The dog days of summer are here. Last week’s brief rain showers missed the farm so everything is starting to get very dry. This is typical for July and August in central Texas. We rely on our irrigation system to keep the garden and orchard growing and are managing through this spell pretty well so far. We called on our friends at Bernhardt’s Farm in Elgin to help supplement our harvest. They’ve supplied the purple hull peas and some of the okra in this week’s shares.
Expected harvest shares this week (due to variations in harvest, Wednesday and Saturday deliveries will differ slightly):
Full share, Wednesday: Okra (triple portion), Purple Hull Peas (double portion), Sunflower sprouts, Sweet potato leaves (double portion), Potatoes, Tomatoes, Squash or cucumber, Eggplant, Garlic
Full share, Saturday: Okra, Pea Shoots (double portion), Purple Hull Peas (double portion), Sunflower sprouts, Sweet potato leaves (double portion), Potatoes, Tomatoes, Squash or cucumber, Eggplant, Garlic
Half share, Wednesday: Okra (double portion), Purple Hull Peas, Sunflower sprouts, Sweet potato leaves, Potatoes, Melon or pears, Garlic
Half share, Saturday: Okra, Pea Shoots, Purple Hull Peas, Sunflower sprouts, Sweet potato leaves, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Garlic
Blessing Falls Summer Week 7 Share
Recipe
Cook young purple hull peas just like the black-eyed peas in recent shares. Pods with immature peas can be stir friend with bacon until tender – no need to shell the peas.
More mature peas can be shelled and prepared using this simple award winning recipe:
Ingredients:
5-6 cups shelled purple hull peas
6 oz. centercut smokey bacon (use a good brand)
Salt to taste
Cut bacon into inch size pieces and lightly brown in a dutch oven or deep saucepan. Do
not drain bacon grease. Add washed peas and enough water to cover plus one inch. Add 2
teaspoons salt. Boil over medium heat until tender (about 45 minutes). Taste and add
more salt if needed. Serve with hot, buttered cornbread.