Farmer Boy Recipe - Hoppin' into the New Year!

Here is a recipe that I embrace as a New Year's Day tradition.  But I don't embrace all the superstition that is associated with it!  It is called, "Hoppin' John".  I have no idea how long this recipe has been in my family. I got it from my mother, and she acted as if it was something that the family made for generations.

The recipe has its origins in America's south; mainly the low country of South Carolina.  It is truly an American dish. But some trace the roots back to Africa, France and the Caribbean.  It was probably slaves, working in the rice fields, who made it up as they lived in this country.

My main objection to the traditions associated with this dish are the superstitions.  Superstitions are beliefs or practices resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, or trust in magic or chance.  People who hold these beliefs don't trust God.  I don't believe in superstitions - I place my trust completely in my Lord.  And I don't believe in "Luck" - called, good or bad!  Believing in luck means you don't trust the Lord completely to lead you in a way that He decides is best for you.  Go read Proverbs 3: 5,6 & Proverbs 16:9 & Psalm 37: 23,24 if you wonder what I'm talking about!  And don't worry about anything - that is the opposite of trusting in the Lord! Worry never added anything to a person's life - it only takes away!
Here are some of the superstitions associated with Hoppin' John:

• It is believed that eating this on the first day of the year will bring you good luck.
• The beans (peas) in the dish represent coins, and eating it will bring you more money in the new year.
• Some people hide a coin inside the dish or under a plate at the table, and whoever finds it first, will have good fortune that year.
• It must be served with Greens, which are the color of money, in order to prosper you in the new year.
• It is made with pork, because a pig can't turn its head around to look back - so with pork in the dish, you will be looking forward to a more prosperous future.
• If you save a portion of this dish and store it to serve it in the next New Year's Day meal, you'll bring that good luck into the next year.

As wild as these are; the origins or legends behind the name of the dish are just as wild!  Nobody knows for sure how it got its name, but here are some of the suggestions:

• It was named after a crippled black man who sold it on the streets of Charleston, South Carolina.
• It got its name from the tradition of the children in the family hopping around the table before sitting to eat it.
• It got its name after the open invitation to supper, saying, "Hop in, John!"

Now, if, like myself, you can look beyond all this, you'll find a very tasty meal - and nothing more! Hey, that's enough for me!

Farmer Boy "Hoppin' John"

Ingredients:

• 1 - 2 Cups of Black-eyed Peas
• 4 Cups of water (more as needed)
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1/2 lb. of fat back (or bacon, or pig's knuckles)
• 1 - 2 Cups of long-grain rice
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions: Soak the peas in a large pan with water covering them by about an inch.  Heat to boiling, cover and simmer about 30 minutes.  Keep them covered and set aside overnight.  Next day: drain the pot of the water and rinse the peas.  Put the peas back in and fill the pot with water again. Bring to a boil again and then simmer for around 1 1/2 hours. (Watch that they don't lose all the water and burn!)

In a large pot, saute the onions and fat back, till the onions are clear.  Add the rice with 2 cups of water per cup of rice.  Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 20 minutes per cup of rice. (again, be sure this doesn't burn!)  Add the peas to the pot and simmer another 15 minutes (do I need to say it again? Don't let it burn! - stir it occasionally and add water if it is needed.) Keep a lid on it and let it rest, off the heat, for 5-10 minutes.

Serve this over cornbread with greens, if you wish.

I hope you'll make this meal, I think you'll really like it!  And it tastes great as a left-over (if you have left-overs!).  Or you may wish to freeze some of it, according to tradition, and add it to the next New Year's meal!

I suggest that you pray to ask the Lord's blessing on all your meals - if this is the first meal of the year, that's a good time to begin that habit, if you don't normally do that!  A blessing from the Lord is far better than belief in superstitions which won't help you at all!  Looking ahead at the new year - don't worry, be happy! :)

"We steal from today to give to tomorrow." Laura Ingalls Wilder

If you make this meal, please let us all know, by leaving a comment here.  Thanks.  And be sure to sign up as a follower of my blog & tell others to do the same.  Thanks.  Happy New Year! The Old Man in the Bib Overalls