SC - Carlin peas and other questions

[Jane Boyko]

>> 
>> The first bit of information  I'm looking for is about the origins of
Carlin
>> peas and Carlin Sunday in the north of England, and the botanical name for
>> said Carlins. This is for an article I'm writing for our Missouri Master
>> Gardener newsletter about heirloom fruits, flowers, herbs, trees, shrubs,
>> and vegetables and their importance in history and historical events. If
>> Carlins are an actual pea (Pisum) then I need to find out what landrace
they
>> came from and how they got to England. If they are a bean, not fava or
>> lentils, then I need to try to establish the time frame post-New World
>> discovery  that they might have arrived in England.
>> 

Kathleen, 

This is all that I have been able to find.  Have you contacted the Seed
Savers Exchange?

Carlin Peas 

"Carlin Peas are drying peas dating back to 16th century England, still
traditionally eaten in the North East of the Country on 'Carlin Sunday',
the fifth Sunday of Lent, two weeks before Easter.
The tradition is said to commemorate the relief of the famine that occured
in the area when it was besieged in 1644.  Famine ended when a shipwreck
threw up a cargo of Carlin peas, retrieved by the hungry people.
Carlins are small black peas with a slight mottle.  The night before Carlin
Sunday they are steeped in water and the next day they are boiled with a
ham bone or bacon fat, until they are soft and mushy."  p 52
Stickland, Sue.  Heirloom Vegetables: A Home Gardener's Guide to Finding
and Growing Vegetables from the Past.  New York, NY: Fireside, 1998.
forward by Kent Whealy and photographs by David Cavagnaro
ISBN 0-684-82807-9

Kent Whealy founded the Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) in 1975.

Unfortunately this is all the information the book contains about Carlin
peas.  At the back of the book is a list of Heirloom vegetables and a list
of suppliers but the Carlins aren't noted here.  Just the brief history
which I quoted above.

You can purchase this text from Chapters.ca for 21.50 CDN.

It has brief histories of different varieties of different vegetables and
is a great reference tool for people interested in the history of food;
gardeners; and people interested in preserving Heirloom seeds for
themselves and future generations.

Jane Boyko