Name: Southern Fresh White Acre Peas Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 cups fresh shelled white acre peas; 3 cups water; 1 smoked ham hock (can substitute 1/4 lb salt pork, or 1/4 lb leftover ham*); 1/2 cup (minced onion); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 Tbsp bacon grease (can substitute olive oil); 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 1/4 tsp ground black pepper; fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

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Southern Fresh White Acre Peas are a real Southern delicacy and one that brings to mind warm summer days and farmers’ markets overflowing with fresh vegetables.

Every summer, I eagerly await the first fresh White Acre Peas of the season and can’t wait to get home and prepare this southern-style recipe.

What to serve with them:

My favorite summer meal is fresh white acre peas, sliced ripe summer tomatoes, and creamed corn, with either a side of homemade cornbread or hoecakes, aka cornmeal pancakes! Oh my goodness, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

What are they:

Depending on where you live, you may be wondering what in the world I’m talking about. Peas in the South are entirely different from the English Peas that many of you might be familiar with.

And, there are many different varieties of Southern peas including white acre peas, field peas, lady peas, crowder peas, pink lady peas, black-eyed peas, etc.

All are legumes, and all are delicious. Some peas, like black-eyed and crowder peas, are a little more earthy, while white acre and lady peas are smaller and have a more delicate taste.

Can they be frozen?

White acre peas freeze well, and when they become available, I usually try to buy at least a gallon and freeze them. They do need to be blanched, however, which stops the action of naturally occurring enzymes that help them ripen.

How do you blanch them:

To blanch peas, you simply add them to boiling water, cook for 1-1/2 minutes and then immediately plunge them into an ice-water bath to stop the cooking process. Once the peas have drained and cooled, they can be stored in the freezer in plastic bags for several months.

Last fall Hurricane Hermine blew through here, and we were without electricity for several days. I lost all of my frozen peas along with everything else in my freezer.

Many of my friends joked that our freezers had never been so clean. Anyway, now I’m back in business with a brand new batch of frozen peas just waiting to be eaten!

Here’s what’s in them:

You will need the following ingredients: fresh shelled white acre peas, smoked ham hock, onion, garlic, kosher salt, ground black pepper, and bacon grease or olive oil. Optional, fresh parsley for garnish.

Here’s how to cook them:

Add bacon grease or olive oil to a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the pan is hot, add the onion and saute for about 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Watch the garlic carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Add the ham hock or whatever pork product you are using, the peas, water, kosher salt, and pepper. Add more water if necessary to cover the peas by at least an inch. Turn the heat up until the peas come to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and let the peas simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Taste a few to check for seasoning and to see if they are done. If not, continue cooking for a few more minutes. The fresher the peas are, and the smaller they are, the less time they will need to cook.

Garnish with fresh parsley if desired and serve immediately!

Sharon’s tips:

You can substitute salt pork or leftover ham for the ham hock.

If you don’t want to use pork, you can substitute a package of dry ham flavored concentrate made by Goya for the pork products.

Related Recipes:

If you like recipes like this, you might also be interested in my recipes for Southern Pink Lady Peas, Southern Black-Eyed Peas, Easy Peasy Southern Field Peas, Zipper Peas, Purple Hull Peas, and Southern Hoppin John, which is black-eyed peas and rice and is most often eaten in the South on New Year’s Day.

White Acre peas are very versatile, and they are a featured ingredient in these popular recipes on my blog: Tomato Salad with White Acre Peas, Southern White Acre Pea Succotash, and Best Ever Southern Caviar Dip.

★ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones!

White acre peas in a white bowl set on a kitchen towel.

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