Brown Pea

Bulk of vines sprawl on the ground, but some will climb. Violet flowers. Stems and petioles green with very slight pigment streaks, leaves dark green, rhomboid shape. Immature pods green, some with slight pigment at tip. Dry pods tan. Pods 4-7" long by 0.5" wide, 7-15 seeds per pod, 11 average. Medium size, tan seeds, crowded. Dry seeds are meaty with a thick skin. Holds shape and texture well throughout cooking. Slightly sweet, earthy flavor. Midseason maturity. Jim Ruder (KS RU J) donated this variety to SSE circa 1992. Jim had been listing this variety in the Exchange Yearbook since 1987. He got his seed from Delora Meyer (1929- ) of Hanover, Kansas, in the early 1980s. Delora got it from her mother Caroline (Scheele) Meyer (1902-1979). This cowpea had been in Delora’s family for at least two generations. Delora told Jim she could not remember a time when she had not been eating them. She recalls her mother preparing a thick, white, creamy soup with pieces of ham and bacon and how the peas had a dark ‘eye’ that would face up in the soup. As kids, she and her siblings called them brown spiders. SSE Accession # 108943