'Blue Goose' African Pea

Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata

Origin: Africa, via the American South

Improvement status: Cultivar

Seeds per packet: ~45

Germination tested 10/2024: 94%

Life cycle: Annual

The African Pea (Vigna unguiculata), a.k.a Southern Pea, Crowder Pea, Field Pea, or Cowpea, is a warm-season crop that's well-adapted to the hot and humid climate of the Southeastern U.S. This beloved Southern heirloom comes from grower Mark Dempsy of Swannanoa, North Carolina, via the new Appalachian Seed Growers Collective. Here's what Mark says about this special pea:

"I acquired 'Blue Goose' from the USDA’s seed bank while trialing about 30 cowpeas and close relatives in Swannanoa, NC. While there is no shortage of cowpea varieties in the Southeast, the Blue Goose really grabbed my attention and checked all the boxes:

a) It is a vigorous, high-yielding crop.
b) It is relatively well-behaved, having a large semi-bush habit.
c) It cooks up quickly and tastes great!
d) The seed has a wonderfully unique blue-gray color.

In my experience growing Blue Goose in the last 7 years it has averaged about 15 lbs of seed per 100 ft-row.

I’ve loved cowpeas, beans, and other legumes for about as long as I can remember. My love for legumes is three-fold: first, for their wonderful culinary value, and all of the amazing dishes that are made with them. Second, their positive effects on human health — they’re rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and prebiotics, and eating them is associated with living longer. And, third, for their amazing role in cropping systems, where they require little fertilizer, produce more protein per acre than any other crop or livestock, and are sure to be an important part of feeding our growing population in the future. I’ve had a small-scale commercial legume operation in Swannanoa, NC since 2015 after having worked in large-scale grain farming in Pennsylvania for many years. My hope is to continue scaling up production to meet the growing market demand for legumes in the Asheville area."

Another member of the Appalachian Seed Grower Collective, Yanna Fishman, has also been growing this pea for many years, having first been gifted it by her 95-year-old friend, Ms. Allein Stanley. Here is what Ms. Stanley, born in 1928, has to say about the 'Blue Goose' Crowder:

“It’s a South Carolina variety, at least that’s what we always grew. I think it’s such a pretty and tasty pea. I know my grandparents had it in their garden. I just remember eating it fresh, but pretty sure some were saved for winter. Commonly we ate ‘peas and snaps,’ if you are familiar with that. ‘Peas and snaps’ are the fully developed peas cooked with the young peas still snappable – peas barely forming. Simmer for about an hour. Or more. You want a good pot liquor.”

We can't wait to try these ourselves!