Podding and shelling.

How come we can pick so many peas and beans but by the time they're podded and shelled there is only enough for a few meals? 

Picked half a bucket of peas this afternoon and the same amount of broad beans but by the time the peas were podded there were only 450g,  enough for about  2 servings for 2 of us,   and the beans weighed in at 600g.   They were very big beans - we eat the small ones and keep some to grow very big and then freeze them.  Once defrosted,  they can be de-skinned and then the nice bright-green tender bean that slips out from the pale chewy-looking skin cooks in seconds. 

A few years ago we tried to make pea and bean pod wine -  all I can say about it is that yes, it had alcohol but what a weird taste!   Never again,  complete waste of sugar and time and effort.  Maybe we did something very wrong as I know there are people who make lots of these 'country wines',   from all sorts of wild plants and fruits,   I think we used to have a wine making  book at one time that had  recipes for all sorts of odd things in.   The only 'country' style wine we make successfully is from figs.

Our neighbours have tried our fig wine,  'very nice it is too'  they say,  'which grapes did you use?'    'No no,  it's made from figs.'    Lots of tasting,  a bit of head shaking,  and then... 'so which grape is it?'   Friends of ours made some wine from oranges, it sounds odd but  wasn't,  and they had  the same conversation.  'Very nice, but which grape?  Oranges,  yes, but which grape?' 

If it's not made from grapes then it can't be wine,  although they are very happy to drink it!