Yes, a pillow filled with dried green peas - organic dried green peas to be exact. 

When I was first contacted by Matt Harrigan of The Green Pea Pillow Company to try their innovative pillow design, I really didn't know what to expect out of a pillow filled with my family's favorite vegetable.  But it's certainly was intriguing to say the least, so when the pillow arrived it was an event around the store - with customers and employees alike gathered around while I opened the box.

Let's get the specifics out of the way first - This pillow weighs more than any other pillow I've ever seen - topping in at around 11 pounds.  To add to that amazing statistic, it is much smaller than the average pillow - at least the one I was sent - at 16 x 11 (not counting the flap on the pillow case).  It has a resting, unfluffed loft of about 2 inches.  There is no quilting to the exterior.  The peas are packed into a heavy organic cotton canvas interior that is zippered, allowing you to remove peas if you wish - similar to buckwheat hull pillows in that respect, only here I suppose you could rehydrate and cook the peas if you really wanted to.  The pillow includes a softer organic cotton pillow case.  The literature does not indicate whether or not the pillow case is machine washable, however I would be very surprised if it wasn't.

Now to the test.  The size of the pillow really limits this to neck and head support in one position.  Rolling over, shifting positions, etc. would require moving the pillow to keep it in the correct position.  When it comes to head and neck support, this pillow really shines.  It holds you in position completely, even with its small size.  Because of the size of the peas, much larger than buckwheat, there is less chance of shifting occuring during sleep or rest. 

Of course, with pillows like this there is always a noise factor and it does exist here.  If this were a like-sized buckwheat pillow, with no wool wrap as this is, it would be much noisier in my opinion.  Peas are definately on the quieter side, although you do hear them and this is something to consider.

As for this pillow, it has become somewhat of a curiosity around the store as customers are quite intrigued by it.  Most seem quite surprised by the weight and the damage it could do in a pillow fight - we're talking emergency room here!  It is really hard to fathom this pillow every wearing out from a fill standpoint.  With normal use, this thing could literally last years.

If you are interested in the Green Pea Pillow, you can get more information at www.greenpeapillow.com and can order there as well.  The pillow cost $89, but offers a 30 day money back guarantee and a program where you only need to pay the $15.95 shipping charge (remember, it's heavy) and if you like it the $89 will be charged at the end of the trial period. 

As for us at the Green Guy and OSP - we doff our caps to Matt for creating an innovative organic product and wish him every success.