Blue-podded Capucijner Pea

The Blue-podded Capucijner (cap-ou-SIGH-nah) is a hardy pea first grown by the Franciscan Capuchin monks in Holland and Germany during the early 1600s. Its particularly beautiful, bi-colored flowers are lilac-pink and wine-red, fading to blue as they wilt; pods are deep maroon to inky purple, fading to blue and leathery brown when mature. It is best used as a soup pea by picking when the pods are full; but it can also be grown as an edible-podded sugar pea by harvesting before peas have developed. This English, or shelling, pea prefers cool, moist conditions. Monticello gardeners support the twining vines with tall branches, or “pea sticks.”

Visit Monticello’s Online Shop to check for seeds or plants of Blue-podded Capucijner Pea.

Location at Monticello: Vegetable Garden