PEAS 2018... and it all started so well!

January 1, 2018 Robert Fernandes

With ideal planting conditions in April/May 2017 we were looking forward to a good crop of Marrowfats and decent yields in spite of a substantial reduction in acreage over 2016. Temperatures rose substantially in early July and we all thought that we would have an early harvest. Unfortunately, the weather pattern changed and we endured a very long period of one day of sunshine followed by two days of rain!...

With ideal planting conditions in April/May 2017 we were looking forward to a good crop of Marrowfats and decent yields in spite of a substantial reduction in acreage over 2016.

Temperatures rose substantially in early July and we all thought that we would have an early harvest.

Unfortunately, the weather pattern changed and we endured a very long period of one day of sunshine followed by two days of rain!

As a result, harvesting turned into the most prolonged and the most testing of recent times.

Crops remained in the fields for far too long and the peas in their pods suffered excessive bleaching.

It seems that only around 5% of the crop will be good enough to reach our ‘Supergreen’ standard.

As for the vast remainder harvested - it should be a bumper year for Drywite’s ‘Greenvale’ pea colour! A further complication results because on some farms their crop has had to be passed over grain driers to remove moisture.

This means that peas passing closest to the heat source dry more fiercely than the rest.

This can lead to an uneven ‘cook’ with some peas remaining harder than the rest. The answer is to treat yourself to a Hawkins ‘Big Boy’ Cooker!

This will give you far greater control as well as saving you a fortune in gas bills. A ‘Big Boy’ will take away all the hassle of cooking peas and allow you to get on with other work.

It will tell you when the peas are cooked, to switch off the stove and allow to ‘rest’ when it carries on cooking until you judge you have ‘perfect mushy peas’. It will pay for itself in a matter of weeks.

Peas at best yield 1.5 to 1.75 tonnes per acre whereas grains can yield up to 5.0 tonnes per acre.

After such a difficult harvest in 2017 with greatly reduced yields on many farms, higher prices are going to have to be offered to tempt farmers to actually sow peas as a crop this year.

Your business needs marrowfats not only as a highly nutritional enhancement for your meals but also because they yield such a high margin of profit.

We have to ensure that it is worth the farmers’ while to cultivate them.

Enjoy a happy, healthy and profitable 2018!