During this month gardens can become a hive of activity, as birds and butterflies battle for air space! Your crops should be in full swing now, and you should be enjoying dining on the fruits of your labour.
So, what delights will you find on your plate this month?
  
About peas
Technically a fruit, the humble pea has been a staple of European diets since the Middle Ages, and a recent survey highlighted that the garden pea was rated Britain's seventh favourite veg! The first peas to be frozen were by American Clarence Birdseye, and the world record for eating peas with a chopstick was set in Sussex in 1984.
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Pea recipes
You've never seen so many peas, and to be honest, there's only so much boiling and steaming you can take. So let us inspire you with these two dishes for perfect peas.
Jugged Peas
Wave goodbye to a side serving of boiled peas. For a truly modern take on a classic accompaniment, give this zingy dish a whirl:
Ingredients:
- 250g shelled peas
- 25g butter
- 1 tsp sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1-2 tbsp water
- 2 sprigs mint
Optional - to finish:
- 10 sprigs green coriander
- 12 mint leaves
- 1 green chilli - seeded
Method:
- Put peas, butter, suggar, salt, water and mint into pudding basin
- Cover with foil and place in pan of water
- Bring to the boil then simmer for 30 min
- Stir in add chopped optional ingredients
- Serve!
From 'Farmhouse Cookery' by Laura Mason
Green Pea and Mint Soup
This deliciously refreshing soup is a perfect way to make the most of both peas and mint collected this month.
Ingredients:
- 600g peas
- 1 tbsp fresh mint
- 850ml chicken stock
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 50g butter
For garnish:
Method:
- Bring peas, mint, stock and onion to boil
- Cover and simmer for 20 min
- Liquidise and mix in butter
- Serve either hot or cold, with a swirl of cream and some fresh mint leaves.
From 'Complete Traditional Recipe book' by Sarah Edington
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Also in season
Peas are all well and good, but there's plenty of other tasty nosh ripe for the picking from nature's larder.
Fruit: Apples, blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, chestnuts, cobnuts, crab apples, damsons, bullaces,elderberries, loganberries, pears, plums, raspberries, redcurrants, sloes, strawberries, walnuts.
Vegetables: Artichoke (globe), aubergines, beans (broad, french, runner), beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, chard, courgettes, cucumber, dandelion, fennel, garlic, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms (wild), onions, onions (spring), potatoes, pumpkin, radish, rocket, samphire, shallots, sorrel, spinach, squash, sweetcorn, tomatoes, turnips, watercress.
In the garden
- If you only do one job this month, it has to be making sure that your plants are well watered. Aim to water your plants in the cooler hours to avoid evaporation - or follow the green gardening advice from Nyman's garden, and reduce the watering by 50 per cent by watering at night!
- As with last month, pinch out your tomatoes and runner beans to ensure that you get the best harvest from your plants.
- Plant out more salad crops to ensure that you have a constant supply towards the end of the season.
- Take any cuttings that you might want this month.
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