Here’s a shot of the pigeon pea pods – with a caterpillar crawling on them. Butterflies love these plants, and so do bees and hummingbirds.

Butterfly on Pigeon Pea

They’ve been producing pods prolifically. All summer we picked baskets full every day.

This makes the turkeys very happy, because they love them so much!!!  It feels good to give them something freshly grown.

They’re delicious just eaten off the plant, and they make a great addition to a salad or they can be boiled in salted water and they come out like edamame (boiled soybeans you get in japanese restaurants as an appetizer). They’re a great snack when served that way. Other cultures serve them regularly with rice and in soups and stews too. There are many recipes available.

As the weather began to cool down this fall, I noticed that the pea production slowed down, but stray pigeon peas plants had volunteered to grow where ever they had been dropped. They grow with practically no effort.

A volunteer seedling sprouting under the oak tree, with no human care.

We saved some of seeds and planted a new hedge with them too – so when those start producing, we will have not only something unique, but enough to offer to the community.

The flowers a beautiful too – they are red when still closed, and open up into a bright yellow.

Here’s a shot of one small green pod opened up to show the peas. They are delicious at this stage. Once they mature and dry out, they have to be soaked to be eaten. I think we’ve always eaten them fresh, but maybe soon we’ll make a pot of beans from the dried ones!

Younger Peas on Left, Older Peas on Right

Thank you for reading this post – we hope you enjoyed it!

– Aloha