This year I'm trying Bettersnap southern peas from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. This is the first time growing any type of cowpeas/southern peas either for green peas, dried or for snaps. I expect they are similar to growing bush beans, correct? Anyone else grow southern peas for snaps?

Hmmm, I didn't know there was a bush type of southern pea. Thanks for the heads up! Love the tings about eating them as snaps although most field peas can be eaten like that if you pull them early enough. I'll be interested hearing how yours do for you. I've always grown the vining type and the varieties vary as to how rambunctious they are.

Big Red Ripper from SESE has been my favorite for about 4-5 years now but I've also tried Knucklehull, Lady Pea, Hercules and Big Boy. They're all runners, especially the Ripper. Last year I grew three regular rows and one trellised row. This year Ripper will be three trellised rows because they made good enough on the trellis that I can probably get the same production as with four regular rows. Also giving Colossus 80 a test drive this year.

I never knew you could use cowpeas as snaps. Something new every day!

PlainJane wrote: ↑Wed Jan 08, 2020 8:47 pm I never knew you could use cowpeas as snaps. Something new every day!

Yard long beans same category.

worth1 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 09, 2020 4:26 am

PlainJane wrote: ↑Wed Jan 08, 2020 8:47 pm I never knew you could use cowpeas as snaps. Something new every day!

Yard long beans same category.

Yard long I knew. I grow them every year and love them. Flavor is great!

My favorite is crowder peas with snaps.
They to me have a very earthy flavor.

worth1 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 09, 2020 6:08 am My favorite is crowder peas with snaps.
They to me have a very earthy flavor.

Worth, do you mean crowder beans harvested as snaps?

PlainJane wrote: ↑Thu Jan 09, 2020 6:10 am

worth1 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 09, 2020 6:08 am My favorite is crowder peas with snaps.
They to me have a very earthy flavor.

Worth, do you mean crowder beans harvested as snaps?

No they are a type of cow pea.
More round and dark brown.
Crowder comes from the peas being tightly packed together in the pod.
If you are calling these same things a bean they aren't.
They are in the same group as the black eyed pea and so on.

so you mean crowder peas WITH snap beans?

No with the young pods

Nan6b wrote: ↑Thu Jan 09, 2020 9:02 am so you mean crowder peas WITH snap beans?

You shell the crowders and then add cut up young pods. Yep, peas and snaps. Good eatin'!

I've grown a fair amount of cowpeas over the years, but haven't grown Bettersnap. Looks like it's a bush, cream type.

I usually let my cowpeas go to the dry stage. Easy storage, plus there's not much better comfort food than a pot of cowpeas cooked with a ham hock, served with some skillet cornbread. Yum!

My Bettersnap seeds from Souther Exposure are definitely smaller than regular southern peas, which I imagine makes them better for use as snaps. After ordering these I was googling around for info on southern peas as snaps and found a few articles on a variety called Whippersnapper developed through the USDA and released in the mid 200o's. It seems it is more productive, etc. and I was hoping to find some seed to try beside Bettersnap, but I can't seem to locate any. I've tried going through the USDA and one of the researchers who worked on it, but so far nothing. I hope it isn't one of those varieties that was developed and never found a solid market and then disappeared. If anyone has any leads, please let me know.

Here is one of the articles on the variety:
https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/ ... -p1297.xml

I found this guy who is the source of the seed. He says on his site he only markets WhipperSnapper through Victory Seeds but it looks like they don't carry it this year. You might want to e-mail the guy at New Hope and ask for a current seed source.

https://www.newhopeseed.com/whippoorwill_cowpea.html

Thanks for the lead [mention]GoDawgs[/mention], but I think that is an heirloom variety called whippoorwill. The one I was hoping to find is whippersnapper, which was developed in the 90s and released around 2007. It seems like whippersnapper may have only gone to larger growers and when it didn't catch on (not a lot of people grow them just for snaps) it may have disappeared. I'm going to try a few more calls to the USDA, but it doesn't look good.

My apologies, zendog! Apparently I can't read anymore. ROFL!

Pinkeye purple hull peas are good as snaps when young. I prefer them before they are full dry, but out of the snap stage. Those juveniles freeze well shucked and without blanching and cook quickly. Tender and delicious. But they are good as green snap beans before they get to their full diameter. It’s been a while since I had some as snaps.