I wish I had seen this earlier, I would have liked to trade for some of his peas but this was before my time here at gardenweb. I have the white whipporwill and my seed came from Bakers creek about the same time as this post. I don't believe they carry it anymore. I also have a tan speckeled whipporwill from a trade years ago. It is good fresh but I don't care for it dried. There are several peas that I have grown with outstanding flavor as a fresh pea but lacks in flavor or have an off flavor when dried and cooked.I have the whippowill that Gardenlad mentioned I recieved those seed from him personally a couple of years ago at the one of the fall AHSC meets I still need to grow it out. Boy that brings up good memories. Hopefully there will be a informal get together this fall of the core group of the once AHSC. That steelwhipporwill sounds interseting and I would like to try it. If anyone may have some I would like to do a trade.

This is totally off the subject but I just felt like mentioning it. Did you know it takes 120 cucumbers to produce a pound of dry seed. Why do I know this? because I am up to 27# of dry seed and expect about 40# when I am done. so that is picking about 5000 cucumbers slicing in half scooping out the seed ferminting in 5gal buckets, washing and rinsing then air drying in screen racks with a fan. I have a 3ft x8ft pile of cucumber boats and a big tub of beautiful white seed. Rodger

Wow Rodger!

I'm happy to produce a small ziplock of cucumber seed once a year!

George
Tahlequah, OK

Lol, I recognize myself in these posts.

I have been saving seed from 600 tomato plants of 150 different varieties with the objective of producing about a cup of seed per variety. I also have harvested about 3 gallons of J.Potts lima beans, a gallon of Neckargold beans, a gallon of Alabama #1 beans, and still have to pick a couple of other varieties.

I have saved a quart or so of Chicago Pickling cucumber seed and am in the process of saving watermelon, cantaloupe, and gourd seed.

Once that is done, the peanuts should be ready and I have to produce about 20 gallons of good quality dried peanuts in the shell.

Life is lovely when you are producing seed. A lot of these are bound for Sandhill Preservation.

DarJones

I would love to see an answer to jimster's question. I've never grown whippoorwill peas and am considering them for next year. This year I planted a row of Black Crowders for the first time. It's now my favorite field pea, taste is great. Also, four rows of Mississippi Silver Hull, my second favorite, and two rows of Texas Cream 40's. The Cream 40's are good but I prefer peas that produce a dark soup.

Rodger,

I have several cowpea varieties, sitting around here doing nothing...Black, Cardinal, Corrientes, Holstein, Monkey Tail, Piggott Family Heirloom, Texas Big Boy, and maybe a few others. Would you like any of them?

Gary

Bamagrit, I did answer some to Jimsters question and I will add some more. Gardenlad had mentioned in this post on the heirloom forum that many people call any small tan speckeled pea a whipporwill. I have been at seed swaps and during my plant sales where I have seeds also for sale have people comment that those are whipporwill peas and I usually tell them they are similar but those are some other pea. So the whipporwill you may plant could be different from the whipporwill I have or someone from another area. Having said all that, Peas are my favorite legume. I love them . Limas or Butterbeans are a close secound. The whipporwill I recieved years ago was a tan small seeded pea and not a crowder type pea. Crowder peas are the same species only a different shape. The peas are crowded into the pods making them blocky and fat vice kidney shape. This is also the difference between cutshort beans and regular beans. The whipporwill pea I have from Brook(Gardenlad) is a small tan with speckels crowder type pea. I believe the majority of people that make association with a whipporwill pea are talking about a small pea with speckels,color and whether speckeled can vary but most are tan. Small white peas are commonly called lady peas or rice peas but that is a different post along with most white or cream colored peas refered to as cream peas because of the light color and clear mild broth. The white whipporwill pea is a small cream colored crowder similar to tenn white crowder but 1/3 the size I believe it originate as an off type in a patch of small tan speckeld crowders called whipporwill. On all the field peas, crowders, cowpeas, yardlong peas and cream peas,all of them are the same pea species "Vigna unguiculata " just a different name based on region or use or shape and within that regional name or purpose there are individual named types such as whipporwill. As a whole I like them all best as a fresh shelly pea.I haven't grow one yet I didn't like. I have eaten some (California black eye) that had no taste and have a mealy texture. There are some that are great dried, just as there are beans great dried, but there are others that I think have an off taste when used dried, like the non crowder whipporwill I have. So my recommendation to you and anyone else is to try some and see how you like them. The standard whipporwill will make a nice rich broth so I am sure you will enjoy them. I would say they are close to the mississippi silver hull in taste and size. I was entriqued by the original post because Mr Steeles family whipporwill is a small "black" crowder with speckels vice tan with speckels and his father referred to a solid tan crowder type as improved whipporwill.This is two types I had not heard of. By the way Bamagrit my mom is from a small community in Winston co. in North Alabama. I am going there this weekend to visit and hope to get some seed from an aunt of mine that she hasstumbled across in the freezer that belonged to a great aunt.

Tormato I would be interested in trading you for anything I don't have. From what you mentioned the only one I am not familiar with or have is monkey tail send me an e-mail and lets trade. Rodger

And while on the subject if anyone else has a pea they are intersted in trading for send me an e-mail. I am always looking for something new. Rodger

Hey Rodger, thanks for the response. I saw some tan, speckled pea seed at the farmers coop near here and they were labeled 'whippoorwill'. I already had plans for this year with my peas and didn't have room to try them. Anything outside the fence doesn't stand a chance here because of deer. I love crowder peas. I think they have the best taste of all the field peas and, like you, butterbeans are a close second. I planted Henderson and a speckled butterbean a friend had had in his freezer for five years. They are doing great but the taste is not that good to me. I don't really know the name, he just called them 'speckled butterbeans'!!
I'm going to try the whippoorwills next year. If they taste similar to Mississippi Silver Hulls they'll be good.
I've never dried any to cook later in winter till this year. I'm saving a small mess of the Black Crowders to try later.
I live in Coffee County, Southeast Alabama near the Florida line and know where Winston County is, pretty country up there.
Have a good visit with your Mom and Thanks again!

I would like to know where I can purchase some and I would like to know if anyone has ever heard of jack rabbit beans.

Check with local growers and you will often find good peas available for free. You can also order from Sandhill which I have linked below.

DarJones

Here is a link that might be useful: Sandhill Preservation

what type of green beans to plant between corn and how far apart does it need to be

I'm new to growing peas, and specifically Whipporwill Peas! I picked up some seed at my Decatur, GA Farmer's Market last year, planted it this summer and it's producing beautifully. The important question I forgot to ask was: when do I harvest it? Do I harvest it as a green pod and eat the peas fresh, or let them dry in the hull? (The hull, when dried, changes from white to a light purplish mottling.) Any cooking tips would be appreciated, too.