Crowder Peas - a Southern Treat!

From Jenny Also Cooks

Crowder Peas are part of a category of southern field peas that I actually learned about from a cookbook, The Lee Bros' Simple Fresh Southern, which has had amazing recipes in it so far. I was curious, and randomly found them to be in season the next time we were at the state farmers market in my town. They were selling them already shelled or in the pod, and I thought it would be more of an experience to shell them first, so I bought them in their most unprocessed form.

For the recipe, all I had to do was boil them for 20 minutes or so. It was tempting to just slap some butter and salt on them and eat them as is, because they had so much flavor, and this indescribable richness for such a little pea. But I had this salad recipe that included beets, which I hadn't ever worked with in a fresh state, so I pushed forward.

From Jenny Also Cooks

The salad was lovely - Nathaniel, who thinks he hates beets, even enjoyed the flavors. I think if I made it again, I would play on the richness of the peas and add some fresh goat cheese. It was even better a few days later after the flavors had really marinated. Now that I know what crowder peas taste like, I'm going to see if they are something we can grow in the garden next year. And now that I know that beets are so easy, they will surely make another appearance in my kitchen.