Good Luck Black Eyed Peas

I always remember my Grandmother and my Mother having Black Eyed Peas cooking on New Years. After I had my own home my Mother would call and remind me to be sure and "cook a pot of peas for New Years". There are many traditions around New Years food. If you eat buckwheat soba noodles in Japan you are thought to have long life. Eat 12 grapes at the strike of Midnight in Latin America and it is thought that you will have success in each month of the new year. In our family we ate the Black Eyed Peas for good luck in the New Year. If you added pork of any kind that would bring prosperity in the new year, while some believe that if you add greens that will also increase your pocket book with green bills. My Grandmother always put pork and collards in her black eyed peas while my Mother cooked her peas with pork without the collards. I am happy to share my Good Luck Black Eyed Peas with you. We cook these in the slow cooker and will have them ready to eat from midnight and all day on New Years day. The first thing we eat at midnight is a bowl of black eyed peas. When folks stop by our Cottage on New Years day, we always give them a bowl of black eyed peas, to bring good luck and prosperity in the New Year.

I use dried Black Eyed Peas. The peas that I will use in my Good Luck Black Eyed Peas this year were from our summer garden. They were purple hull peas, when they dried on the vine then we harvested them and I have saved them for New Years just like my Grandmother did. If you don't have dried peas from your garden you can buy dried Black Eyed Peas in most super markets. Some people will use frozen peas however the broth is different with the frozen peas, it is not as thick as the dried peas.

 Black Eyed Peas With Ham Hock Ready To Serve

Good Luck Black Eyed Peas

Miz Helen's Kitchen

2 cups dried Black Eyed Peas or Purple Hull Peas

1 Ham Hock

1 large yellow onion chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Option: add 2 cups chopped Collard Greens, or 2 cups of chopped Chard , or 2 cups of chopped Kale.

8 to 10 cups water

• You can soak the peas overnight or you can use the quick soak method for the dried peas.

• I use the quick soak method for the dried peas. 

• Pick out all the bad peas and rinse them very well. 

• Pour 2 cups of dried peas in 8 cups of boiling water. Bring peas to boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat cover and let stand for 1 hour. 

• Pour into Slow Cooker and add enough water back into the peas to equal 8 cups of water. 

• Add the ham hock, onion, garlic and the seasons. 

• If you are adding any of the greens be sure and add an extra cup of water at this time. 

• Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 3 hours. 

• Leave on simmer or warm to serve.

We like to serve our Good Luck Black Eyed Peas with Green Tomato Chow Chow and Corn Bread.

Print Recipe 

Good Luck!

We sure hope that you enjoy your Good Luck Black Eyed Peas. We wish you the very best of everything for you and your family in 2011! Your visits are very special to me hope you will come back soon!

Happy New Year!

Peace and Joy

Miz Helen