Aloha Food Forest

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Commenced:	01/10/2011
Submitted:	25/10/2015
Last updated:	25/09/2020
Location:	Sunset Drive, Vista, CA, US
Phone:	760-208-0408
Website:	https://www.alohafoodforest.com
Climate zone:	Mediterranean

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Pigeon Peas - Perennial Source for People and Poultry

Project: Aloha Food Forest

Posted by Tutu Sainz over 8 years ago

Pigeon Peas – Perennial food source for people and poultry

People who grow food for people and animals will appreciate the many benefits of growing pigeon peas.

Many cultures love and grow this plant, but here in the USA, we don’t hear much about it. We’re growing them here in Southern California and we love them so much that we want to share our enthusiasm about them with you.

We were introduced to pigeon peas on this permaculture site -which is clever and fun to read. Rather than me trying to re-state all of the information, please check it out here and then come back for the rest of the story!

tropicalpermaculture.com/pigeon-pea

We ordered seeds on amazon.com and planted them in May 2014, so they’re about 1 1/2 years old in our garden now.

We wondered how they would grow here in USDA Zone 10a/Sunset Western Garden zone 23.

Take a look… here they are just a few weeks after planting…

Pigeon Pea seedlings in May 2014 - when newly planted — Pigeon Pea seedlings in May 2014 – when newly planted

Grow they did – and grow some more – and they keep growing 1 1/2 years later. It’s so pleasant and fun when something grows with such ease!

The Pigeon Peas are about 6 feet tall at 1 & 1/2 years old.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Here’s a shot of the pigeon pea pods – with a caterpillar crawling on them. Butterflies love these plants, and so do bees and hummingbirds.

They’ve been producing pods prolifically. All summer we picked baskets full every day.

This makes the turkeys very happy, because they love them so much!!! It feels good to give them something freshly grown.

They’re delicious just eaten off the plant, and they make a great addition to a salad or they can be boiled in salted water and they come out like edamame (boiled soybeans you get in japanese restaurants as an appetizer). They’re a great snack when served that way. Other cultures serve them regularly with rice and in soups and stews too. There are many recipes available.

As the weather began to cool down this fall, I noticed that the pea production slowed down, but stray pigeon peas plants had volunteered to grow where ever they had been dropped. They grow with practically no effort.

We saved some of seeds and planted a new hedge with them too – so when those start producing, we will have not only something unique, but enough to offer to the community.

Here’s a shot of one small green pod opened up to show the peas. They are delicious at this stage. Once they mature and dry out, they have to be soaked to be eaten. I think we’ve always eaten them fresh, but maybe soon we’ll make a pot of beans from the dried ones!

Younger Peas on Left, Older Peas on Right

Thank you for reading this post – we hope you enjoyed it!

– Aloha

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