Where do peas come from?

Peas belong to the vegetable family known as legumes whose plants produce pods with enclosed seeds. Legumes are protein-rich, low fat, nutritional additions to almost any meal, and peas are certainly no exception. In fact only lima beans are a better vegetable source of protein than peas. To me, there is nothing better than fresh peas stripped from their pods, boiled quickly and then tossed with some sweet butter and salt; they are sweet, tender and delicious, and so very nutritious.

Peas take so well to freezing that only about 5 percent of the nation's pea crop are sold fresh. Most of the pea crop is sold canned, frozen, and to a lesser degree, dried. Frozen peas retain their color, flavor and texture much better than canned peas, but neither compares to fresh peas right out of the pod.

California is the leading producer of peas, which are available year-round. New York, South Carolina, Oregon, Idaho, Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Washington, New Jersey, and Virginia are also pea-producing states. Peas are imported into the United States from Guatemala Mexico, China, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic.