"Skippin' Jenny"

Happy New Years to all of you.
I have just finished our annual traditional meal of Hoppin' John. For those of you who are from the South, you probably know exactly what I'm referring to. Nevertheless, I thought I'd share a little educational snippet from Wikipedia:
Hoppin' John is the Southern United States' version of the rice and beans dish traditional throughout West Africa. It consists of black-eyed peas (or field peas) and rice, with chopped onion and sliced bacon, seasoned with a bit of salt. Some people substitute ham hock or fatback for the conventional bacon; a few use green peppers or vinegar and spices. Smaller than black-eyed peas, field peas are used in the Low Country of South Carolina and Georgia; black-eyed peas are the norm elsewhere.
Throughout the coastal South, eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day is thought to bring a prosperous year filled with luck. The peas are symbolic of pennies or coins, and a coin is sometimes added to the pot or left under the dinner bowls. Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, chard, kale etc. along with this dish are supposed to also add to the wealth since they are the color of money. On the day after New Year's Day, leftover "Hoppin' John" is called "Skippin' Jenny," and further demonstrates one's frugality, bringing a hope for an even better chance of prosperity in the New Year. During the late Middle Ages, there was a tradition of eating beans on New Year's Day for good luck in parts of France and Spain. The European tradition mixed with an African food item to become a New World tradition.

One tradition common in the Southern USA is that each person at the meal should leave three peas on their plate to assure that the New Year will be filled with Luck, Fortune and Romance. Another tradition holds that counting the number of peas in a serving predicts the amount of luck (or wealth) that the diner will have in the coming year.
I am not a fan of black-eyed peas, so we use the field peas grown in our garden. And, we choose collards as opposed to the others. I do have to admit, that I had never met "Jenny" until I did this little research. Have had annual dates with her, just didn't know she had a name!! I also learned of the other traditions associated with this annual feast. I feel new traditions headed our way next year. To top is all off, hubby cooks the absolute BEST collards and peas. My job is the rice and cornbread. I'm stuffed!!
Nice to meet you, Jenny. See ya' tomorrow.

Blessings... G.R.I.T.S. (Girl Raised In The South)