Cook the peas: If using fresh peas, simmer them in lightly salted water or chicken stock until tender (about 20 minutes), ...

These pea vines bloom with red and violet flowers in spring, followed by glossy purple pods that can be eaten early like snow peas or left to ripen.

Save the tougher pods and make pea vinegar by throwing them in a jar and covering with white vinegar and some sugar.

They should be picked as soon as the pod just turns purple (immature pods are green). Once they turn purple they start drying out and soon become a dried pea similar to black-eyed peas.

The peas themselves are gargantuan green spheres that seem to burst from the purple pea pods, and are the real treasures here.

I'm kinda hoping it's some sort of weird mutant. The base of the leaves are also purple tinged—I'm crossing my fingers that the pods come out purple as well. The world could use more purple foods.

The purple pea pods are edible, if you want the extra anthocyanins, but not fleshy and juicy like a snap pea pod. The peas themselves are gargantuan green spheres that seem to burst from the ...