Herbs-Eat And Grow Healthy~

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Whether we are preparing for 2 or 20, fresh summer vegetables are are as good as it gets...around our house.

This is an easy and delicious lunch or dinner.

(A bit about the Black-Eyed pea.)

The name black-eyed peas comes from the appearance of the legumes. They are small and white to yellow in color with a small black dot on each that looks like an eye...hence the name. They are valued for both taste and nutritional value. In addition to a high protein content, black-eyed peas serve as an excellent source of calcium, a great choice if you are a vegan, and are also high in vitamin A and folic acid.

The growing of black-eyed peas serves another very important purpose in areas where land is used continually for farming. Many crops, like corn or cotton, deplete the soil of nitrogen. Black-eyed peas on the other hand, add nitrogen back to the soil, and are fantastic to grow during crop rotations. One of the first advocates of such rotation was the famous George Washington Carver, who studied plants to see which would best replenish the nitrogen in the soil. He strongly urged families, particularly African American farmers, to use black-eyed peas in alternate years so that all crops would produce better yields. This was an easy argument to make since black-eyed peas were common food in the southern US.

The black-Eyed pea has a history of being a survival food during and just after the Civil War. When northern soldiers were burning and destroying southern crops they did not consider the pea crops worth the effort as they thought of it only as food for stock, so they left many fields untouched which supplied many families with food when food was in short supply.

Dried or fresh they are easy to cook and can be used in different ways.

This is one of my favorites.

Rinse and place in a large black iron dutch oven with enough water to completely cover.
Bring to a rapid boil and turn temp down to a good simmer.
Peas will cook in less than 2 hours, just until good and soft.

Season about 10 minutes prior to removing from heat.
Let stand about 10 minutes prior to serving.

( Black-Eyed Peas )

1 quart of fresh or dried black-eye peas
3 to 4 quarts of cold water
1 small onion-chopped
2 Tablespoons of Sage Hill Farms Cajun Season or you favorite
1 Tablespoon of real butter or olive oil

( Yellow Summer Squash )

4-6 small/medium summer squash-washed and chopped
1 onion-shopped
1 teaspoon Sage Hill Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon olive oil

In a saute' skillet heat oil and cook while gently stirring around...don't overcook

2 fresh ripe tomatoes
4 small to medium size cucumbers

Wash and chop tomatoes
Wash and cut the stem end off the cucumber, then peel or not...peel will become bitter after a certain age.

Toss together with a small amount of white wine-just enough to moisten
Sprinkle with fresh ground sea salt or Cajun seasoning
Fresh ground black pepper is optional-for children

Arrange all on a pretty plate and garnish with sliced cucumber

Enjoy~