Pea shoots are easy to grow and delicious to eat.

You won’t be surprised that pea shoots come from the pea plant, the varieties that are usually used are sugar snap or snow pea, but many people grow them just from a bag of peas from the supermarket.

You can grow the pea shoots just like you would grow other peas. Get your soil ready or if sowing in planters or containers, then fill them with compost and water them, then scatter the seeds – now cover with some compost on top, and wait until they come up. You will of course need to water the seeds as and when they need watering.

You can usually harvest the pea shoot after about 3 weeks, this may depend on the weather. You can pick the shoots when they are around 2 to 6 inches high, the shoots that you pick include the leaves and the tender tendrils, and you can even include the smaller flower buds if that is what your plant is producing.

You can also grow the pea shoots in a greenhouse over the winter.

As you start picking the shoots they will regrow, and you will be able to pick them several times, after a little while they may become tougher to eat and then you can steam them.

You won’t be surprised that pea shoots have a delicate pea flavour and when eaten raw in salads they are crunchy and delicious. You can also use them in a stir fry.

You can also grow pea shoots indoors. Take a tub and empty peas in the bottom (no soil yet) – make sure the peas are tightly packed in the bottom of the tray, and they are all in one layer.

Now put the peas in a jug and cover with water and you need to soak them overnight – please do not skip this step.

The following day, drain the water from the peas and add compost to the tray – some people use cotton wool very successfully. Now add the soak peas back in the tray.

Keep the tray on a sunny area, water them when the compost or cotton wool feels dry. They will literally shoot up and you will be eating delicious pea shoots.