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COWPEAS

(43 varieties to choose from) UPDATED FOR 2024 

 

Culture is very similar to beans.  Plant when the soil is warm.  Many view these as a Southern crop.  All of these do fine here in Iowa.  They are delicious fresh-shelled and cooked.  Or you may dry them before shelling and use them as dry beans.  They make a rich broth and are an excellent food product. Try some this year. We  continued tackling Tom Knoche’s cowpea freezer storage this year and had great success.  We had more that we will increase further and will be available for 2025.

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Big Boy Greenhull

Big Boy Greenhull-  80 days- typical sized black-eyed pea with a white seed color and a beige to tannish hilum. Originally from the  collection of Faxon Stinnett an early Seed Savers Exchange member from Oklahoma. and collector of many tomatoes and beans.( 30-50 seeds/Pkt.) $2.75 Certified Organic Seed

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Bisbee Black

Bisbee Black- 85 days- very long vines  with many pods containing black seeds. Originally from Native Seed Search.1 oz. Pkt $2.00 Certified Organic Seed.

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Bisbee Red

Bisbee Red- 85 days-  long vines with brick red seeds in long pods. Originally from Native Seed Search. 1 oz. Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Black Crowder

Black Crowder- 85 days- Jet Black seed on upright plants.  Green pods are tender early and the seed production is prolific.  30-50 seeds. Pkt. $2.00  ( LIMIT 1) Certified Organic Seed

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Blue Goose

Blue Goose-  90 days- a very nice large bush type with seeds with a bluish cast.  Clearly distinct colors. 1 oz Pkt. $3.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Brown Crowder 

Brown Crowder -  85 days - Bushy plants produce multiple plump pods of tan brown seeds. 1 oz Pkt. $2.00  Certified Organic Seed

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Brown Whippoorwill

Brown Whippoorwill- 75 days - Vigorous plants, brown speckled seeds. 1 oz. pkt. $2.50  Certified Organic Seed

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Calcutta

Calcutta- 85 days-  red and white pinto pattern  with  medium sized slightly round  in shape peas. Very colorful and vines are very  vigorous Obtained from DM Brown of Arizona in 1989 (30-50 seeds/Pkt.) $2.75 Certified Organic Seed LIMIT 1

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Calico Crowder

Calico Crowder-  90 days- white and red mixed pattern on the  same seed. Pkt. (30- 50 seeds ) $3.00  LIMIT 1Certified Organic Seed 

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Colossus

Colossus-  75 days-  very small red seeds that resemble Adzuki beans. Vining plants. ( 30-50 seeds/Pkt.) $2.75 Certified Organic Seed

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Colossus Crowder

Colossus Crowder- 70 days- a very early large seeded beige tan colored cowpea..  Pkt. (30-50 seeds) $3.00 Certified Organic Seed UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024

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Cow

Cow-  70 days- 9 inch pods that have 20 or more black seeds per pod on extremely productive plants that produce multiple crops. The most productive cowpea I have ever grown. This was in Tom’s collection with no documentation other than the word Cow written on the packet. 1 oz. Pkt. $3.00 Certified Organic Seed UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024

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Early Lady

Early Lady - 70 days - (aka “Lady Peas”) Plants are extremely productive, but to pick for the dry stage you must pick prior to total dryness.  They will shatter if allowed to totally dry.  Please remember the seeds of these are very small so don’t plant them too close together.  This has white seed with pods in bunches.  1 oz. Pkt. $2.00  Certified Organic Seed

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Fairchild

Fairchild - 85 days - A family heirloom from Alabama sent to us by Steve Riley of Alabama.  A productive type when seasons are hot.  1 oz. Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Franklin Red

Franklin Red - 78 days - An heirloom from Alabama.  Nice, dark red peas on semi-vining plants.  1 oz. Pkt. $3.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Georgia Long

Georgia Long- 75 days- looks very much like a yard long bean to me both in pod type and seed characteristics. Many pods were easily 30 inches long  with smaller seeds. Plants were not incredibly viney and the pods were  somewhat fibrous at a very young Another  one from the collection of Faxon Stinnett..  Pkt. (30-50 seeds) $3.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Green Dixie

Green Dixie- 80 days- A nice semi bushy type with black eye and greenish cast base color.  1 oz Pkt. $3.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Hercules

Hercules-  80 days- 7 inch pods with 20  nice sized  large flat tan colored peas per pod . I oz Pkt. $2.75 Certified Organic Seed

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Isaia

Isaia-  75 days-  medium sized black seeds in 6 inch pods.  1 oz. Pkt.  $2.75 Certified Organic Seed

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Kentucky Red

Kentucky Red - 85 days - Large red seeds, long pods (16 to 20 seeds per pod).  Plants are not as vining as Red Ripper, but earlier and more productive.  1 oz. Pkt. $3.00  Certified Organic Seed

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Kirby Crowder

Kirby Crowder-  80 days-  small sized black-eyed pea type with a tan colored hilum. A Texas heirloom.  1 oz. Pkt. $2.75 Certified Organic Seed

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Maroon Speckled Whippoorwill

Maroon Speckled Whippoorwill  - 80 days- typical whippoorwill type with smooth seeds  and   maroon colored speckles on a base color of tannish brown. From the Jack Rice collection an early member of the Seed Savers Exchange who had  an extensive collection of lima beans and cowpeas. 1 oz. Pkt $2.50 Certified Organic Seed

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Mississippi Cream

Mississippi Cream-  75 days- vining but not terribly long ones, 5-6 foot vines on most.Very productive . Peas are very tiny  in size and are a cream color. Said to be nematode resistant. ( Pkt. ( 30-50 seeds )  $2.75 Certified Organic Seed

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Mississippi Purple

Mississippi Purple-    90 days- 7 inch purple colored pods with around 20  mauve to tan colored seeds per pod  Pkt. ( 30-50 seeds )  $2.75 Certified Organic Seed

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Nicks Italian

Nicks Italian- 90 days- Donated to us by the Hendricksons of Ohio who got it from their Italian friend. Very vigorous vines that get 8 to 10 feet tall and have loads of long pods with true black-eyed type peas.  1 oz. Pkt. $ 3.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Old Fashioned Red Ripper

Old Fashioned Red Ripper - 90 days - Almost the true Red Ripper, large seeded, vigorous vines.  Thanks to John Lund for saving the real thing.  1 oz. Pkt. $3.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Old Timey Wash Day

Old Timey Wash Day- 80 days-  short 5 inch pods with very small white seeds.  From Tennessee named because they cook quick and were served on wash day. Pkt. ( 30-50 seeds)) $2.75 Certified Organic Seed 

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Papago

Papago- 83 days- Very pretty black/white bean.  Good yields on a  vining plant.  Packet ( 50 seeds). Pkt. $3.50  Certified Organic Seed UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024

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Pennyrile 

Pennyrile - 80 days - Shorter plants, yellow brown seeds.  This one is unique in that you can use the young pods to eat pod and all like Yardlong beans.  1 oz. Pkt. $2.25 Certified Organic Seed

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Pigott Family Heirloom

Pigott Family Heirloom - 65 days- Originally from Louisiana, brown speckled seeds.  1 oz. Pkt. $3.00  Certified Organic Seed

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Pygott

Pygott-   70 days-  7 inch pods with  an average of 20 seeds per pod , very productive.  Original source was Orral Craig of Illinois. Possibly the same as Pigott Family Heirloom but this was the name on the packet in Tom’s freezer.1 oz. Pkt. $2.75 Certified Organic Seed

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Rattlesnake

Rattlesnake- 85 days-  small white seeds with a reddish hilum., very colorful and vines are very vigorous and  productive. Originally from Donna Hudson of Tennessee who obtained it from a  92 year old local  back in the 1980’s. 1 oz. Pkt.  $2.75 Certified Organic SeedUNAVAILABLE FOR 2024

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Red

Red- 80 days-  vining and productive with brick red seeds .  1 Oz. Pkt.  $2.75 Certified Organic Seed

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Red Lady

Red Lady- 75 days - an early semi-bush pale cream red  small seeded cowpea.  Pkt. (30-50 seeds) $3.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Red Ripper 

Red Ripper - 85 days - Long vines. 10 to 15 seeds per pod.  Small red seeds.  This is not the old fashioned, big seeded, vigorous viner.  1 oz. Pkt. $2.50  Certified Organic Seed

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Running Conch

Running Conch- 80 days-  cream colored l medium sized cowpea that needs some support. . Pkt. ( 30-50 seeds) $3.00 Certified Organic Seed UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024

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Sedendy

Sedendy- 90 days- very small creamish white seeds. Pkt. (30-50 seeds) $3.00 Certified Organic Seed

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Tennessee Cream

Tennessee Cream - 75 days - Bushy, long pods, produce medium size tan seeds.  (50 seeds/Pkt.)  Pkt. $2.50  Certified Organic Seed

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Texas Cream

Texas Cream- 80 days-  a cream type peas best used for green shell. Small cream colored seeds.  Pkt. ( 30-50 seeds) $3.00 Certified Organic Seeds

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Whippoorwill

Whippoorwill- 80 days- A nice mix of seed color from cream with speckles to mauve.  Good producer. 1 oz. Pkt. $3.00  Certified Organic Seed 

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White Whippoorwill

White Whippoorwill - 80 days - Southern heirloom, creamy white peas.  1 oz. Pkt. $2.75  Certified Organic Seed

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Yellow Ripper

Yellow Ripper  - 90 days - Pale cream yellow seeds in plump pods.  (50 seeds/Pkt.)  Pkt. $3.00  Certified Organic Seed UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024

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Zipper Cream

Zipper Cream- 65 days- Large, sprawling plants, light cream colored seeds. UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024

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