Yellow Field Peas

These are yellow field peas.  The sales lady at Nash's Organic Produce though I would like them, so I purchased a bag and turned them into a pea with ham hock soup in the slow cooker.  She was right, they were amazing!

Their flavor was earthy and warm, more subtle then green split peas, but substantial enough to hold up against the more robust ham hock.  Dried peas have a similar nutritional profile to legumes: high in protein, fiber and a good source of folic acid, phosphorus, iron, magnesium and potassium.

To prepare field peas:

• Wash and sort beans, looking for bad peas and stones.  Notice in the above picture how similar the rocks look to the peas.
• Cover with water, 1-2 inches over the top of the pea.
• Cook with kombu to break down undigestible polysaccharides and reduce intestinal gas
• Cooking times vary with preparation method.  Use a pressure cooker or slow cooker or simmer them on the stovetop.

Have you ever had whole field peas?