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market-farming - [Market-farming] Was: Pea Tendrils, now Cowpeas

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  • From: Richard Moyer <ramoyer AT gmail.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Was: Pea Tendrils, now Cowpeas
  • Date: Sat, 8 May 2010 14:14:50 -0400

Being a Georgia boy, we grow and eat lots of cowpeas. Great summer
cover/smother crop, has extra-floral nectaries to attract many types
of beneficial insects. Thrives in drought and poor soil.

But as noted, better sample some of these tendrils before devoting
space for fresh market. The ones we grow (pinkeye purple hull and
some crowders) have tendrils with a strong, disagreeable flavor,
nothing like spring (English) peas. And, the end of the vine twines
like a pole bean, not with the fine, feathery tendrils of spring peas.
Not saying cultivars don't exist for fresh eating, but I've not
encountered them. Have talked with Asians and Africans who cook the
growing tips and young leaves, but don't recall anyone who eats them
raw.

As an historical aside, cowpeas once had the place of soybeans in
southern ag rotations, and were one of the crops highly promoted by
George Washington Carver.

We've done well with Austrian Winter Peas for an overwintered or
summer source of tendrils and edible flowers, as noted on this list.
Flowers are an attractive bicolor, will readily reseed to give a late
summer/fall crop of tendrils and blooms. So the farmscaping/insect
habitat strip can still produce salable product.

Richard Moyer
SW VA
Easting locust flower fritters for lunch; couldn't sell many blooms at
market this AM.




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