The production of pea products on Walnut Acres is largely accredited to the pea viner.

Helpers George Richard and Richard Nellis hauling early crops of peas to the viner.

“[The peas] are placed in a gigantic, clumsy, ancient peaviner, which devours stalk and all, aborts the peas from the pods, and deposits them in containers to be taken to the cannery or freezery. The pealess haulm is spewed forth at the other end of the pea-monster, to be placed in huge piles, that part of its work done.”

— Paul Keene, Fear Not To Sow Because Of The Birds

  • What is a pea viner?

    A peaviner is an agricultural machine used to separate freshly harvested peas from their vines. Before its invention, farmers had to shell their harvested peas all by hand. This monotonous process consumed a great deal of time and energy, which most likely impeded upon other scheduled tasks.

  • How does a pea viner work?

    Peas and vines are fed into the machine hopper and drawn into the viner. Revolving paddles inside a large drum beat the pods until they open.

  • Who made the pea viner that was on Walnut Acres?

    The pea viner on the farm was manufactured by Frank Hamachek, Jr. Learn more about his original patent and how his particular invention functioned.

    Pea Viner Patent and Article

  • How did the pea viner promote sustainability?

    After the peas were collected, the spent vines would fall off the far end of the viner and soon transform into compost. This created an effortless cycle of renewability, as everything that sprung from the soil was returned again and again.

"Modern" photo of pea viner in process

“There, through Nature’s wondrous alchemy, the plant loses its identity, its life as a peavine, only to become a butterfly of hope as it is transformed into rich hummus to feed the soil, another link in an endless life-and-death struggle.”

— Paul Keene, Fear Not To Sow Because Of The Birds

Pea Products of Walnut Acres

  • Canned Peas

    Fresh peas were brought to the farm cannery where they were washed, hand-inspected, and then packed in deep well water.

  • Soups

    Walnut Acres had a variety of soups that included their delicious peas. Some of the different kinds included vegetarian vegetable, split pea & barley, cream of pea, chicken vegetable, and vegetable beef.

  • Stews

    Peas were also incorporated into many of Walnut Acres’s canned stews. Some of which include hearty vegetable, beef, vegetable beef, and chicken stew.

The Pea Viner Today

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The Pea Viner In Action

This video was released by Brad Davis and shows a pea viner in action. Though this is not the actual pea viner on Walnut Acres, it is the same 1930's era Frank Hamachek Pea Viner model.