The Pea Patch
A Community Food Source
What We Do...
Purple Hull Peas? A History
I grew up in a farm family.
One of the places my dad farmed was my mother's old family place in McClelland, AR. It was just north of the old railroad dump and right beside the 'new' White River levee.
We had this sand hill on the edge of one of our most productive fields. It had been left there by the levee builders. It was 'good for nothing!" None of the regular row crops would grow on it and it wasn't flat enough to include in rice production.
My father was a sweet soul, and started growing his favorite vegetables there. Most of them would take too much tending, weeding, watering, etc. and that didn't fit in with his farm work. Purple Hull Peas didn't need so much tending. They were hearty plants that would tend themselves, more or less.
He would disc up the 1 & 1/2 acre sand hill as he was prepping the rest of the field.
Then he'd walk across with a cyclone spreader, throwing out seeds in a random pattern. When they made ready, he'd let all the locals know that they were welcome to help themselves.
I still hear stories of how people loved those wildly grown peas! They were able to use those peas to feed their families without asking for a handout, without making some kind of deal or without so much as a relationship with my father. They just came.
The Current Pea Patch
The Pea Patch is located on Union Street in Wilson, AR. During the summer you can easily spot it one eighth a mile down the road on the right, just after the 5th house because you'll see banners and a tent where workers & pickers can share a moment out of the sun.
On Saturdays, that's the location of a 'semi-automatic' pea sheller.
Don't be surprised if you find Bro. Paul and his friends out there pickin' & grinnin' on their guitars, or the neighbors just visiting under the few trees that exist in this small-but-thriving agricultural community.
The Pea Patch in Wilson is exclusively for people who live in the town of Wilson.
However, we are anxious to begin The Pea Patch in other communities in the future for their benefit.
Needs
The Pea Patch is a non-profit leg of Wilson's First Baptist Church. 100% of any gifts given with an earmark for the patch goes for it's specific needs only.
There are even more community volunteers & civic-minded folks outside this church who give of their money, resources, time and effort to make The Pea Patch successful.
We are only limited by the resources we are given. Would you consider sponsoring The Pea Patch with a financial gift?
If you have farm equipment, would you consider giving some of your off-season time to plow, disc, and otherwise prepare the ground for next year's crop.
Our current GREATEST need is a small, reliable farm tractor. Your tax deduction of that tractor could be more valuable than its sale or trade-in value! Just think how awesome it would be to give to your own community in that manner!