Saturday, April 30, 2011

2011 Florida Black-Eyed Pea Season

I look forward to fresh picked black-eyed peas, they taste so different than dried or canned. There is a creaminess about them that can't be matched. They are already growing in the fields of D and D Farms in Palm City (near Stuart) Florida but they are still too green to pick.

Last season I eagerly grabbed handfulls of green pods, passing over the brown, dried out looking ones.  I picked three pounds of beans in less than an hour. I was quite proud of myself. When I got home my pride quickly changed to frustration as I discovered I had picked the beans too soon. It was close to impossible to open the pods and get to the beans. It took me three hours to get enough beans for a dinner for two. Well maybe it took a little less time but it certainly felt like three hours.

So this year I am waiting for the pods to turn brown and dry before I pick them, even if it means I have to wait an extra week or two.

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