Fresh Crowder Peas (NOT Black-eyed Peas) ♥

(UPDATE: The farmer I bought the crowder peas from said were the same as "black-eyed peas" and "cowpeas." He was, according to many commenters below, completely wrong. So sorry!)

So it took all of 17 minutes to shell a pound of fresh crowder peas. But I fussed and fumed the entire time. "Why is this taking so long?" and "Nobody's ever going to make these, they take too long." But somehow, as the minutes passed, these old-fashioned peas got me to thinking in a way, say, gorgeous French radishes did not.

How far we've come from the source of our food sustenance. Sure, I bought these from my local farmers market - I even 'walked' to the market. But what I didn't do was:

• Leave my homeland and family seeking personal freedom or economic opportunity
• Cross mountains and rivers and prairies to find affordable farmland
• Put down scarce cash for land, build some sort of shelter, survive the first winter with little to eat
• Fell trees, pull boulders in order to till virgin soil
• Watch bad seed or storms or drought or insects decimate the crop
• Buy seed and fertilizer and insecticide and farm equipment on credit
• Sell the back forty to re-purchase seed, fertilizer and insecticide when spring rains wash out the first planting
• Worry whether my children will want to farm this land, whether this land will be there for them to farm

It's been many years since I've been on anything except a gentleman's farm. Somehow, crowder peas got me to thinking what it might have took to get them to my market where I could buy a pound for two bucks. You know what, 17 minutes of shelling, it was the least I could invest.

NEXT TIME I'll make sure to select either 'green' or 'brown' pods for the peas inside are at different stages of ripening. Either one is fine and the peas from both turn that dull brown while cooking. The brown ones are slightly easier to shell.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES See the Recipe Box for other black-eyed pea recipes, considered 'lucky' and so by American southern tradition, eaten at New Year's to bring good luck to the new year.

A YEAR AGO Tomato Sandwich with 'Bacony Cheese' with an inventive vegetarian 'bacon'!

TWO YEARS AGO Roasted Nopalito Tomatillo Salsa, very good in a tortilla wrap with turkey and roasted pepper

FRESH CROWDER PEAS (NOT BLACK-EYED PEAS)

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 60 minutes
Serves 4

Salted water
1 pound peas, shelled

DRESSING
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon good vinegar

Fresh herbs if desired

Bring the water to a boil while shelling the peas. Add to boiling water, cover and let cook for about 40 minutes or until done. (They are quite starchy, very similar in texture to canned or frozen black-eyed peas.) Drain and return to the hot pot.

Meanwhile, whisk the dressing. Pour over hot drained peas and toss several times to coat and let the liquid soak in. Toss with herbs and serve immediately.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 98 Cal (33% from Fat, 9% from Protein, 58% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 4 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 3 g Mono Fat; 15 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb11; 2 g Sugar; 96 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 3 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1

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How to eat more vegetables? A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes with quick and easy favorite vegetable recipes, well-organized in the Alphabet of Vegetables, Weight Watchers low-point recipes and microwave vegetable recipes.