This is the story I grew up with and I think there is some truth to it. My grandma was the daughter of a sharecropper from Tennessee. She always told us this story as we sat around and ate our blackeyed peas.
“During the war of Northern Aggression, Sherman burned the south. They left the cowfeed or horsefeed (Blackeyed Peas). So to keep from starving during the winter months, the Southerners lived off Blackeyed peas. So “cowfeed” saved their lives”.
I think this was especially true for Vicksburg during the siege. Anyway, I loved that story. Blackeyed peas ARE lucky.
Please don’t anyone attack me or start an 800+ thread over the civil war. My grandmother was biased for obvious reasons growing up in the south, and I could care less. I’m just sharing a story from my childhood, which I think is true, after I did some quick research on Google.
Anyway, Happy New Year, and I thought you might enjoy knowing why we eat Blackeyed Peas on New Years for good luck. We have an old uncle from Buffalo who refuses to eat what he calls “horsefeed”. ROFL
Oh, and by the way. I’ve got my Blackeyed Peas cooking on the stove right now, with a ham hock and I’ll put a small amount of hot pepper sauce in it later. Then I’ll cook some corn bread. Sorry but we don’t do collard greens in this house. GROSS!!! That was the one thing I could not STAND of my southern grandma’s. YUK! Blech!
That's a good story but doesn't look right under the facts.
The siege of Vicksburg was in spring-summer '63.
Vicksburg would have been finished eating the winter harvest, and starting to consume the spring crop.
And the previous fall was unusually wet which should have reduced the bean crop.
As Sherman's campaign (Nov-Dec '84) went from Atlanta to Savannah, the land changes from fertile farm to flooded fields.
To ensure forage for the calvary & wagon teams, he ordered the confiscation of all horse & bovine feed (the low-country
staple of rice was considered to be unfit for the animals). All the rest was to be burned.
The orders also were to leave a winter larder to each individual farm to last till the spring planting. This order was not (faithfully) carried out.
Back on topic I'm having :
Shoulder ham w/ mustard & brown sugar glaze
Spinach w/ cream cheese
Blackeyes + rice + scallions (and a little hot sauce)
a couple or 4 Shiner Bocks'
Happy New year to you !!