All of my obsessions with gardening; with Southern food and culture; with communication in everyday life and how the CSD professional engages it clinically; and the public stature of CSD clinicians, that benefits them both professionally and personally; - I give all credit, honor and power for my grown-up life to the humble field pea, Pisum sativum. Like the madelines Swann enjoyed as the evocation of his life, in the famous novels of Proust -the field peas brought together all the crossroads of my life, during a dinner my mother served when I was home one semester from college.
"Good morning, and welcome to speech therapy in the garden. Today we're going to talk about and plant some cowpeas, or what some call generally southern peas. They are called "southern" because these varieties of legumes (beans, peas, peanuts) originated in the southern US. These peas are extremely heat-tolerant, and grow well in shade and the poorest of soils. Since the roots of these plants have the ability to draw up nitrogen, they are excellent green manure for your garden soil. They can also be used as forage for farm animals. Let's plant some today: before we start, let's look at the seed."
Mom at that meal, served plates of field peas (Pink Eye Purple Hull?), with scoops of white rice and wedges of hot cornbread. The bread was sweet and crispy on top, and moist and succulent on the bottom when slathered with butter. The rice: tender and slightly sticky to hold the pot liquor and the butter from other food - goes down so good as you combine the dishes. The field pea, - if the Delta had had any elevation, peas could roll off the plate and head downhill to New Orleans. But they couldn't and didn't roll away, - soon GULP! they were gone. And my life had a unifying force.
"This is a summer season plant. That means we need soil temperatures of 70 degrees or more, to germinate the seed. Here at this midwestern university clinic, that means the best times to grow this plant is during the summer session. Is there anyone who wishes to spend their summer session, caring for such an annual? I didn't think so. That's not a worry, however. We have affiliated with our clinic garden, staff and volunteers from the Cooperative Extension service, and from the high school FFA program, will tend the garden for us during the summer. We gain from their expertise in horticulture, and they learn how a garden can be a 'therapy room'."
And they were so GOOD: the time the peas spent simmering in a cast iron pot with the pork flavoring, making them creamy inside but still giving up all their fiber and sweetness; they combined with the rice in a bite having buttery energy and dark, rich protein; and ahhhh- there was within them such a complex history; the peas having been eaten as much as 100,000 years prior; that seeds from the numerous pea varieties traveled with African slaves to their new home; that the non-native plants were miraculous sustenance for southern poor through the years of both struggle and bounty; -that the peas were ideal for the tropical and bare conditions of many Southern farmland: not much moisture needed; and excessive heat and poor soil well tolerated. No amount of historical review can nevertheless compare with the best way to acquaint yourself with Pisum sativum; namely, by shelling a few dozen of her mature, dried pods on the back steps with family @ twilight.
"Field pea. Crowder pea. Blackeyed pea. Speckled butter beans. Mississippi Silver. Whatever cultivars (specific plant) you choose to plant and harvest, they are all fascinating plants. Now, I have photos of each seed -and five cards that have names of each cultivar. Please match the photo of each cultivar with its name."
There was among us in my family, on any of a hundred evenings just like this one, a number of regulars at shelling time: my two sisters, the domestic worker hired by my mother as cook, nanny and moral force; and the family do, at that time a big ol' boxer. Lots of practice , with chocolate brown warm fingers coaxing stubby, pink ones on how to pop a pod; - wow, I had a bit part in tonight's dinner. This bit of kitchen work was a ritual beloved through much of my home region, for decades and across the centuries - from Mississippi back to the cultivars' origin in Asia.
"Good work. We've sprouted the pea seed; we've planted the seedlings, watered them and kept watch against pests. The sun and heat have been good to our plants, and we soon will harvest the pea pods. You know I've worked with you to keep an accurate record of the garden season. We have had to keep accurate records of data for each day, including rain, weather conditions, plant conditions, and all actions taken each day. Let's review now, how successful we have been in growing our peas".
