The Book of Household Management by Mrs. Beeton

_small_ teaspoonful of moist sugar, 1 heaped tablespoonful of salt. _Mode_.--This delicious vegetable, to be eaten in perfection, should be young, and not _gathered_ or _shelled_ long before it is dressed. Shell the peas, wash them well in cold water, and drain them; then put them into a saucepan with plenty of _fast-boiling_ water, to which salt and _moist sugar_ have been added in the above proportion; let them boil quickly over a brisk fire, with the lid of the saucepan uncovered, and be careful that the smoke does not draw in. When tender, pour them into a colander; put them into a hot vegetable-dish, and quite in the centre of the peas place a piece of butter, the size of a walnut. Many cooks boil a small bunch of mint _with_ the _peas_, or garnish them with it, by boiling a few sprigs in a saucepan by themselves. Should the peas be very old, and difficult to boil a good colour, a very tiny piece of soda may be thrown in the water previous to putting them in; but this must be very sparingly used, as it causes the peas, when boiled, to have a smashed and broken appearance. With young peas, there is not the slightest occasion to use it. _Time_.--Young peas, 10 to 15 minutes; the large sorts, such as marrowfats, &c., 18 to 24 minutes; old peas, 1/2 hour. _Average cost_, when cheapest, 6d. per peck; when first in season, 1s. to 1s. 6d. per peck. _Sufficient_.--Allow 1 peck of unshelled peas for 4 or 5 persons. _Seasonable_ from June to the end of August. ORIGIN OF THE PEA.--All the varieties of garden peas which are cultivated have originated from the _Pisum sativum_, a native of the south of Europe; and field peas are varieties of _Pisum arvense_. The Everlasting Pea is _Lathyrus latifolius_, an old favourite in flower-gardens. It is said to yield an abundance of honey to bees, which are remarkably fond of it. In this country the pea has been grown from time immemorial; but its culture seems to have diminished since the more general introduction of herbage, plants, and roots. GREEN PEAS A LA FRANCAISE.