It’s a rumour that never dies that the small pods are good for eating. I read it a lot, but it’s just not true. Chinese whispers or something. At least the plant just grows them back after you harvest them to eat…

If you want to eat them fresh, it sounds like they are pretty much ready. The pods should look very plump, but not dried out. If you want to eat them dry, then just let the plants completely die off.

Kathy and I discussed some recipes on her blog. I am vegetarian, but they are normally cooked with bacon or salt pork. Here’s what we said:

http://carletongarden.blogspot.com/2008/01/capucijner-peas-for-new-year.html

http://carletongarden.blogspot.com/2007/08/capucijner-peas.html

Probably the most authentic recipe I’ve seen is this:

http://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/food-wine/100531/winter-warmer-capucijners

Since you have them dry, and this recipe calls for them canned, you will need to soak them overnight and cook them first.

The most important thing is they make their own ‘gravy’, so be sure not to discard the cooking water. Also, without any spices the flavor is quite rich and tasty, so be very careful adding spices. Most people prefer it with few if any added spices. It usually needs something a little fatty or oily like bacon or vegetable oil to cut the starchiness, and it usually needs salt.

Steven asked what the Dutch word ‘snijboon’ was in English. Good question, but there isn’t really an English word for it. It’s a common bean, just bred to be large. I would perhaps call it a ‘large romano bean’.

This size of bean just isn’t really common in English speaking countries. As far as I know you can’t buy it in either the US or UK.

You can buy seeds online here:

http://tuinboetiek.nl

or here:

https://www.vreeken.nl

In both cases, I think you need to send an email first and ask if they will send an order to the US.

On this page:

http://oldvegiepatch1972.googlepages.com/pea.html

this person talks about his purple podded peas, and posts pictures of them. He appears to be in Australia. There is an email address, so you might try sending him an email.

Failing that, you might want to get in touch with the Seedsavers Network that he links to on that page.

Good luck…

The two seed stores I know of in the US who sell capucijner seeds are:

http://www.amishlandseeds.com/

and

http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/

I have no idea if they sell pound quantities or not. Good luck, and I hope this helps.

Thanks for letting us know about your trial planting!

There are lots of different varieties of Capucijners and related peas around, and if you buy one from a real seed store (or garden center in Holland), at least you know you bought one intended for planting in a garden. What a farmer grows is probably different.

If anyone reading this wants to grow capucijners and doesn’t know where to get seeds, just send me an email or leave a comment here and I’ll try to help.

hi