The 2020 Great PurpleHull Peas
& Cornbread Cook Off
For those of us who grew up in the Emerson area, those hot sticky summer days we toiled through as kids had at least one advantage: There was usually a pot of fresh purple hulls waiting for us on the dinner table.
Mix in a good piece of hot cornbread, right out of the oven, and you had cuisine akin to manna from heaven.
The PurpleHull Pea Festival tries to relive some of those great pea dishes of old, and maybe create a few new ones in the process.
If you think you’re a pretty good peas & cornbread cook, we encourage you to enter the Great PurpleHull Peas & Cornbread Cook Off.
It will take place at the Emerson School Cafetorium at 9:00 a.m., Saturday, June 27. Bring your dish by 9:00 to check in. Judging begins at 9:30 a.m.
The winner in each category wins $50, and automatic entry into the Best of Show competition. The winner of Best in Show wins an additional $100!
Here are the categories for 2020:
Best PurpleHull Peas
Best Cornbread
Best Original Recipe Using PurpleHull Peas
Best Condiment / Salsa (pea topping, such as relish, chow-chow, jelly, etc.)
Best Cobbler
First place winners have the option to have their recipes put on the festival’s Web site. (That is, if he or she wishes to divulge it.)
The five categories are judged by an independent panel of judges.
Please call DeeAnne Meyer 870-949-4968 for info
Good luck. Let’s get cooking!
Linda Miller can cook some peas
In 2012, Linda successfully defended her title of Best PurpleHull Pea Cook. In fact, Linda has won the title three out of the past six years. But she can cook more than peas. At the 2009 Great PurpleHull Peas & Cornbread Cook Off, Linda ran away with the competition, winning three of the six caterogies, including “Best Purple Hull Peas.”
