leave 'em on the plant. then, once the hulls are dry, shuck 'em and put them somewhere in the shade with good air flow (a cookie tray on a back porch, say)... i've had seeds go funky even when i was SURE they had completely dried. btw, you know you can eat the beans when young, before the seeds form--just like green beans. you can eat them once the hull dries a bit and turn light brown but the peas are still green (easier to shuck 'em). and you can let the peas dry completely and store them, though really the flavor degrades. personally, if i have a lot, i stick 'em in a ziplock and into the freezer.

I have grown several varieties of peas. I have 73 in my collection. I agree with garden lad and have mentioned it here before Blackeye is my least favorite. Just lacks taste and unless well seasoned is mealy tasting. I would go with the purple hull pinkeye instead. Whipporwill is excellent in the shelly stage. I prefer it as a shelly pea than a dry pea. As a dry pea when cooked it just never appealed to me.I have three whipporwill varieties. To me the crowders are probably tops, cream peas next than the eye types. The time to pick peas is when the pods have turned from green to either cream, yellow or purple depending on the variety. Peas picked in the green pod stage can be used as snaps either cooked along with the shelled peas or alone boiled in seasoned water same as green beans or stir fried. There is a lot of different tastes in the various field peas. I have a holstein pea (white and black like the cow) that has a taste similar to boiled peanuts. I will have probaby 20 varieties of peas at the Appalachian heirloom seed conservancy next month. I want to trade so bring lots of beans peas tomatoes etc. and Gardenlad I want some of them pink tip beans. Rodger

A couple of notes because the rest is going to be rather long and involved: Lynda, I have the Vitex marked for you and in your baggie! And thank you for the marigolds! They will be very interesting with my others! Dessie I would be more than happy to receive your little helper's seed packets! I think it's great! Wendy Try some Chai Spice tea, it works wonders in helping clear up colds and flu. I always add a dollop of honey to help sooth the throat. It's a staple in our house and really does help. Alright, here is my take on this.. I can understand how many were hoping that the two swaps would not coincide, but, we all knew there was a fair chance of that happening. For myself, I know that I continued to update my list, even well after Patty's swap's mailing deadline. I did my updates using the same method we did for Patty's swap- using an updated date. Even had I not, I knew there was a good chance the two swaps would overlap. I joined this one knowing full well- according to the guidelines posted for it- that I may NOT receive as many as I sent in. That I would receive as many as were sent in FOR me, up to five packets of the SAME item. I recall there being some issue with this and a member who became very rude in their comments about this fact. Yes, my package from the What's Left swap is in the second batch to go out. No, I did not keep strict record of what I sent to those who were in the What's Left swap. I did keep better records of what I'm sending for this swap. I also know that a lot of people will be sending in baggies of seeds marked as extras- not dedicated for anyone, but to add in when it's seen those items are on someone's list. No, these may not be some of the rarer or more exclusively wanted items on someone's list. But if someone has some of those rarer or more specific items to share, I'm sure they would have put them into your baggie before they mailed. So, I don't see that anyone would be missing out on anything. The only way I could see having updated one's list further as complicating Patty's swap would be if someone had removed things from their list. Updating and adding items would not have conflicted. Because if there were any extras of what you were wanting, Patty would have included them. So, I guess I'm not really understanding how there is such a need to update the lists just because one is in both swaps. If I receive duplicates, wonderful! Because the things on my list are things I want! If I don't receive something on my list, then no one had it to share. If I receive so many of something that I can't plant it all, then I can bless someone else by offering it up for a trade. So, perhaps I'm being dense here, but how would one not receive something sent in specifically for them (up to FIVE packets of the same item!) that was on their wants list in this swap? Everyone has the chance to see your wants as posted and you have had the option to add to that list, as many including myself have this whole time. The only thing I could really see the two swaps happening almost simultaneously possibly affecting would be one's have's list. I'm sorry, I don't mean to upset or offend anyone. I'm just honestly trying to understand why this is such an issue. So please don't take this as meaning to offend or as pointed to anyone in particular. This is just me trying to understand why so many are upset about this. If you prefer to email me privately and help me understand it, I would be pleased with that and please do! Perhaps there are aspects and issues with this that I'm not readily seeing and should consider. I don't want to keep the thread off track by my question becoming a debate here. Perhaps there can be some adjustments of dates if this swap happens in the late summer or again next winter, but for this year it is as it is and personally, I'm really enjoying it! Nancy, I hope you don't decide to drop out, because I know that I should have at least a couple of things from your list, perhaps more. But I'll respect your choice and be your Garden Buddy either way :) Fran, you have a real job ahead of you and I don't know how those like you and Patty do it! Leave me hosting my "pair em up and let em go" or true RR type swaps! I think those of you that host this kind of swap are awesome! Angela, you have been a wonderful help to Fran and all of us in this swap! I know the time it can take to code pages like that, though updates are easier once the initial work is done, and I want to say THANK YOU for the time and work you are putting in on this swap for everyone's benefit! Kathy~ heading off to stuff more little baggies and envelopes.

Maybe a few comments. Tennesee has lots of climates, Memphis is a lot different from Nash ville as an example. Most pole beans grow well in East Tennesse, sothwestern can be quite hot and humid. The Appalchian region is great for beans and many of the heritage varieties originated in the area. Lima beans. Baby limas have adifferent flavor than the giant limas. Christmas/Calico is one of more prolific giant limas. King of the Garden is the standard for whites. Whether you prefer shellies or dried beans is a matter of taste. Shellies are harvested when the beans are full size and pods are leathery and easy to open. For Dry beans the pods are allowed to dry on the plants, harvested, dried some more, and then shelled. They usually grow in flushes with intervals between harvest. This harvest photo shows a mix of shellies and dry. Cowpeas come in all sizes colors and shape. Zippers have green shells that don't dramatically change colors like purple hull types. For shellies the pods will get lighter in color and be full of peas. Zippers are noted for easy shelling as shellies. If you let dry on the vine, they can then be used as dry peas. They are most desired as green shellies.