Cowpea – 10 Seeds

The cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is an annual herbaceous legume from the genus Vigna. Due to its tolerance for sandy soil and low rainfall, it is an important crop in the semiarid regions across Africa and Asia. It requires very few inputs, as the plant’s root nodules are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen, making it a valuable crop for resource-poor farmers and well-suited to inter-cropping with other crops.

Common names: Arikaans: akkerboon, swartbekboon, boontjie, koertjie, dopboontjie;  English: cowpea, bachapin bean, black-eye bean or pea, catjang, china pea, cowgram, southern pea; Sepedi: dinawa (plural), monawa, nawa; Shangaan: dinaba, munaoa, tinyawa; Setswana: dinawa, nawa-ea-setswana; Tshivenda: munawa (plant), nawa (fruit); isiZulu: imbumba, indumba, isihlumaya

Black-eyed peas are cultivated in many regions across the globe, and are so-called for the small black ‘eye’ where the bean is adjoined to the pod within the shell. Despite the name, they are more similar to beans than peas and share many of the same culture requirements as other legumes.

Cowpea Culinary Uses

• Cowpeas are grown mostly for their edible beans, although the leaves, green seeds and pods can also be consumed. Like other legumes,  the peas are cooked to make them edible, usually by boiling.
• It can be prepared in stews, soups, purees, casseroles and curries.
• They can also be processed into a paste or flour.
• They can be eaten raw or cooked, but as they easily become waterlogged, they are usually sautéed, stir-fried, or deep-fried.
• A common snack in Africa is koki or moin-moin, where the cowpeas are mashed into a paste, mixed with spices and steamed in banana leaves.
• In India it is used to make curry and gravy to be eaten along with rice or roti.

Growing Cowpea

• Plant in full sun, but they will tolerate partial shade.It is a heat-loving and drought-tolerant crop. The optimum temperature for growth and development is around 30 °C.
• Sow two seeds per hole, 2–3 cm deep and make holes 20 cm apart.
• The base temperature for germination is 8,5 °C and for leaf growth 20 °C.
• The time of flowering is dependent on time and location of sowing and may be more than 100 days.