Jennifer Valdez-Herrera

1 month ago | progressivecrop.com | Nick Clark |Anil Shrestha |Jennifer Valdez-Herrera |UC Davis

Black-eyed peas, also called cowpeas, are a bean species native to Africa in the Vigna genus of legumes. Cowpeas were introduced to the United States as early as the 16th century by Spanish colonists and through the trans-Atlantic slave trade. “Blackeyes,” as they’re called locally, are grown by California growers on approximately 8,000 acres each year to produce a nutrient-rich food for consumers. Most production in California goes to the dry bean sector for canning and bagging.