Very pretty, too. The purple color seems more intense than the varieties I have tried.

That's a good looking pea! Glad to hear it tastes good too.
Remy

"A crunchy, tasty, slightly sweet snow pea that rarely makes it into the house."

Hope that means some got left out for seed. ;-)

Zeedman, these pea vines are really robust, I don't know if it's the cool weather we're having or if it's one of their traits we had to give them some extra support or they would have toppled over.
I only put in a short row, the vines are about 4 1/2', still climbing and flowering. We're only picking off the top couple of feet now leaving the rest for seed, fingers crossed:)

Annette

They're still producing the odd pea but the warm to most of you, hot to me temps have pretty much done them in but it has been a very productive run. 20 plants produced all the peas we wanted for both eating raw and stirfry. All going well I'm going to collect a fair bit of seed I took a pic this morning of a few pods full of peas but still have a way to go for seed. Annette

They do look nice.

Where did you get your seed?

Dean

Dean, actually my DIL has a contact in the UK, she bought them from T&M and sent them to me. As far as I know the only place you can buy Shiraz is in the UK. I've left quite a few for seed so hopefully I'll be able to share a few later on.

Annette

I pulled the vines this morning while the sun was still shining, we were expecting rain and boy did it ever along with the thunder and lightening. Quite a few of the pods were completely dry so I shelled those, the rest are hanging in an airy warm area until they finish drying. Now, a question, can I plant some of this freshly harvested seed or does it have to be completely dry? I just might have enough time for a second crop. DH made two small sturdy pvc frames to use for these peas in the future, the netting on the 6' metal stakes wasn't strong enough, I had to keep propping it up.

Annette

Had the same problem with all my peas last year, especially after a deer ran through mesh! Hadn't thought of PVC! This year I put up a small length of metal fencing, 4' tall that I could reach both sides to harvest. (Last year I had trouble getting through the wire for beans Fortex). I used pound in green metal fence posts, and electricians plastic wire ties (colorful and easy to cut) so I can move it next year. It has worked wonderfully, so I am going to put in 2"x4" wire fencing 6' tall for fall planting.

TM doesn't list this plant in their catalogue, but an article http://www.seedtoday.com/info/ST_articles.html?ID=113056 says it took them 11 years of breeding to get this seed. That sounds like a lot of hybridization to me. I'd be interested to hear if you manage to get it to come true for you. Oh and how tall did yours get?

Anyway to get seeds in the U.S.A ?
Looks like a salad, stir-fry, smoothies winner to me.

Jolj, I don't know when these are going to be released for sale either in the U.S. or Canada I had to get my seed from the U.K., I think T&M will probably be the first to offer them.
I believe some people in the U.S. are already growing these, whether they're going to offer them in trade in the near future I don't know.
Happily we don't have any trouble receiving small amounts of seed from the U.S. but unfortunately sending to the U.S. there's always the chance of confiscation.

Annette

Sorry Q, missed your post. The vines were very vigorous and grew 5' for me, this could be due to the very cool spring we had at least something in the garden liked it.

As far as if they will come true I'm planting some seed from this batch today, I'm not growing any other peas so there's no chance of crossing. Hopefully I'll be able to post the results here later on.

Annette

My second planting albeit small from seed harvested this year is up, 100% germination. They're looking good so far, I want to see if they stay true to form, stay that beautiful deep rich color. Hopefully our temps will cooperate and not get too hot for them.

Annette

Just to finish this off, I now have some small peas from this second sowing and they are the same luscious color as the first ones:).

Annette

Well, while this was a poor garden year for me overall (my main plot was never planted due to excessive June rainfall) I was able to put in a small seed crop of "Shiraz" from seed Annette sent me last year.

Germination was 100% in 32 pots, and I am nearly done harvesting dry seed from those plants now. The vines were nowhere near as robust here as Annette reported, since I got them in late & the heat set in when they were about 6" tall. They only reached about 18" with pods... my climate is far from ideal for peas most years, unless I'm testing for heat tolerance. Still, I estimate I got at least a 20-to-1 seed increase, so I will be able to do a few trades. I'm doing everything I can to stimulate new growth, and some of the vines have begun flowering again - so hopefully I will get a bit more seed from the second flush.

The wife & I only ate one pod each, since we are trying to maximize the seed crop. I agree with Annette's "crunchy, slightly sweet" description; not as sweet as other snow peas I've tried, but more richly flavored. Personally, that suits me fine; I'm not a fan of breeding ever-increasing sweetness into everything. Culturally, we are way too obsessed with sweetness, IMO... when I want sweetness, I'll eat watermelon. ;-)

Had a bit of a scare, when a ground hog dug under my fence & began nibbling a few of the pods at the end of the row, just as they were fattening up. Left alone, it would no doubt have eaten the entire row. Needless to say I was highly motivated to prevent further damage. When it returned two nights later, I had a live trap waiting for it - which was successful.

I was wondering how I would dispose of it, when I noticed my resident falcons hovering, apparently attracted by the movement within the cage. So I stunned the ground hog with a knock to the head, let it go in the middle of my lawn, and let nature take its course. The falcon fledglings ate well that day.

In related pea news, I put in a small crop of a yellow-podded snap pea, "Opal Creek Golden Snap", from Peace Seeds. The pods are indeed yellow, and need stringing... but I sampled a very mature pod, and it was still tender & flavorful. Not as sweet as "Sugar Lace", which I am growing as a Fall crop... but I enjoyed it.

Interestingly, the vines do not seem to be affected by the summer heat to the same degree as "Shiraz"... they are 3 feet tall, and still growing & setting pods (the partial afternoon shade in their location may be a factor). Germination, however, was not great. The seed is very shriveled, and started in 32 pots, I only got about 33% germination. That is more akin to the germination rate I would expect from old seed, which this was not. Hopefully the seed from those strong plants will be more vigorous, so that I can do a larger seed multiplication next year. I might even get to eat a few. ;-)

Zeedman, I'm glad you managed to get seed from "Shiraz" hopefully they will do better for you next year.This year has been a bust for me due to health issues, the few varieties of beans I did get planted are being left for seed but the "Shiraz" peas planted from my own collected seed did very well.

Annette

Annette it is good to hear from you. The long silence has worried me. I pray that all goes well with you. - Dick

Annette, so good to have you back! I too hope all is well with you.

Best wishes, Annette. Been thinking of you as I watch the plants grow from the seed you so kindly sent me. They are doing well. Sending warm wishes for a healthy future.