How to Cook and Season Southern Purple Hull Peas

Once you learn how to cook and season purple hull peas, you will be surprised how simple it is to get great flavor from these Southern beauties! This Southern staple is delicious and so easy to make!

These seasonings and techniques also apply to Blackeyed, Cream, Zipper, Crowder and Lady Peas.

Read on to learn how to season, cook and store purple hull peas-where and when to buy them, how to store them, how much is in a bushel and more!

 

Purple hulls are absolutely delicious even when prepared with minimal seasonings. The creamy texture and flavor is a bit different from its cousin, the black-eyed pea.

Whenever possible, get some purple hulls and freeze them for later!

And don’t forget the sliced fresh tomato and homemade cornbread! Peas and cornbread are a Southern staple that’s a meal in itself!

Why you’ll love this recipe!

• Easy with minimal ingredients or effort
• Delicious as an entree or side dish-serve it up with a sliced tomato and some homemade cornbread
• Healthy, all-natural and good for you!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Sometimes, simple is better. With a few basic seasonings, you can cook just about any type of Southern pea and it will be delicious!

Two slices of bacon, onion and garlic powder, chicken broth or water, salt & pepper..oh… and some peas, of course!

Here’s how to make it:

Most Southerner’s season their peas with cooked bacon, a smoked ham hock or smoked turkey leg. 

• If you’re using bacon, cook it in a big stock pot first; you can either remove the bacon pieces or leave them in the pot, but definitely leave grease in the pot; if you’re using a ham hock, put it in with the rest of the ingredients then
• Add peas, water/broth, onion and garlic powder and bring to boil for 10-minutes
• Reduce heat to low; cover and cook
• Season with salt and pepper last

Difference between purple hull and black-eyed

Also called “cow” or “field” peas, the black-eyed and purple hull are cousins. Black eyes are pale in color and have a dark black “eye”, where purple hulls are a little greener in color and have a tiny pink ring around their purple eye.

There are several varieties and, depending upon where you live, they may be called different names. Over the years, pea crops have co-mingled, so it’s not uncommon to find a variety grown and served together on a Southern table.

While both are delicious, black-eyes are pale white and have a somewhat grainy texture.  Some claim they’re not quite as flavorful as their pink-eyed, purple cousin.

Purple hulls are a pale green and are less grainy than the black-eyed–they have the texture of a “cream” pea.

Unfortunately, they’re available only in the summer, so if you love them and want to eat them year-round, you’ll want to buy a bushel and freeze them.

Expert tips:

Seasonings

Southern cooks usually put a salty piece of pork in the water or broth while they’re cooking, such as a smoked ham hock, bacon, fatback or ham.

Add a little salt, pepper and garlic and/or onion powder and allow the delicious flavor to shine!

Liquid

Use either water, chicken broth/stock or vegetable broth/stock. Just make sure you have enough liquid to cover the purple hull peas by about 2″-inches.

Vegetarian alternative seasonings

Another way to ramp up the flavor for vegetarians is to cook them in a seasoned vegetable broth with sauteed onion, celery and bell pepper, (also known as “The Holy Trinity” in the South) and add a few teaspoons of Liquid Smoke. This gives a “smokey-meat flavor” without using animal products.

Cooking fresh peas

If you’re lucky enough to have fresh, cooking them is a breeze! Now days, most farmers mechanically shell their crops, but if yours are still in their shells, you’ll want to shell and rinse them first. 

Stove Top Method

Shell and rinse

Add them to a large stockpot with your choice of meat (bacon, ham hock, fatback, ham),

Fill the stockpot with water or chicken broth and bring to a rolling boil.  (If a foam forms early in the cooking process, don’t worry! It’s just water soluble proteins released from the peas. You can either scoop it off or leave it–it will seep back into the pot.)

Reduce heat to low, cover and allow to cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours; be sure to check the liquid level and add more if needed

Season with salt, pepper and a little garlic and/or onion powder

Slow Cooker Method

Add all ingredients into crock pot and cook on low 5-6 hours. Double check the liquid level frequently.

InstantPot Method

Place fresh peas, 2 1/2 cups of water or broth and seasonings in instant pot. Set timer to Manual for 20 minutes; allow steam to release. (total time=about 40 minutes)

Cooking frozen peas

Cook and season frozen Southern peas the same way as fresh, but rinse the frozen ones prior to adding them to the stockpot in order to remove any ice crystals.

Storage

Refrigerator

Store fresh and frozen cooked peas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Freezer: Freezing Fresh, Uncooked Peas

If you buy fresh,shelled peas and want to freeze them, you’ll need to blanch them first.

• Wash shelled peas and bring a pot of water to boil
• Blanch in water  for 2 minutes then place them in a bowl of ice cold water until they are no longer warm
• Drain and place them in airtight plastic bags; don’t fill the bag all the way up; leave about 2 inches of space
• Reduce air in bag, zip the bag, label the package with the date, and place in the freezer
• Store up to 6 months

Variations for Cooking and Seasoning

Once you’ve mastered how to cook and season Southern purple hulls, you can experiment with variations!

• Vegetarian/Vegan: use vegetable broth or water, add a few splashes of Liquid Smoke® as a substitute for the meat flavor
• Add Fresh or Frozen Okra: 

Okra and Southern Peas go great together and many cooks add okra to their purple hulls

Bring the cooked peas back to a boil 

Add whole or chopped, fresh or frozen okra 

Allow to boil 2-5 minutes until okra is tender

NOTE: okra is a thickening agent; after adding the okra, you might want to add more liquid

• Hoppin’ John:

Most Southerners serve Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Eve for Good Luck. It typically consists of black eyed peas, rice, bacon, chopped onion and bell peppers. Substitute purple hull or pink eye purple hulls for the black eyed.

Where to purchase

You can usually find these at a local farmer’s market; however, if you don’t live near one, here are a few resources for ordering:

Sides Pea Farm: Canton, Texas

Farmer’s Market of Grapevine: Grapevine, Texas

Ed Lester Farms: Coushatta, Louisiana

When to purchase

Purple hulls are in season from June to early fall…sometimes as late as October, but I never bet on that. I buy a bushel of peas in June and freeze them so I can have them all year long!

How much does a bushel yield?

A bushel of peas yields about 32 quarts.

Now that you know how to season and cook purple hull peas, you can apply these methods and techniques to cream or blackeyed peas!

Since we’re talking Southern peas, if you’re in the Southeast, you’ve probably heard of Greasy Cut Short Beans…Debi at Quiche My Grits has a wonderful recipe and article about how to season and cook these beauties! Be sure to check it out!

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