Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata – Black-Eyed Peas

Black-eyed peas are a type of cowpea, one of the most cultivated beans in the world. A staple ingredient in cuisines of the Southern United States, they received their name from their distinctive dark spot on the skin’s surface. Like other beans, Black-eyed peas are highly nutritious and an excellent energy source.

What are Black-Eyed Peas?

• Black-eyed peas belong to the plant family, Fabaceae, also known as the legume, pea, or bean family, which includes lentils, chickpeas, peas, and peanuts.
• Although called a pea, the Black-eyed pea is actually a bean.
• Black-eyed peas are native to West Africa and have been cultivated in China and India since prehistoric times. They were brought to the US in the 17th century by enslaved Africans. Today they are grown worldwide.
• Like other bean varieties, Black-eyed pea plants feature trailing green vines and trifoliate leaves with spade-shaped leaflets.
• They usually develop green pods, six in. long (15 cm), although some can grow to two feet (60 cm) in length!
• The pods contain 6-13 oval, slightly curved, creamy seeds with a darker circle or eye. This eye is created at the exact point where the bean attaches to the pod. It can be black, brown, red, pink, or green – depending on the variety.
• Black-eyed peas can be grown at home in both bush and pole varieties.
• Fresh Black-eyed peas are available in mid to late summer. Dried beans are available year-round.
• Black-eyed peas fix nitrogen and add nutrients that improve the soil, benefitting the plants that are growing beside them. Beans are great for heavy nitrogen users.
• The black-eyed pea is a widely used ingredient in soul food and cuisines of the Southern United States.
• Popular cultivars include Big Boy, California Blackeye, and Queen Anne.

Health Benefits of Black-Eyed Peas

• While Black-eyed peas make a flavorful addition to various dishes, they also provide health benefits.
• They contain many nutrients, including vitamins, folate, iron, manganese, potassium, and fiber.
• Black-eyed peas are a rich source of complex carbohydrates that take longer to digest than simple ones. People feel fuller for longer, which can help them maintain healthy weight levels.
• Black-eyed peas are rich in protein and are considered a substantial meat substitute. These proteins benefit the immune system and help maintain healthy bones, hairs, organs, and muscles.
• Folate: one cup contains 52% of your daily needs. This B vitamin helps reduce the risk of certain birth defects and is also important for reducing depression.
• Vitamin A: one cup contains 44% of your daily needs. This vitamin is essential for your eyes, immune system, heart, and kidneys.
• Manganese: one cup contains 41% of your daily needs. Manganese helps to maintain bone strength and may help prevent osteoporosis.
• Vitamin K: one cup contains 37% of your daily needs. This vitamin helps strengthen bones.
• Fiber: one cup of Black-eyed peas contains 44% of your daily needs. Fiber helps lower harmful cholesterol levels and improves your heart health. Fiber also helps regulate the digestive tract and keep your digestive system healthy.
• Potassium: one cup contains 15% of your daily needs. Potassium plays a role in kidney health, bone and muscle maintenance, blood pressure, and cardiovascular health.
• Iron: one cup contains 10% of your daily needs. Iron can help prevent anemia.
• Nutrition Facts (per 100 grams): 116 calories, 20.5 grams carbs, 7.6 grams protein, 0.5 grams fat, 6.4 grams fiber.

Cooking with Black-Eyed Peas

• Black-eyed peas are a type of legume that can be eaten fresh and dried. They are, however, mostly consumed dried and used in cooked dishes.
• They have a dense and firm texture, slightly softening when cooked. The flavor is nutty, earthy, and savory.
• Black-eyed peas can be boiled, mashed, fried into fritters, mixed into rice dishes, tossed into salads, or steamed and served as a nutritious side dish.
• The dried beans can be soaked for 2 to 6 hours to soften and then simmered in broths and stocks for added flavor.
• Black-eyed peas are a popular ingredient in soups, curries, and stews.
• In the United States, they are traditionally cooked with collard greens and pork as a New Year’s meal to bring luck in the coming year.
• They are an excellent substitute for pinto beans, navy beans, cranberry beans, lima beans, fava beans, or cannellini beans.

How to Grow Black-Eyed Peas

• Black-eyed peas grow up to 2-6 ft. tall (60-180 cm), depending on the variety. They can be grown as a low bush (bush bean) or a vine climbing a trellis (pole bean).
• They perform best in fertile, acidic to neutral (pH ranging from 5.8 to 7.0), moist, well-drained soils in full sun (at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day) in a sheltered location.
• If your soil lacks nutrients, add well-rotted organic matter or compost before planting.
• Keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. Bean plants do require consistent and even moisture once they have formed flowers.
• Black-eyed peas are a warm-weather crop and grow best between 65-85°F (18-29°C).
• They are sensitive to frost and will suffer damage from even a light frost.
• Sow seeds outdoors anytime after the last spring frost date after the soil has warmed. At soil temperatures below 60°F (15°C), most bean cultivars germinate poorly and are more susceptible to pests and root rot.
• Do not start Black-eyed pea seeds indoors because their roots are fragile and may not survive transplanting.
• Soak the seed in compost tea for 25 minutes before planting to help prevent disease and speed germination.
• Sow seed 1 inch deep (2.5 cm) and 5 inches apart (12 cm) in rows 18 inches apart (45 cm).
• Beans are soil builders. They rarely need any fertilizer during the growing season.
• Mulch to retain moisture, keep the soil cool, and control weeds.
• Rotate crops: Prevent problems by not planting beans in the same location more often than every three years.
• Compost plants after harvest. Cut them at the root. The nutrient-rich roots can be tilled back into the soil.
• Black-eyed peas are susceptible to a few pests. Keep an eye out for aphids, root nematodes, slugs, and snails.
• They are susceptible to diseases, such as the bean mosaic virus.

Harvesting and Storing

• Depending on the variety, Black-eyed peas take 70-100 days to harvest after planting.
• Black-eyed peas are ready for picking when the bean pods are at least 3 to 4 inches long (7-10 cm).
• They can be harvested as a snap bean in about 70 days or as dried beans after 80-100 days.
• Fresh Black-eyed peas should be used immediately for optimum quality and flavor.
• Dried Black-eyed peas can be kept in a sealed container for one year in a cool and dry place. The beans can also be frozen in a sealed container for up to 6 months.

Best and Worst Companion Plants

• Beans are great for heavy nitrogen users. They add nutrients and improve the soil, benefitting the plants that are growing beside them.
   
• A good example of companion planting is The Three Sisters Garden. Practiced by Native Americans thousands of years ago, this garden includes corn, beans, and squash. The tall corn provides shade for the lower squash but also stops the squash vine borer beetle. Corn also provides support for the bean plants to climb up. The beans enrich the soil with nutrients for both corn and squash. And the large leaves of the squash vines create a protective mulch that helps retain moisture while suppressing weeds. Another added benefit is the prickly vines of the squash deter the raccoons from stripping the corncobs.
   
• Black-eyed peas can be grown at home in both determinate (bush) and indeterminate (pole) varieties.

Best and Worst Companion Plants for Bush Beans

Best and Worst Companion Plants for Pole Beans