10. Making beer from the shells of peas
The art of shelling peas had all but died out before the foodie craze brought it back, but in the mid-19th century and the early 21st the problem of what to do with the discarded pods presents a problem. Particularly for those for whom waste is aberrant. In 1844 a solution was offered. By simmering the shells for three hours and adding wood sage or hops, a liquor was produced and set aside to ferment. “The wood sage is the best substitute for hops, and being free from any anodyne property, is entitled to a preference”, according to the Practical Receipts Book.
Several further hacks are listed in the book, including the means of improving the flavor of coffee (add chicory), mixing drinks using liquors such as whiskey and gin, and a method of preparing a coffee substitute, using a powder made from dried and ground acorns. Since beer made from peas, or more accurately the empty pods, would likely emerge from fermentation with a pronounced green color, it could probably be used as a hack to create one’s own green beer for Saint Patrick’s Day, should one be inclined in celebrating the feast in such a manner.