I usually take a break in June from planting more vegetables in the food garden, as the heat and humidity are tough for both me and most vegetables to deal with. But this summer, as part of my quest to have the garden provide all of our food (with the exception of meat,milk, eggs, bread, and staples) I have planted this cowpea to supplement the lima beans, peppers, okra, and sweet potatoes that are the only vegetables that thrive in such hot conditions. I did a little Google research on these first to determine which variety to plant and the consensus seemed to be that the "Pink Eyed Purple Hull" was tops for flavor and yield. They are a bit meatier and larger than the White Acre, but not as meaty as the Crowder types, and sweeter than the Black Eye. I planted 4 3'x10' beds of these in early June, and began harvesting July 26th. They are very prolific, I'm halfway through the harvest and estimate we'll end up with 12 quarts of shelled peas by the time they are finished. These are easy to pick as the purple pods stand out from the green foliage. The above photo is of the plants in bloom, just developing their pods.
This is the second picking of peas. The first was about the same amount which took about three hours to shell. Mmm...now I remember why I haven't planted these in a while. So I took a trip to Ebay, and found...
A new in the box (from the 1970's) "Magic Fingers" which is motorized by attaching to a hand mixer..
and shelled these is 30 minutes! To cook -add ham hock and water to just cover, pepper and/or garlic salt to taste, and slow simmer 2 hours. Yum!
I usually take a break in June from planting more vegetables in the food garden, as the heat and humidity are tough for both me and most vegetables to deal with. But this summer, as part of my quest to have the garden provide all of our food (with the exception of meat,milk, eggs, bread, and staples) I have planted this cowpea to supplement the lima beans, peppers, okra, and sweet potatoes that are the only vegetables that thrive in such hot conditions. I did a little Google research on these first to determine which variety to plant and the consensus seemed to be that the "Pink Eyed Purple Hull" was tops for flavor and yield. They are a bit meatier and larger than the White Acre, but not as meaty as the Crowder types, and sweeter than the Black Eye. I planted 4 3'x10' beds of these in early June, and began harvesting July 26th. They are very prolific, I'm halfway through the harvest and estimate we'll end up with 12 quarts of shelled peas by the time they are finished. These are easy to pick as the purple pods stand out from the green foliage. The above photo is of the plants in bloom, just developing their pods.
This is the second picking of peas. The first was about the same amount which took about three hours to shell. Mmm...now I remember why I haven't planted these in a while. So I took a trip to Ebay, and found...
A new in the box (from the 1970's) "Magic Fingers" which is motorized by attaching to a hand mixer..
and shelled these is 30 minutes! To cook -add ham hock and water to just cover, pepper and/or garlic salt to taste, and slow simmer 2 hours. Yum!
Crape Myrtles
Rudbeckia
Ameranthus
Althea 
Ornamental Pepper
Lythrum (Purple Loosestrife)
Impatiens
Crocosmia
Zinnias with Persian Shield
Periwinkles (front) with Zinnias (back).