nicknamed "Farmer George" for his zest for agriculture. Less beloved by his former colonists, his connection with their pea crop became remote. Northerly states strove for a July 4 harvest instead, a choice both patriotic and timely for their climate. Meanwhile, in the region of the nation's capital, the traditional date for English or garden pea planting became George Washington's birthday, which happens to be today, Feb. 22.
At the time of our country's founding, the saying was that a good gardener could produce peas by the king's birthday. The date was the Fourth of June, and the ruling monarch was George III, nicknamed "Farmer George" for his zest for agriculture. Less beloved by his former colonists, his connection with their pea crop became remote. Northerly states strove for a July 4 harvest instead, a choice both patriotic and timely for their climate. Meanwhile, in the region of the nation's capital, the traditional date for English or garden pea planting became George Washington's birthday, which happens to be today, Feb. 22.
