Follow our easy, step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe to make this favorite summertime side dish. We love to make this with freshly shelled peas and fresh okra, and serve it up as part of an all vegetable plate. Add some skillet made cornbread, and you’ve got a complete meal. We’ll show you how easy it is to make this Southern favorite in just a few quick steps. Printable recipe included.
Field Peas with Snaps and Okra Recipe:
This is another old, family favorite, Southern style dish. My older brother calls it one of his favorites, but I think Mama must have cooked it more in his youth than in mine. I was never a fan of Okra, so maybe that’s why I don’t have as many memories of this as the older brother does.
It’s really pretty quick and easy to prepare, that is, if you have already shelled the peas and have them standing by in the freezer. Of course, it’s even better if you have freshly shelled field peas and snaps to make it with.
Growing up, I absolutely hated it when Mama or Daddy called on me to help shell any type of beans. I’ve always been guilty of biting my fingernails, and I just never had any nails when called on to help with shelling. Who knows, maybe that’s why I always kept them trimmed down to the “quick,” so I wouldn’t have any to shell peas with.
So, what could I have possibly been thinking just a few days ago, when I purchased a bushel basket of unshelled peas? I’m still not sure what came over me that afternoon, maybe it was the heat that day.
My older brother and I were making a road trip through Newton Grove, North Carolina when I spotted a roadside produce stand. I’ve written about how our family sold produce from our own stand in my younger days, and my older brother has plenty of stories about selling fresh vegetables from the garden from his youth. We just have to stop about anytime we see a produce stand. It’s in our blood.
I had already been planning to do this recipe, and knew I needed the peas. There was just something about the big box of peas sitting on the table, under the shade of a big oak tree, that beckoned me back to my youth. I felt spurred on to rise above my dislike for shelling peas, and before I knew it, that great big box was sitting in the back seat inside the pickup. What had I done?
I’ll not admit here just how long it took me to shell them all, but I did indeed shell each and every last one of them. Many times throughout those days hours of shelling, I thought back on how many Mama and Daddy must have shelled over their life time. I just had to whisper a prayer of thanks for all the work they did to provide for the family. I was, and I am, blessed.
So, with fresh peas in the freezer, I finally had the chance to cook up a big old pot of my own. And, to honor my older brother, I added a few pods of Okra to them. Did I mention that I’m not an Okra fan?
For the record, I still don’t like to shell peas. I did achieve a bit of satisfaction from completing the entire box of them though. I think Mama would have been proud of my efforts. Or, maybe she would just be confused about why I even tried.
I do hope you’ll try our recipe. You can certainly use frozen Field Peas if need be. I would suggest frozen over the canned variety, but use what you can find, and let me know what you think about our recipe.
Ready to get in the kitchen? Alright then… Let’s Get Cooking.
Field Peas with Snaps and Okra: You’ll need these ingredients.
This recipe will cook much faster than if you were cooking with dry beans. Because of this, I prefer to cook the seasoning meat a little by itself at first, then add the beans.
To begin, place about 6 cups of water in a medium sized sauce pot and add the seasoning meat of choice. Place this over medium-high heat on your stove top and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to about medium, and let the meat simmer for 30 minutes.
After the seasoning meat has simmered first, add the field peas and snaps to the sauce pot.
Add the Sugar.
Bring the peas back up to a full rolling boil, adjusting heat as needed. Once it starts to boil, you’ll probably see some foam forming across the top. Reduce the heat back down to medium to let the beans simmer.
Using a spoon, skim off any foam and discard it.
Old timers use to say this was some type of impurity that was in the vegetables and would skim it off. It is just some type of proteins in the food and will not harm anything should you decide not to remove it.
When the foaming stops, cover the pot with a lid, and let the field peas simmer for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove the lid and add the Salt.
Our recipe is calling for one teaspoon salt, but you might want to taste your peas before you add that much. Depending on what you used for seasoning meat in the beginning, you may not need to add much more. Add accordingly, and to your personal taste. It’s always better to add a little at first, then you can add more later if still needed.
Add the Black Pepper.
Trim the ends off your pods of Okra before adding them.
Add the Okra to the pot of peas and snaps. Stir gently.
Cover the sauce pot once again, and let everything simmer for about 15-20 more minutes, or until the peas are tender. Peas should be a bit firm and not mushy. If your liquid is getting a bit thicker than you’d prefer, add a little warm water.
Serve warm and Enjoy!
These are a bit on the “creamy” side, just the way we like them. You may prefer yours a bit thinner.
Leftover liquid is known as “potlikker” and goes great with some crumbled up cornbread mixed in. Serve it all with a couple of slices of fresh tomatoes, and maybe some baked Sweet Potatoes or roasted Corn on the cob.
