Shelled Field Peas

“Field peas are another gift from Africa. The story goes that the when Sherman’s army burned down the plantations, livestock and crops of white slavers’ they left the sustenance farms of the enslaved untouched. The field pea went from food only fit for livestock and enslaved Georgians to the primary source of nourishment across race and class. Growing up late summer meant hours of shelling peas on the porch. Nowadays it’s more likely we’re buying plastic bags filled with farm-fresh shelled peas.”