Anybody out there have much experience with heirloom beans? I just
read this article
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/ma...tml?ref=dining
in the NY Times, and it got me thinking about some very tiny field
peas my grandmother used to cook. They were an heirloom variety that
was even smaller than what you can get by way of field peas these
days. I asked my parents about them a while back, and they told me
the old woman who grew them died and nobody had any for seed, alas. I
loved those peas when I was a kid.

Anyhow, here's the Web site of the guy in the Times story:
http://www.ranchogordo.com/ There's a list of bean varieties in there
somewhere. Anybody have a recommendation for one to try? I'm
thinking of growing them this summer. Okay, if I get a pound, Ill
only plany a couple of ounces and cook the rest.

On Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:00:21 -0500, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:

>Anybody out there have much experience with heirloom beans? I just
>read this article
>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/ma...tml?ref=dining
>in the NY Times, and it got me thinking about some very tiny field
>peas my grandmother used to cook. They were an heirloom variety that
>was even smaller than what you can get by way of field peas these
>days. I asked my parents about them a while back, and they told me
>the old woman who grew them died and nobody had any for seed, alas. I
>loved those peas when I was a kid.
>
>Anyhow, here's the Web site of the guy in the Times story:
>http://www.ranchogordo.com/ There's a list of bean varieties in there
>somewhere. Anybody have a recommendation for one to try? I'm
>thinking of growing them this summer. Okay, if I get a pound, Ill
>only plany a couple of ounces and cook the rest.


Try here.
http://www.southernstates.com/promot...guide/peas.jsp

They do not say heirloom, but most beans are open pollinated and they
do list several field peas.

Also look here for farms in your area.
http://www.localharvest.org/ark-product.jsp?id=213

This link is for field peas. I did not have time to go through them.

I'll check the grocery store for dried field peas next time I go.

--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

On Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:00:21 -0500, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:

>Anybody out there have much experience with heirloom beans? I just
>read this article
>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/ma...tml?ref=dining
>in the NY Times, and it got me thinking about some very tiny field
>peas my grandmother used to cook. They were an heirloom variety that
>was even smaller than what you can get by way of field peas these
>days. I asked my parents about them a while back, and they told me
>the old woman who grew them died and nobody had any for seed, alas. I
>loved those peas when I was a kid.
>
>Anyhow, here's the Web site of the guy in the Times story:
>http://www.ranchogordo.com/ There's a list of bean varieties in there
>somewhere. Anybody have a recommendation for one to try? I'm
>thinking of growing them this summer. Okay, if I get a pound, Ill
>only plany a couple of ounces and cook the rest.


Here is another good website that has photos. The really rare seeds
sell out early, but the photos may remind you of what you had as a
kid. If your memories are from your area, try goggling that geography
in with the terms of "field peas" and "heirloom" and you might be
rewarded that way.

http://www.victoryseeds.com/catalog/..._southern.html

Boron

"modom (palindrome guy)" > wrote in message
...
> Anybody out there have much experience with heirloom beans? I just
> read this article

That article is pretty useless regarding gardening, it's more a
discombobulated nostalgia trip of sorts.

Beans and peas are separate entities, you need to decide which and then you
need to decide whether you want to grow for the pods or the seeds. Most
home gardenrs grow beans for the pods, they don't allow them to mature and
dry the seeds... in case you didn't know most dried beans in their more
immature days were once green beans. Most home gardeners choose beans by
growing habit; bush/pole... I grow bush, pole is easier to harvest (less
stooping) but pole beans need a lot more space as they shade themselves and
nearby crops. As to heirloom veggies they're more of a fun thing, they are
not hybridized, they are not disease resistant.... heirloom beans are more
fancily colored (dried and pods) but after cooking they look and taste like
any other common bean. Peas are a whole nother topic... I don't grow green
peas, I can get all I want labor free and for cheap, frozen... I grow sugar
peas and snow peas.

You need to read all the seed catalogs you can get your hands on. If
getting into vegetable garding later in life stick to the basic crops, if
you attempt the oddballs from the git-go you will lose growing seasons with
little to show for your expense, time, and labors.

> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/ma...tml?ref=dining
> in the NY Times, and it got me thinking about some very tiny field
> peas my grandmother used to cook. They were an heirloom variety that
> was even smaller than what you can get by way of field peas these
> days. I asked my parents about them a while back, and they told me
> the old woman who grew them died and nobody had any for seed, alas. I
> loved those peas when I was a kid.

It's easy to get petit peas from any variety, simply harvest earlier... any
peas, including heirlooms, will become starchy if left too long on the vine.
The home gardener is much better off growing snow peas and sugar peas....
pick young and they'll be tastier and production will increase... harvest
twice a day.

> Anyhow, here's the Web site of the guy in the Times story:
> http://www.ranchogordo.com/ There's a list of bean varieties in there
> somewhere. Anybody have a recommendation for one to try? I'm
> thinking of growing them this summer. Okay, if I get a pound, Ill
> only plany a couple of ounces and cook the rest.

You'd do better with the big seed companies, check out burpee.com
Burpee packs seed especially for Walmart, priced substantially lower.
I don't buy seed from the small independants, I've had bad luck... many buy
up end of season bulk seed from the biggies and repackage... many of those
small companies are seed brokers, they don't produce their own seed. If you
have people to share and want to buy seed in bulk Agway is a good source. I
don't recommend buying more seed than you can use that season... if you save
seed to plant the next season plant double the amount and thin.

modom (palindrome guy) wrote:

>
> Anyhow, here's the Web site of the guy in the Times story:
> http://www.ranchogordo.com/ There's a list of bean varieties in there
> somewhere. Anybody have a recommendation for one to try? I'm
> thinking of growing them this summer. Okay, if I get a pound, Ill
> only plany a couple of ounces and cook the rest.

I've been buying Rancho Gordo beans for several years now, and I've
never been disappointed. The beans are very high quality and fresh.
They require very little, if any, soaking. My favorite variety is
mayacoba beans. The Old Mother Stallard, yellow Indian woman, and
Cargamanto beans are also on my list of favorites. Availability
varies on the different types.

Some of his other products are quite good too, especially the posole
and the crimson popping corn.

pat

On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:52:06 GMT, "brooklyn1"
> wrote:

>
>"modom (palindrome guy)" > wrote in message
.. .
>> Anybody out there have much experience with heirloom beans? I just
>> read this article
>
>That article is pretty useless regarding gardening, it's more a
>discombobulated nostalgia trip of sorts.
>
It wasn't a gardening article, Sheldon. It was a Times Magazine
profile. It wasn't presented as a gardening article.

>Beans and peas are separate entities, you need to decide which and then you
>need to decide whether you want to grow for the pods or the seeds. Most
>home gardenrs grow beans for the pods, they don't allow them to mature and
>dry the seeds... in case you didn't know most dried beans in their more
>immature days were once green beans. Most home gardeners choose beans by
>growing habit; bush/pole... I grow bush, pole is easier to harvest (less
>stooping) but pole beans need a lot more space as they shade themselves and
>nearby crops. As to heirloom veggies they're more of a fun thing, they are
>not hybridized, they are not disease resistant.... heirloom beans are more
>fancily colored (dried and pods) but after cooking they look and taste like
>any other common bean. Peas are a whole nother topic... I don't grow green
>peas, I can get all I want labor free and for cheap, frozen... I grow sugar
>peas and snow peas.
>
Did you even read the article? Taste was discussed rather a lot.
Regarding peas and beans please see:
http://www.jeffersoninstitute.org/pubs/cowpea.shtml

Or you could google "legume" and read to your heart's content.

>You need to read all the seed catalogs you can get your hands on. If
>getting into vegetable garding later in life stick to the basic crops, if
>you attempt the oddballs from the git-go you will lose growing seasons with
>little to show for your expense, time, and labors.
>
That you presume I'm getting into gardening late in life is only one
of your errors in this post.

>> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/ma...tml?ref=dining
>> in the NY Times, and it got me thinking about some very tiny field
>> peas my grandmother used to cook. They were an heirloom variety that
>> was even smaller than what you can get by way of field peas these
>> days. I asked my parents about them a while back, and they told me
>> the old woman who grew them died and nobody had any for seed, alas. I
>> loved those peas when I was a kid.
>
>It's easy to get petit peas from any variety, simply harvest earlier... any
>peas, including heirlooms, will become starchy if left too long on the vine.
>The home gardener is much better off growing snow peas and sugar peas....
>pick young and they'll be tastier and production will increase... harvest
>twice a day.
>
You're completely off target, guy. Think about black eye peas,
purple hull peas, cowpeas, etc. The field peas from my childhood were
tiny ones, but in that general class of legume. Try to remember that
the southern US is not agriculturally identical to upstate NY.
Climate, tradition, and cultivars vary widely. Your experience,
regardless of its extent is largely irrelevant to me.

>> Anyhow, here's the Web site of the guy in the Times story:
>> http://www.ranchogordo.com/ There's a list of bean varieties in there
>> somewhere. Anybody have a recommendation for one to try? I'm
>> thinking of growing them this summer. Okay, if I get a pound, Ill
>> only plany a couple of ounces and cook the rest.
>
>You'd do better with the big seed companies, check out burpee.com
>Burpee packs seed especially for Walmart, priced substantially lower.
>I don't buy seed from the small independants, I've had bad luck... many buy
>up end of season bulk seed from the biggies and repackage... many of those
>small companies are seed brokers, they don't produce their own seed. If you
>have people to share and want to buy seed in bulk Agway is a good source. I
>don't recommend buying more seed than you can use that season... if you save
>seed to plant the next season plant double the amount and thin.
>
Walmart. Right. I'll get right on it.
--

modom

On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:35:47 -0400, The Cook >
wrote:

>Try here.
>http://www.southernstates.com/promot...guide/peas.jsp
>
>They do not say heirloom, but most beans are open pollinated and they
>do list several field peas.
>
>Also look here for farms in your area.
>http://www.localharvest.org/ark-product.jsp?id=213

I've used that link before, but thanks.
>
>This link is for field peas. I did not have time to go through them.
>
>I'll check the grocery store for dried field peas next time I go.

The cultivar my grandmother cooked is apparently not raised anymore. I
checked with my parents to get the name -- or the 1964 Baton Rouge
name for it anyway -- Pawpaw Lee's peas. I was wrong to say an old
woman grew them. It was an old man.

These field peas were cooked like black eyes, but were tiny -- only a
little bigger than a grain of rice. They were a dark purplish brown.
They had a distinct flavor, related to crowder peas (which they
resembled a little in their diminutive way), but richer. Their
texture was very appealing to me as a child.
--

modom

I have a bag of dried blackeyed peas in the pantry that's pretty old,
but I don't think they qualify as "heirloom" yet. Maybe in a few more
years... HTH :-)

Bob

On 2009-03-27, modom (palindrome guy) > wrote:

> somewhere. Anybody have a recommendation for one to try?

Yeah. Find 15 rare heirloom beans, spend all Summer raising and drying
them, then mix them all together in one big pot of beans. Yum!

nb

On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:05:12 -0500, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:

>On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:35:47 -0400, The Cook >
>wrote:
>
>>Try here.
>>http://www.southernstates.com/promot...guide/peas.jsp
>>
>>They do not say heirloom, but most beans are open pollinated and they
>>do list several field peas.
>>
>>Also look here for farms in your area.
>>http://www.localharvest.org/ark-product.jsp?id=213
>
>I've used that link before, but thanks.
>>
>>This link is for field peas. I did not have time to go through them.
>>
>>I'll check the grocery store for dried field peas next time I go.
>
>The cultivar my grandmother cooked is apparently not raised anymore. I
>checked with my parents to get the name -- or the 1964 Baton Rouge
>name for it anyway -- Pawpaw Lee's peas. I was wrong to say an old
>woman grew them. It was an old man.
>
>These field peas were cooked like black eyes, but were tiny -- only a
>little bigger than a grain of rice. They were a dark purplish brown.
>They had a distinct flavor, related to crowder peas (which they
>resembled a little in their diminutive way), but richer. Their
>texture was very appealing to me as a child.


Anything like these?

http://www.uga.edu/ebl/ssl/activitie...der%20419.html

Boron

On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:41:15 -0400, Boron Elgar
> wrote:

>On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:05:12 -0500, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:
>>
>>The cultivar my grandmother cooked is apparently not raised anymore. I
>>checked with my parents to get the name -- or the 1964 Baton Rouge
>>name for it anyway -- Pawpaw Lee's peas. I was wrong to say an old
>>woman grew them. It was an old man.
>>
>>These field peas were cooked like black eyes, but were tiny -- only a
>>little bigger than a grain of rice. They were a dark purplish brown.
>>They had a distinct flavor, related to crowder peas (which they
>>resembled a little in their diminutive way), but richer. Their
>>texture was very appealing to me as a child.
>
>
>Anything like these?
>
>http://www.uga.edu/ebl/ssl/activitie...der%20419.html
>
Those are crowder peas. The color is close, but the peas I remember
were smaller and a bit more elongated. Imagine red bean shapes
reduced to about 3/16 inch in length and changed to a darker color.
--

modom

modom (palindrome guy) wrote:
> On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:41:15 -0400, Boron Elgar
> > wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:05:12 -0500, "modom (palindrome guy)"
>> > wrote:
>>> The cultivar my grandmother cooked is apparently not raised anymore. I
>>> checked with my parents to get the name -- or the 1964 Baton Rouge
>>> name for it anyway -- Pawpaw Lee's peas. I was wrong to say an old
>>> woman grew them. It was an old man.
>>>
>>> These field peas were cooked like black eyes, but were tiny -- only a
>>> little bigger than a grain of rice. They were a dark purplish brown.
>>> They had a distinct flavor, related to crowder peas (which they
>>> resembled a little in their diminutive way), but richer. Their
>>> texture was very appealing to me as a child.
>>
>> Anything like these?
>>
>> http://www.uga.edu/ebl/ssl/activitie...der%20419.html
>>
> Those are crowder peas. The color is close, but the peas I remember
> were smaller and a bit more elongated. Imagine red bean shapes
> reduced to about 3/16 inch in length and changed to a darker color.


Sounds like what I remember calling "purple hull" peas a long time ago;
you're just picking them early (and probably using the snaps.)

You also might try Asian long beans, a.k.a. "yard-long beans". They are
a small seeded cowpea with long pods.

Bob

"modom (palindrome guy)" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:41:15 -0400, Boron Elgar
> > wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:05:12 -0500, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:
>>>
>>>The cultivar my grandmother cooked is apparently not raised anymore. I
>>>checked with my parents to get the name -- or the 1964 Baton Rouge
>>>name for it anyway -- Pawpaw Lee's peas. I was wrong to say an old
>>>woman grew them. It was an old man.
>>>
>>>These field peas were cooked like black eyes, but were tiny -- only a
>>>little bigger than a grain of rice. They were a dark purplish brown.
>>>They had a distinct flavor, related to crowder peas (which they
>>>resembled a little in their diminutive way), but richer. Their
>>>texture was very appealing to me as a child.
>>
>>
>>Anything like these?
>>
>>http://www.uga.edu/ebl/ssl/activitie...der%20419.html
>>
> Those are crowder peas. The color is close, but the peas I remember
> were smaller and a bit more elongated. Imagine red bean shapes
> reduced to about 3/16 inch in length and changed to a darker color.
> --
>
> modom

Check out www.seedsavers.org They might have a source or even the seeds.

JonquilJan

Learn something new every day
As long as you are learning, you are living
When you stop learning, you start dying

On Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:20:45 -0400, "JonquilJan" >
wrote:

>"modom (palindrome guy)" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:41:15 -0400, Boron Elgar
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:05:12 -0500, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>The cultivar my grandmother cooked is apparently not raised anymore. I
>>>>checked with my parents to get the name -- or the 1964 Baton Rouge
>>>>name for it anyway -- Pawpaw Lee's peas. I was wrong to say an old
>>>>woman grew them. It was an old man.
>>>>
>>>>These field peas were cooked like black eyes, but were tiny -- only a
>>>>little bigger than a grain of rice. They were a dark purplish brown.
>>>>They had a distinct flavor, related to crowder peas (which they
>>>>resembled a little in their diminutive way), but richer. Their
>>>>texture was very appealing to me as a child.
>>>
>>>
>>>Anything like these?
>>>
>>>http://www.uga.edu/ebl/ssl/activitie...der%20419.html
>>>
>> Those are crowder peas. The color is close, but the peas I remember
>> were smaller and a bit more elongated. Imagine red bean shapes
>> reduced to about 3/16 inch in length and changed to a darker color.
>> --
>>
>> modom
>
>Check out www.seedsavers.org They might have a source or even the seeds.
>
>JonquilJan
>
>Learn something new every day
>As long as you are learning, you are living
>When you stop learning, you start dying
>
I love a good detective story. I am checking all my favorite seed
sites.

Boron

On Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:00:21 -0500, "modom (palindrome guy)"
> wrote:

>Anybody out there have much experience with heirloom beans? I just
>read this article
>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/ma...tml?ref=dining
>in the NY Times, and it got me thinking about some very tiny field
>peas my grandmother used to cook. They were an heirloom variety that
>was even smaller than what you can get by way of field peas these
>days. I asked my parents about them a while back, and they told me
>the old woman who grew them died and nobody had any for seed, alas. I
>loved those peas when I was a kid.
>
>Anyhow, here's the Web site of the guy in the Times story:
>http://www.ranchogordo.com/ There's a list of bean varieties in there
>somewhere. Anybody have a recommendation for one to try? I'm
>thinking of growing them this summer. Okay, if I get a pound, Ill
>only plany a couple of ounces and cook the rest.


How about checking the extension services in LA and TX and see if
anyone there has any information.

http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)