Unique Short-Season Heirloom Cowpea

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I generally have good luck with cowpeas even in Pennsylvania because I start them indoors in flats, transfer the seedlings to small 4-inch pots, and then set them out when I plant tomatoes (which for me is mid-April). By the end of June, the cowpeas are flourishing, and by the end of July, there’s already a good crop of young pods. The plants will keep producing right up until frost (for me, early to mid-November). With this time frame in mind, you can easily grow them in Zone 6 (coldest annual temperatures down to 10 below zero), and with the help of a greenhouse or some other means of starting the plants indoors, push your luck in the warmer areas of Zone 5 (down to 15 below zero). This cowpea can be grown throughout much of the Midwest.

Plant the cowpeas a foot apart in each direction; full sun is best but they even can take a little bit of shade if your garden is not in full sun all day long. Another benefit is that cowpeas are legumes, so they fix nitrogen in the soil and the plants themselves make excellent green manure. I rotate crops in my kitchen garden from year to year, and plant potatoes where I had cowpeas the year before. This has a wonderful effect on the potato crop, because they are heavy feeders. As for pests, I do not have many problems with insects, except for late-season bean beetles that move to other plants once the beans are finished. Of course, rabbits and groundhogs will relish your cowpeas as much as you do, so you will need to fence off the plot if these animals are a problem where you live. I highly recommend a product called Liquid Fence that keeps off just about everything except raccoons.

For saving seeds, just let the pods ripen on the vines. When they are dry, harvest and split them open. Let the peas dry on a tray in the house for a few days, then store and label in airtight jars out of direct sunlight as you would any other bean or pea. Germination rates remain fairly high for five to six years if your seeds are stored well.

Venetian Style Rice and Cowpeas

This dish is treated by the Venetians as a stew, so it should be soupy in texture, eaten with a spoon rather than with a fork. Its place on the Venetian menu falls under minestre and risotti, dishes served between the antipasto and main course.

2 cups cowpeas
1 cup onion, chopped
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups fish stock (see below for recipe)
1 cup arborio rice
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Salt, to taste

Cover the cowpeas with boiling water and let them stand 20 minutes until plump and somewhat tender. Drain and set aside.

Put the onion in a stockpot with the butter and olive oil and sauté over medium heat until golden. Add the soaked cowpeas and 3 cups of fish stock. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cowpeas are fully tender. Next, add the rice, parsley (save a little for the garnish), and the rest of the broth. Cover and cook slowly for about 15 minutes or until the rice is tender but al dente (firm to the bite). Stir occasionally and season with salt. Add the grated cheese just before serving, and garnish with chopped parsley. Serves 4 to 6.

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