Bean Discovery

So my mother has just informed me that my mystery beans are not "black eyed peas" as I thought.


She says those are "purple hulls" and of course mother knows best.  Not to mention all the years she dragged me as a kid to go "bean picking" in Patterson Pass farms every season.  Up at the crack of dawn to drive from Oakland to Patterson where my parents, sisters (if my mom could make them go) and I ride  behind the farmers tractor which would drop us off in the field of our choice (usually my mother's).  We would go out into the various fields and pick pounds ( like 25 lbs.) of various fresh beans and sometimes other vegetables and fruits.  Yes, Mom was a little excessive always preparing for "just in case".  Now I'm always putting away for "just in case" :).

    

(Who'd have thunk I would love to garden after all that torture)

We'd usually be done by about 11 am when it began to get warm and would spend the rest of the day shelling and snapping beans and Mom would freeze them.  So as I said Mom should know what the mysterious beans are.  But since I'm hard headed, I still had to check....

Ok, so if they are "purple hulls" then why aren't mine turning completely purple?

So further investigation is necessary here...right bean, wrong color...ok so i'll leave them on the vine a little longer and see what happens.

By the way Purple Hulls like there close cousin the Black Eyed Pea is a southern pea that like the warm weather. According to the University of Florida the 

"Purple Hull Group                                

Seed pods show some purple coloring, either at tip or all over. Seeds may or may not be crowded. Usually white peas with buff, brown, or pink eyes.
Examples: Jackson Purple Hull, Dixie Queen, Herbken, Knuckle Purple Hull, Pinkeye Purple Hull, Purple Tip Crowder, Purple Hull, Big Boy Purple Hull, Coronet, and Crimson."

So, Mom has it, they are a variety of Purple Hull Peas.  But Mothers are always right, right?

MYSTERY SOLVED!!!

On to the next...