Pea Shelling

Mississippi Pink Eye Purple Hull Peas or as I have affectionately coined them "dirt peas" is the topic of the day here at Country Mama to Many. When living in the south you quickly come to recognize that these little delicacies are a prized favorite for most southerners. It took me many years to acquire a palette for them and I still have to 'doctor' them up a good bit before I can eat them. But, I'm assuming the reason folks like them so much, is that they are super easy to grow down here in the high heat, humidity, and dry soil. 

We've tried growing an assortment of other beans and peas, but we always revert back to these. When you're trying to fill your larder it just makes sense to fill it with the produce you can easily grow. The little ones typically like to pick and shell our peas, and hey, if they find it fun, then why not encourage their interests. After all it's back breaking labor to be hunched over picking 'mile-long' rows of field peas ~ the younger children don't have to bend over quite as far as us grown folks, lol.

Typically my kiddos enjoy watching a movie or a television show while shelling peas. While I'm not a huge fan of television, it makes the useless activity a little more appealing when I know they're being constructive with their time instead of just completely vegging out in front of the T.V. Shelling peas is NOT hard, but when you're picking them by the five gallon buckets, any way to get them shelled as quickly as possible works for me. 

It takes quite a bit of peas to fill a quart jar, which is what I use in meals to feed our family. Since peas have to be pressure canned and they take a little while to process, we fill freezer quart bags with peas and place in the freezer until we have enough to make it worth our time to can them. I do not blanche the peas before freezing. And if we happen to run out of our already canned peas, the frozen peas can be thrown into the crockpot in the morning and turn out just as delicious as if we canned them. But, I do prefer the canned peas which can quickly be thrown into a pot, heated, and ready to serve in just a few minutes. 

 Pressure canning isn't really all that hard, but it is a time consuming process. I know many folks are intimidated by using a pressure canner, but we've never had any problems other than a busted jar here or there. I have two pressure canners and have had to replace two throughout my 15 (plus) years of canning. I've never spent a whole lot on canners, just bought the cheapie Presto Pressure Canners (bought my first one at Walmart) and they've worked just fine to meet our needs. Some homesteading purchases are worth investing in the high dollar models while others not so much. Thankfully, we've been able to successfully use our Presto Canners to fill our larder year after year.

I once heard a saying that said "Get what you can and can what you get". Part of homesteading and more importantly growing your own food journey is learning to acquire a taste for the foods that readily grows in your region. It may take some time to get used to them, but trust me you do. Or at least I've made a point to learn to like a plethora of food I never liked before we began this homesteading adventure. I figure if God placed me in this region, gave me a heart for this lifestyle, and the ability to grow/harvest/preserve such food; than I can graciously eat the food He provides. Ultimately, in this life, all things circle back to the Good Lord and trusting Him for our provisions in every aspect of our lives; even in the basic aspect of the food we grow and cannot grow. 

With Love & Hope,

Jennifer