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The History of Carlin Peas
Your colourful insert in Issue No.4 2017 about Heritage Fruits and Vegetables of Yesteryear mentions Carlin Peas. I’m keen on growing heritage vegetables and have successfully grown these on my plot on Musselburgh Allotments (East Lothian, Scotland) for a number of years. My father remembered them growing in Consett, Co. Durham where he grew up. Carlin Peas are a small, hard brown pea known by many other names, such as Maple Peas, Pigeon Peas, Brown Peas and Black or Grey Badgers, and were rst recorded during Elizabethan times. It
is likely that they originated from the Monastic gardens of the Middle Ages.
The eating of Carlin peas during the period of Lent bears no religious signi cance but instead seems to be linked to the civil war of 1644, where the Royalist Newcastle was under siege from the Scots. The lack of food meant that the people on both sides of the Tyne were dying of starvation. Legend has it that a French ship managed to dock at Newcastle with a cargo of Maple Peas.
Other tales tell of a ship, laden with peas, which became stranded at South Shields a fortnight before Easter Day; the peas were washed ashore and salvaged by the locals.
The real story is lost in time, but for centuries Passion Sunday (the fth Sunday of Lent), in some Northern regions of England, became known as ‘Carlin Sunday’ and the small brown peas became popular at this time.
Although it would appear that the folklore is strongest in the North East, the tradition of eating Carlin Peas at this time has spread to other areas of Northern England: Yorkshire, Lancashire and now Musselburgh!
They grow to about 1.5m high and have pretty bi-coloured pink owers. I keep them for dried peas and use them through the winter in stews and soups. Some people think they were the original ‘mushy peas’.
Jenny Mollison - Musselburgh Allotment Association
My Plot at Clousden Drive Allotments
I have had my allotment in Forest Hall, Newcastle for 11 years, and each year I try and do something a little different.
I have 2 large greenhouses so I am able
to grow everything from seed. I have grown around 3,000 varieties of vegetables and owers, as I like splashes of colour on the plot. I have given quite a bit away to both new gardeners who have just taken on an allotment and to others. This year has been an exceptional growing year given the cold snap we experienced early in the season, which has seen a glut of cauli ower, beans, courgettes, tomatoes, sweetcorn and beetroot among other veg. This year I have grown several different varieties of veg that I haven’t grown before including ower sprout, Cape gooseberry and cucamelon. With all the rain that we have had, slugs have been more abundant than ever, which has been great for my resident hedgehog, but quite challenging for me given they too like to
eat veggies! I overcame this by ensuring
that my plants were healthy and strong before planting out, which seemed to prove successful.
I have been able to supply most of my neighbours, friends, work colleagues and our local foodbank with a good supply of fresh produce. The feedback I received regarding the taste has been amazing,
as home-grown produce has a different taste altogether compared to supermarket
produce. I have been amazed with how many people have asked why I bother growing my own as you can buy it very cheaply in supermarkets. What people fail to grasp is that the majority of fruit and veg that you buy in the supermarkets is treated with several different chemicals and pesticides and has undoubtedly travelled hundreds (if not thousands) of miles before it reaches
the supermarket shelf. I nd nothing more satisfying knowing that I have grown what I eat from a tiny seed, and have used no chemicals at all.
I also nd my allotment a form of therapy. Having suffered from depression in the
past the allotment has been my saviour in many ways. This year, to my delight, I also won ‘Best individual allotment’ for the 6th consecutive year in our local North Tyneside in Bloom competition. The judges seemed really impressed with the diverse mix of veg that I had grown, not to mention the wildlife area and my lavender hedges!
I am often asked what my key to success is, and I always explain that it is down to good preparation and looking after your soil.
Lee Kirkbride - Clousden Drive Allotments, Forest Hall
My plot is just under 300 square metres with a south facing aspect in a great location. Last March I decided that I would create a wildlife area in one corner with a pond incorporated, to try and encourage a little more wildlife into the garden, in particular frogs, toads and hedgehogs
to help keep the slug population at bay. I installed the pond on the Saturday - and to my amazement - by the following Saturday had frog spawn.
I
This year I have tried to build on the success of this area by incorporating the likes of foxglove, teasel and buddleia to encourage a greater selection of bene cial insects to the plot. So far I have been quite pleased with the diverse mix of insects this has encouraged. I created a log pile, and made a few bug hotels to use in the area too. I was quite pleased with how it all tied together. Being an organic gardener, I don’t use any chemicals at all, so the idea of encouraging more frogs and toads was a win-win for me. To my amazement I have had a resident hedgehog on my plot, which has been great as we don’t have any others on the site.
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