All About Pocket Knives

marinaio61 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:19 pm Several with Hog Jowls, never had them and I doubt I could even find them here in NE Colorado. Are they mostly fat or mostly meat?

marinaio61 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:19 pm Several with Hog Jowls, never had them and I doubt I could even find them here in NE Colorado. Are they mostly fat or mostly meat?

treefarmer wrote: ↑Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:31 pm It 's interesting to read the reasons behind the traditions of theses meals.
We eat all sorts of field peas, various greens and cornbread all year. But for the New Years meal we do add the hog jowl. We bought a big boneless pork loin for Christmas dinner, it cost $1.44, today Miss Joy bought a package of smoked hog jowl, it was $2.82 per pound. The jowl really makes the meal! We slice and fry some, skin on, like very crisp bacon, we use larger chunks to season both greens and peas for that meal. I look forward to this meal because even though we have the peas and greens all during the year, they are not seasoned with fat hog jowl. When I ask why, Miss Joy blames it on my mother. She was an R.N. and she said all that pork fat is not good for our health so we use other oils for cooking and seasoning, peanut, olive and corn oils are in the pantry.
Black-eyed peas, greens of some sort, cornbread and the smoked hog jowl should once again grace our table this year. There is usually a dessert but nothing connected to a New Years tradition. I can do without the cake or pie, pass me another piece of corn bread, some butter and cane syrup.
Treefarmer

Mumbleypeg wrote: ↑Wed Dec 30, 2020 5:34 am Bob, I’ve never heard of them as New Years Eve traditions, unless eaten after midnight which makes them New Years Day traditions. It’s believed that eating black-eyed peas on New Years Day brings good luck, and eating pork means you will enjoy prosperity in the coming year. I’m sure it’s about as valid as any other superstition, but we still do it!

I’ve been told the popularity of field peas (black-eyes, purple hulls, cream peas, etc) originated with black slaves in the old south, and became even more popular during the Civil War when the invading Yankee troops, upon raiding southern farms commandeered livestock and other staples but would not take the field peas, which they considered “cattle feed”. Southerners knew how to cook them and were glad to have them.

How much of that is true I don’t know, but I do like them. Canned field peas are standard items on grocery shelves here, and in the produce section and farmer’s markets when in season.

Ken