I don’t mind peas.

I won’t actively seek them out, but they’re tasty enough provided they aren’t mushy.

I cannot abide a mushy pea.

That said, if you aren’t a fan of peas, you won’t be pleased to know that they’re using them to make gin now.

Mashable with the unfortunate news:

Scientists at Abertay University and the James Hutton Institute in Scotland have created a gin using garden peas. Yes, you read that correctly.

The gin is called Nàdar — which means ‘nature’ in Gaelic — and scientists claim it has a smaller environmental footprint that traditionally distilled gins made using wheat.

‘Níl maith agat’ – that means “no thank you” in Gaelic.

Look, the pea gin isn’t all bad. It is potentially more environmentally friendly, and apparently the taste of the gin isn’t affected (I’m not convinced).

Each 700ml bottle of Nàdar has a carbon footprint of -1.54 kg CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent), “meaning it avoids more carbon dioxide emissions than it creates,” according to an Abartay University statement.

It’s hard to compare the carbon footprint of the pea gin to other gins because where they’re made affects the amount of CO2 heading off into the atmosphere.

Tanqueray G&T sipped in the U.S. has a significantly higher footprint compared to one imbibed in London. The pea gin’s environmental performance is down to the fact that all useful parts of the peas — from the dehulling down to the distilling — are used to create home-grown animal feed.

Craft gins have a smaller footprint as well, because they’re usually produced in smaller quantities.

It took five years of research in collaboration with Arbikie Distillery — a working farm on the east coast of Angus, Scotland — to develop the gin. So, why peas, you may well be wondering? PhD student Kirsty Black — the lead researcher on the project — told Mashable that peas, and legumes in general, are a “great choice of crop for environmental and biodiversity reasons.”

Arbikie Distillery doesn’t ship in any products to make its gin because it’s a working farm — they grow all the wheat, barley, potatoes etc. on site.

While I’m all for saving the planet, I’ll be sticking to eating my peas and drinking my gin.

More specifically, I’ll be supporting local business, and drinking local craft gin.

Life is too short for more peas.

[source:mashable]