Non-Traditional Plants

Beach Pea is a member of the Leguminosa or legume family of plants. The light green leaves are divided with 6-12 leaflets. The pinkish-purple flowers grow on a flower stalk with about 12 flowers on it. Flowers can be found on the plant throughout the summer. The plant grows in dense mats along the beach sand, making a carpet of thick green vegetation. The pea pods grow thickly from the stem of the plant in early August, changing in color from bright green to red.

There is no know Iñupiaq name for this plant. I questioned several of the Elders around town and no one could identify the name. Agnes Amorak said that the children of Golovin munch on the pods around town while they play; but few people collect the plant as a major food source. The source I used for including it in this collection was in "Alaska's Wild Plants," by Janice Schofield. She warns that the plant is know to contain a cumulative toxin leading to partial or total paralysis, but this substance is also found in garden peas. Moderation should be used when consuming this plant. She writes that under survival conditions, "do not subsist solely on beach peas." (p. 8)

Schofield's harvesting instructions are to, "pick young shoot when under 10 inches high; and pick pea pods when bright green" (Schofield, p. 8) The shoots can be steamed or stir-fried and the peas can be cooked or eaten raw.