http://www.victoryseeds.com/pe...

Black eye peas, crowder peas, cream peas, are summer crops in the South. To a Southerner those green podded peas that grow in the early Spring are "English Peas".

Didn't mean to by contrary, Rick.

Good point! I always enjoy making distinctions and finding places where the plant world confounds us by making things that we gave the same names very DIFFERENT things.

Just like I've never gardened on anything but heavy clay soil, I've never dealt with REAL heat, like down-south heat. CT and NJ could get up to 100 F, but that was seldom, and a cold spring or fall was never more than 2-3 months away in recent past or near future.

Anyway, I never tried any of those peas you named. Are they green pods, green peas, very sweet, and eaten fresh? Or are they dried and eaten like dry beans for soup? I know that even English peas can be dried and saved for soup (but what a waste!)

I've also heard "shelling peas" called "English peas", to distinguish them from mangiatuto peas ("eat-the-whole-thing").

Yes. Southern peas are more like dried beans. A thing to do on a summer's evening is for the ladies to sit on the front porch and shell peas, the pods are dried and crack open easily. You do this while listening to the cicadas. Ive noticed a few peas that can be found in the freezer case: black eye, cream, crowder, but more often they are with the dried beans in cellophane sacks. Peas can also be found in cans, already cooked. No you don't eat the pods, they are dried, the peas shell out easily once you crack the seam between your thumb and forefinger. Then you take all the pods and dump them in the chicken yard. Ive never heard of anyone eathing Southern peas fresh, as you would "English peas" or the Asian edible podded peas.

An essential recipe for New Years eve is "hoppin john":

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/H...

>> often they are with the dried beans in cellophane sacks.

Back when my income was very limited and variable, I had a 5-gallon tub half-full of things like navy beans and dried peas for pea soup, based on what was on sale. I might have had some of those "Southern peas" back then.

My plan was to always have something edible to fall back on. I came to dislike oatmeal from those days!

Back when my income was very limited

I still have that -- a stash of beans and dried peas.

Beans are beautiful, also. Here is the image page for Heirloom Beans:

http://images.search.yahoo.com...

A selection of heirloom peas:

http://www.heritageharvestseed...