"Black Eyed Peas," she said.
"First of all, the band is pretty popular right now. Second, didn't Grandma Emery used to cook those all the time? And you know, all of her kids, nephews, and nieces smoked, drank, and fought like wild animals. The black eyed peas might have been part of how they did it."
My sister Kimberly is my go-to expert on all things related to hair styles and rock-and-roll. She would laugh because she really isn't a rock-and-roll expert, but she was always my opinion leader back in the 1970s and she continues to be today. I know nothing about music, except that Ella Fitzgerald is the best that ever was and ever will be (and it is amazing that I discovered that fact without Kimberly).
I called her the other day about the Rock Group and Depression Buster Contest.
Black eyed peas did power a couple of generations of Emerys and Roses. And it probably did take a lot of nutrients to off-set the nicotine and to protect their livers all those years until their lungs and livers had enough.
Black eyed peas (always cooked with a ham bone in Grandma Emery's case) were a good choice to nourish a rowdy crew. The raw bean is high in folate, though as a heat-sensitive nutrient, your best best is to eat the beans with a fresh salad to get your folate. The beans have a hearty amount of zinc, magnesium, iron, and vitamin B-6 to make up for that folate loss.
To get the most out of your black eyed peas, be sure to soak them at least overnight in warm water as per my instructions on soaking beans. The process of soaking will help break down the phytic acid and increase your ability to absorb the nutrients.
Consider as well cooking the beans in a bone broth. Grandma Emery just threw a bone in. Bones are high in mineral content and will add minerals to the cooking water. However, you would get more out of the bone by making broth from the bone and then adding the broth to the beans. For a vegetarian option, you can start with a vegetable broth.
I don't know how it is that all of these rock groups are also depression fighting foods, but we are 2 for 2 now. Who are you going to nominate? Send it in.
