51�Թ�

Reddish brown cowpeas, or field peas, give the dish its signature flavor and color, and lend a sweet-savory nuttiness to a broth made from smoked meat.

I made my big batch with the latter, and froze it for my own future lunches, but when those run out I’ll switch to another field pea the next time I make it.

Plant a mix of grasses, such as annual rye grass or winter wheat, and legumes, such as Austrian field peas or fava beans.

Legumes, such as commonly used crimson clover, Austrian field pea and common vetch, are nitrogen “fixers.”

Hummus for $18 sounds ridiculous until you spy a bowl of lemony mashed rice peas — an heirloom field pea — and enough chilled vegetables to throw a block party.