Late Summer Harvest

It’s August, and too hot in central Texas to grow much of anything in the vegetable garden. Most vegetables have burned up, dried up or given up.

Except black-eyed peas! I planted black-eyed peas after the tomatoes and zucchinis were done for the season. Actually, my peas are called Mississippi Pink Eye Peas. And they are not really peas at all. They are a legume.

Last winter I wrote a blog post on how I wanted to be more self-sufficient in terms of growing my own food. At that time, I was just beginning to start seeds and readying the garden for planting. As spring and summer progressed, I harvested some tomatoes and zucchini and a couple of yellow squash. I blanched all of them and froze them. I now have quite a lot of vegetables in my freezer.

When the tomato, zucchini and squash plants were spent, I pulled them up and planted the Mississippi Pink Eyes. Not all of them sprouted due to excessive rain we had in midsummer. So, I replanted them and eventually got about a dozen plants.

Black eyed peas don’t require special soil as long as it is fairly rich and well drained. In the south, black-eyed peas (or cowpeas) are called a “cover crop.” Farmers plant them in the field after their main crop is harvested to “cover” the soil, and manage erosion. Sometimes there is no intention to harvest the cover crop. It might be plowed back under the soil at the end of the season. A benefit of planting legumes is that they fix (or use) nitrogen from the air and return it to the soil. You can find more information on black-eyed peas here.

It is interesting to note that Mississippi pink eyed peas, purple hull peas, black-eyed peas and cowpeas are all from the same Fabaceae family. And they are not peas at all, as mentioned above, they are from the legume family.

Below are my plants at the height of their growth. They are vining plants so they climb on a trellis-

The pea pods start out green and then mature into a lovely maroon. I pick them when they are a full “Aggie” maroon!

After picking the pods, I lay them out on the counter for several days until they are brown and dry.

When they are dry, they break open easily to reveal lovely little “peas.” Breaking them open is a rather mindless job so I do this in front of the television.

I then vacuum pack them in half cup portions for future recipes. My friends vacuum pack theirs in one cup portions, but it doesn’t matter. This is a great way to store them. They can remain in a cool cupboard until you are ready to eat them. (I have saved out a few of them for planting in the next season.)

How to eat black-eyed peas

It’s a tradition in the South to eat the legumes on New Years eve or New Years day to bring luck and prosperity.

Basic cooking method

Legumes need to be soaked before cooking. Wash them in a strainer, then soak them in one of these ways-

Method 1 – cover them with water, add 1-2 Tablespoons kosher salt per pound of beans, and let soak overnight.

Method 2 – place beans in a large pot, cover with water. Add the salt and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let soak for an hour.

After soaking, pour off the water and cover them with fresh water or stock. Add salt and seasonings as desired. Simmer the beans for about an hour or until tender. Use them in any recipe calling for black-eyed peas. To make a nice soup, take some of the cooked beans and add to a blender and process until smooth. Add them back to the pot for a nice creamy soup. Here is another good recipe –