Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The food of the future

S7300701My mother lived during the last depression and once I asked her what they ate to survive, "cow-peas" she replied. I envisioned something repulsive like garbonzo. I later found out cow-peas were black-eyed peas so we planted about four thousand linear feet of them two months ago. We have had fifty days of temperatures over 100° F and we have not irrigated for over a month and rain no longer falls but the plants still are producing.

 

Cow-pea stats

cow-peaspinto-bean stats

Nutrition Highlights

Pinto beans, 1 cup (171g) (boiled)
Calories: 234
Protein: 14.0g
Carbohydrate: 43.8g
Total Fat: 0.89g
Fiber: 14.7g
*Excellent source of: Iron (4.5mg), Potassium (800mg), Selenium (12 mcg), and Folate (294mcg)

As you can see cow-peas kick pinto-bean butt on protein,calories,carbs and dietary fiber.


One of the advantages of peas is the nitrogen left on underground nodes that enrich the soil. The plants are somewhat insect resistant. It helps to pull the pods when they are full and still green,the longer they hang on the plant the more susceptible they are to weavils and boring insects that go for the tender peas inside.


Here is a picture of some harvested today.


 


 


S7300702After shelling brown up some bacon or ham and then toss in water and peas until cooked. Accompanied with fresh hot cornbread and you got a meal fit for an oligarch.

7 comments:

  1. Grew up on the very same recipe. Yummy yummy yummy. Okra too. Love it. We didn't have a TV in the kitchen though. Nanny would never have that. Her grandkids were much better entertainers than the TV could ever be.

    Man I love black-eyed peas. Harvested, shelld and canned a shitload of em as a youngin. A little ham and some cornbread + dem der peas and you got yourself a REAL MEAL !

    I LOVE IT !!

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  2. Soylent green,,and black.

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  3. korn, after reading you last mention of them I bought some, however I am not sure of country or origin, and they may? have been irradiated? hope not! am about to do a sprout test to see what happens.
    so , as they are Not, an aussie grown plant, I gather you cant? eat them in the pod??
    Very impressive protien count, definitely a survival food:-)
    Last time I grew okra, i was waiting for them to get big enough to pick...ooops now I know that they get a LOT tough if you do that...learning experience.
    I have managed to get the white flesh purple skin sweet potato to grow here, so this year i hope to get enough to pig out on.
    still waiting for the tractor to arrive, and the season here is about to start, should have been done 3 months ago, I am sooo stressed. be lucky to even get barley in now, and wheat and spelt have to wait another year.
    mother nature rules.

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  4. When still green and before the pods get bulged with mature peas the snaps are edible and very tasty. Enjoy !

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  5. thanks korn:-)
    I dug over a spot this afternoon, and will give em a go, spring is considering happening here
    I will send a picture...if? they grow.

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  6. Korn, my mother acquired some kind of a japanese version of the green bean, and when it grows the bean is about 18 inches long! Dam near 2 feet long! It grows like crazy and has a high output and tastes great! Check em out!

    It would also be a great food source when in need...

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  7. Just got off the phone with dear old mom and she said it was chinese beans or something called asparagus beans

    http://www.localharvest.org/asparagus-bean-seeds-green-pod-red-seed-asparagus-yard-long-organic-C3705

    They grow like crazy with low maintenance and have a high yield.

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