Southerners chow down on Crowder peas

Crowder peas grow readily in southern soils and are cousins of black-eyed peas.

Selena McKoy, an agricultural specialist with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service center in Harnett County, said Crowder peas are true beans, or legumes, and “thrive in brutal heat, overbearing sun and poor soils.”

 

These beans “can excel in the areas of your garden bed where other ornamentals or vegetables fail. Once the plants begin bearing – anywhere from six weeks to four months after planting – they will bear until the first killing frost,” McKoy said.

“Crowder peas blanch and freeze beautifully, and you can also dry them. If you can’t put any away, you can make a few large harvests, then till the plants under to improve the soil texture further.”

At Specialty Produce, a wholesaler in San Diego, Calif., Crowder peas account for just one of more than 1,000 items of produce in the company’s 32,000-square-foot warehouse. Its website offers in-depth commentaries about all its fruits and vegetables.

“Crowders have a bright green shell when fresh and then turn to a pink and rose hue when dried. The pods range from 8 to 10 inches in length and contain anywhere from 12 to 18 small globular brown beans.”

 

“The Crowder pea variety got its name from the pea’s tendency to ‘crowd into its shell.’”

 

Dried, canned and frozen Crowder peas “can be found year-round, sold as a processed bean or as a value-added ingredient in soup and bean mixes.” Crowders “are high in protein and contain the amino acids, lysine and tryptophan.” They are also a good source of dietary fiber as well as vitamins A, C and K.

Crowders “can be cooked quickly, simmered for 30 minutes or until fork tender, or they can be slow cooked for hours to allow the broth to develop a richer flavor.”

“Okra can be added to impart a thicker consistency to the broth.” The beans take on the flavor profile of what they are being cooked with. Crowders “pair well with onion, tomato, corn, garlic, fresh herbs such as sage oregano and parsley and chili peppers.”

 

Having originated in Africa, Crowder peas “were quickly adopted as a favored crop as a result of their adaptability to the hot and steamy climate of the American South.”

Mike Barnhardt, editor of the Davie County Enterprise-Record, published in Mocksville, N.C., recalled the social aspects of shelling Crowder peas with his grandfather, while “listening to Milo Hamilton and Ernie Johnson Sr. calling an Atlanta Braves’ baseball game on the little Philco radio that sat at the base of the end table.”

 

Someone who really likes to cook Crowder peas is Kathryn Doherty of Charlotte, N.C., creator of the “Family Food on the Table” website.

Doherty discovered that Crowders are “the perfect, Southern soul food staple – easy to cook and great with fresh tomatoes.”

Look for Crowder peas during the growing season at farmers’ markets, she advised. They are usually packed in plastic baggies. “Sometimes they are sitting out on display, sometimes they’re in a cooler on the floor. Sometimes they’re hidden behind the stall, and you have to ask for the little gems.”

“Like many old Southern dishes, the vegetables are the stars of the show,” she said. “You can use some leftover bacon grease, a small piece of salt pork, fat back or a jarred ham base. Once the beans have cooled slightly,” Doherty said, “add in 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes and 1/4 cup green onions, then taste and add salt and pepper if needed.”

“We like ours with hot sauce – lots of hot sauce.”

Crowder peas and lima beans