The food of the future

My 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

pinto-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.

 

 

After 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.