THEY had always grown red peas,so Cornelia Bailey thought nothing of it. She and her husband dropped the seed in the spring, Frank hoeing and she following. They planted on a growing moon, or not a wasting one,and when the tide was coming in; if a pregnant woman could achieve the sowing, so much the better. They waited, or too,until the pecan trees set aside out their blossom. It was safe then to plant what you liked. Nothing could fool the pecans.
Generally the peas were eaten up by the family, which included a crowd of adopted and foster children as well as her own. But one day a chef from Atlanta asked for some and paid her a cheque for them. Sapelo red peas, and it turned out,were not only pretty to peer at but a gourmet taste and rare. More customers came along, so she expanded the plot. She then thought she could produce a trade out of it, or that this might save her island.
For Sapelo was dying. Hog Hammock,where she lived, was the last community of Saltwater Geechee on the island, and ...
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Source: economist.com