Friday's Rookie Topic V- Southern Peas (aka Cowpeas or Field Peas)

Okie dokie, here we go. Oh, and you are so welcome for the help, had it not been for others, especially one older lady I used to live across the street from, my mother-in-law, and her mother, I would still be lost, well more lost than I am now anyway.

Front view of black-eyed peas


Blooms


Side view, you can see the runners here.


Any one else growing any other varieties please post pictures and share, when they start to come in we can all sit on the porch (or inside in the air conditioning), drink sweet tea or lemonade, and make memories with our loved ones while we share memories of our childhoods, and then share here too. Get pictures of the kids/grandkids shelling peas, or if you have an old one from your childhood, scan it and post it here too.

I used string on my pinkeye purple hulls. They got to be 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall. Though they appeared to be sending up vining ends, they never did vine, so they were bush (this is my first experience with these things). We just harvested a bunch (I planted 8/square, since I didn't realize they were bush at first), so I guess the things are done... I don't see much going on with them anymore.

Nope, not done, just taking a break. Most people will tell you they only produce one round, that's because they row garden and most don't water them, they just let them go and don't keep them picked. If you keep them picked they will produce until first or second frost. Give them a drink of water, and if you feel like it a boost of compost tea (they really don't need it, but they do love it, kinda like us and ice cream) and sit back and wait. Trim off any dead leaves, they'll start another round of peas soon.

Great pics, Val. I can see how you did the string. I think I'll have to run some of the lines all the way across my 4X4 because I have that weedcloth under it and I don't think it would be a good idea to poke holes in it with the stakes. But I think I can figure something out that'll work. I had to work till 8 pm tonight, though, so didn't get the strings in place, yet.

Yes, that's the way the runners on my peas look!

The first blooms were open on my pink-eye purple hulls when I went out to check the garden before I went to work this morning. I've been seeing bees almost every day now - both honey and bumble. At least I think it was a bumble bee - it was more black looking, but smaller than I thought a bumble bee would be.

I also picked 3 zucchini this morning to take to my vegetarian coworker. I'd had a lot of zucchini lately and was having trouble keeping up with them! Another coworker requested some, so I'll share with her, too. Whew, that'll give me a little break from them.

Miss M - my peas must be between 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall, too! I didn't expect that, but I guess Val's probably right in that they grew taller competing for the sunshine since I planted them so close.

Thanks!

FarmerValerie wrote:Nope, not done, just taking a break. Most people will tell you they only produce one round, that's because they row garden and most don't water them, they just let them go and don't keep them picked. If you keep them picked they will produce until first or second frost. Give them a drink of water, and if you feel like it a boost of compost tea (they really don't need it, but they do love it, kinda like us and ice cream) and sit back and wait. Trim off any dead leaves, they'll start another round of peas soon.

Really?!? Cool!!!

A lot of the leaves seem to be changing color, like it's fall and they're dying back. (Actually, my pinto beans are doing that too.) Does that change the taking-a-break thing, or do I just trim and wait, like you said?

Trim if you like, I will, water, and wait. They don't like wet feet, and do well in dry conditions, but still need water so give them a nice long drink and then wait a few days to water again.

I forgot to mention I don't see many ladybugs in my garden until the peas start getting about a foot tall, then I see tons of them, so these plants seem to attract ladybugs by the hundreds.

I have extra zucchini, I grate it and measure out 1 1/2 c, add some lemon juice, put in a baggie, and freeze for zucchini bread. If you like you can steam the grated zucchini for about 3 minutes, then cool and bag. I add the lemon juice to keep it from turning brown. The 1 1/2 cup is the measurement for most zucchini bread recipes, so all I need to is pull it out when I want to make some bread or muffins. I made some muffins for breakfast Sunday morning with zucchini from the garden and honey from my husbands bees, they were good, but growing the zucchini and using fresh honey made them even better.

Thank you! You pick them when they turn purple, right? That's what you mean by keeping them picked?

Yep, when most of the pod is purple, pick 'em.

I'll try your tip for freezing grated zucchini for sure, FV! I've never made zucchini bread, but I think I've had it before and it was very moist and flavorful. So I'll definitely give that a try, too!

FarmerValerie - I couldn't find any string here at the house and had to work late a couple of days, so didn't get my peas "tied up" before it stormed here a couple of nights ago. Sure enough, my pea plants tumbled over from the wind and rain. DH went to the store and got string and tied them up for me while I was at work the next day.

They don't look exactly "garden beautiful" the way they're tied, but they actually have little pea pods on them now! So they apparently weren't hurt too badly by the experience. Lesson learned for next time, for sure, but I think they're going to be ok and I'll still get a harvest.

I just wanted to update what's happened. Hopefully, somebody else will learn from my experience.

I too have more peas that need to be sheltered, but have no string, I hope to get to the store very soon. I also need my husband to rip some 2x4's, thats what my stakes are, and I'm just not comfortable with a table saw to run some 2x4's across it and make some more.

I'm glad your peas survived, I need to post some pictures of the tiny little pea pods I'm seeing for others to see, if you get a chance post pictures of yours too. Thanks so much for keeping us updated on your peas!!!

Okay, got some really good pictures (oh so not the best quality but you can see what's going on here) of the new pea pods.

Baby pods.


Getting a bit bigger!!!


These will probably be ready in about a week and a half, to two weeks.

FarmerValerie, do all bush beans produce a second crop? I could swear I see new growth and blooms on some of mine that I had picked pretty much clean.

Update:
I did a search real quick, and they say that bush beans will produce a second crop, just not anywhere near as large as the first. Is that your experience?

Honey, I let mine go until the plant dies after the first or second frost, I never stop getting peas.

Cool!!! Green beans, too?!?

I believe this is true for most plants, they keep picking as long as the weather is right. Somehow I'm still getting broccoli and it's June in TX, but I have a feeling I only have one more picking. I just pulled our English pea the other day, and the sugar snaps are ready to be pulled, they just stopped producing, but they are cool weather crops. I just keep all my plants picked and dead growth trimmed off and they keep producing until either the weather gets to hot for the cool weather crops, or the first frost for the warm weather crops.

Finally got some new pics, Val, but they're not tiny pea pods any more! I have some turning purple. I know you said pick them when that happens, but can you hold off until more of them have turned purple or do you need to pick them right away? Silly rookie question, I guess, but I'm thinking it would be better to pick enough for a "mess" at one time.



They sure are sprawling and those long vines have started latching onto some of the other plants and the string DH tied them up with! Those are younger southern peas to the sides of the ones bearing pods already. I planted some more when I had some squares come available.

My cucumbers in this box are turning kinda yellow and some of the cukes are misshapen. You can't see them very well at the back left here. They sure looked good for a while!



My honey dew melons to the back left of this box are looking a bit peaked, too. They are getting little fuzzy melons on them, though. I hope they hold out until I get to harvest, but it isn't looking too good. It has been really hot here, in the 90s every day.

Just wanted to give an update!

Thanks for the awesome update, you deserve an attagirl pat on the back. You should be proud. Go ahead and pick the few that are ready, if you wait, they may go bad (get mushy or even start to dry out). The point of keeping the plant picked is so it keeps producing. Just pick 'em, shell 'em, blanch them for 10 minutes (dump into boiling water, drain, put in ice water) then let them dry just a bit, and place in a ziplock baggie and put in the freezer. I do not add water to mine when I freeze them, that way if I only need half a bag, I can just bang it on the counter to loosen them (just like stor bought frozen veggies) take out what I need, then put the rest back. Since you don't have 3-25ft rows, you won't be picking bushels, just a hand ful here and there, which will make putting them up, less time consuming.

To cook, just in case you or any one else reading needs a refresher, put in enough water to completely cover them, add seasonings of choice, a bit of bacon, and boil for a few hours. I usually keep about half a package of bacon, cut up into 1" size peices in a ziplock baggie in the freezer and break of a chunk as needed for cooking southern food. You must have either bacon or butter or both for it to be true southern food.

Okie dokie, so here are our black-eyed peas as of Friday, June 17th 2011.

Thanks, Val. Why is it the grass always looks greener? Your pods look so much more filled out with peas than mine do.

Yep, I've cooked and eaten a few southern meals in my time. My favorite way to cook field peas is to cook them combined with what we always called "speckled butter beans" - just in the same pot together - with the bacon. We usually throw some small okra pods in with them, too, and sometimes chopped onions. Have you ever had them that way? MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm - and buttermilk cornbread is an absolute necessity to go with so far as I'm concerned! Sometimes added a little of the "hot pepper sauce" Mom usually seemed to have on hand to the peas & beans once they were on your plate, too, to give them a little zip!

I've seen a field pea recipe lately, though, using andouille sausage, that I might try eventually (if I get enough peas) - sounds interesting.


I've tried to determine if there is a certain variety of the lima type beans called "speckled butter beans," but I'm not sure. My dad used to grow them, but unfortunately, he's not around to ask any more. I've seen a variety called Florida Speckled, but from what I've read they're pole beans and I could have sworn the ones Daddy grew were bush beans. These were kind of cream or buff colored with lots of purple splotches on the bean. Anybody know?

Thanks, as always, for your guidance. I've had a rash of leaf-footed bug nymphs the last few days - squish 'em fast as I can find 'em. It's too hard to catch/kill then once they've grown into the adult stage. It looks like the battle of the bugs is heating up here, along with the weather! Ugh.

I have some speckeled butter beans growing, but they are pole. I purposely got the pole kind to climb the corn in one of my 3 sisters beds, but we had weather issues that confused the corn, and it got to tall before it got wide enough at the base, so it's falling over, beans and all. I personally hate lima beans, and don't care for butter beans, but hubby likes them so I grew a few for him. All the speckeled I found were pole, sorry.

Peas picked, shelled, blanched, bagged and frozen! All 2 tablespoons of them, lol! Hopefully, they will have many more buddies to join them in the next week. Thankfully, they were the size peas I remember. I was a bit afraid my pods hadn't filled out enough, but they look good.

You know, working with the peas this morning, picking, shelling, blanching, made me feel so close to my Mom and Dad, both gone now. Dad would grow them and Mom would shell and cook them. Wish I had a big southern front porch with rocking chair to sit and shell. I also remember my grandmother (Mom's mom) shelling the peas, sitting in a wheelchair in her kitchen with the sun pouring in through the large windows. She had been blinded by complications from diabetes and had had to have both her legs amputated due to hardening of the arteries, but, boy, she could shell those peas. She used to feel us grandkids' faces when we would visit - her way of trying to "see" us. Man, the memories gardening can bring back!

I have been wanting to try pole beans - both southern and snap - so will probably try them next time. I am probably mistaken thinking the speckled butter beans my Dad grew were bush beans. My hubby likes the speckled butter beans and has such a craving for them, he's been searching the grocery store's frozen goods case for them lately. I swear we used to be able to get them frozen, but haven't found any lately. I guess maybe it's too much a "southern" thing for the chain stores to keep them. Oh and I just remembered - we would always toss a few of the green pods, "snapped," into the pot, also. Does anyone else do that?

Try your local farmer's market for those speckled butter beans, who knows you may yet find some.

Your reminising made me thirsty for fresh squeezed lemonade, I think I'll go make a glass, maybe with a twist of lime. You are so right "Ain't nothing like sittin' on the front porch, passing the time, shelling peas". Hey we could all pick a day, head on over to the nearest Cracker Barrel eating place and borrow their chairs while we shell peas!!!

The only problem with heading to our local Cracker Barrel to borrow one of their rockers for shelling is that most of those rockers are always full already! I wouldn't mind owning a part interest in that!

I would lay money down that if you showed up with a bushel of peas, you would get offers to help shell them!!! Checkers, rockers, and pea shelling, now there's the Good Ole Summer Time!

Oh and I just remembered - we would always toss a few of the green pods, "snapped," into the pot, also. Does anyone else do that?


I always thought that was a requirement. And "snap" beans (usually kentucky wonder pole beans) cooked with new potatos in water with a bit of salt pork or bacon drippings. YUM!

Kay