One of the things I cook is ham hocks and blackeye peas. I make it a couple of time per year. Now, there is a tradition that blackeye peas are eaten on New Year’s Day. You’d think that stores would have them this time of year.
First I went to Ralph’s. They had ham hocks, but no blackeye peas. Not even a place for them on the shelves. Oh, I could have bought canned BEPs, but have you ever had them? They’re aweful.
So I went to Albertson’s. No joy. They had a space for them, but they were sold out. I didn’t even bother looking for hamhocks, because they never have them.
Finally I went to Vons. They had BEPs, so I bought a bag. But no ham hocks. Maybe tomorrow.
Well, I can get hamhocks later. If not, then it’s vegetarian beans for me.
I have blackeyed peas from my parent’s garden that Mom put up this summer and my brother brought to me a couple months ago (along with a bunch of other home canned goodness), and my hamhocks are left from the Christmas ham.
Add some homemade cornbread and deer steak to that and we be happy campers New Year’s Day.
I grew up in Virginia. So, when I moved to Akron in 1971, we went looking for blackeyed peas about this time of the year. Nevermind that we couldn’t find frozen–we couldn’t find canned. We went to 4 local markets. Finally found some at the A&P in a poor section of town . Now, of course, you find canned in any store.
We have a local Amish/Pennsylvania Dutch market that has frozen things you wouldn’t believe. Eat your heart out.
Guys, guys…you’re not not finding black-eyed peas because the shops don’t STOCK them…you’re not finding black-eyed peas because EVERYONE WANTS THEM FOR NEW YEARS, and the shops have sold out.
Trust me on this. Los Angeles and Akron have enough ex-Southerners in residence that the shelves are cleared of black-eyed peas by December 26.
Uke I know you mean well. But, believe me, in 1971, in Akron, Ohio, the two largest grocery stores didn’t have a space on their shelves for black-eyed peas.
You are correct about the number of Southerners who came here prior to WWII. So you should be right. But only the A&P in a poor, mixed neighborhood had any. The A&P went out of business a few years later. There must be a joke in that. I’ll leave it to you.
In my family we have the black eye peas and greens (turnip, mustard or collard). The peas are for luck and the greens are for prosperity. Not necessarily hoppin’ john but I do like that just fine. We have it as a part of a meal to observe the tradition. Peas cooked with the hock are EXCELLENT but we usually just use
salt pork. Same for the greens. Make some cornbread. Fry some chicken or pork chops and get out the pepper sauce! It’s gooooood!
What on earth are “collard greens” - I see them referred to all the time when people are talking about Southern dishes and I’m utterly clueless to relate them to any food with which I’m familiar (the same is true of okra).
Collard greens are the boiled and spiced leaves of any number of plants, including turnips and mustard. They’re a Southern staple because they are very nutritious, have tons of fiber, and most importantly, are dirt cheap. Last time I was at a farmer’s market here in Huntsville (Alabama) I saw them going for a couple of bucks per ten-pound bale.
They’re an acquired taste, but I think they’re delicious.
Okra is the seed pod of an African species of Hibiscus. It was planted here in the South, and has become a staple food. It can be boiled (though I don’t recommend it,) fried (YUM!), pickled, or better yet, included in gumbo, where its mucilaginous inner liquid is used as a wonderful thickener. Its flavor is delicate and herby.
It’s no damn fun to pick, though, because the okra plants are covered in prickles.
Thanks Ogre. For some reason I’d always imagined okra was something similar to eggplant - I’ll go hunt up an image on the net so I have some concept of what people are talking about.
Hibiscus grow extremely well here, but I’ve never noticed their seed pods.
On the flip side of this tale, I was buying the staples Saturday and had pintos and Great Northern beans in the cart. The checkout lady pointed out that I had forgotten the blackeyed peas.
