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Earl Carter grew a family garden to bring fresh food to their meals. Though the garden was mainly for the family, they often shared extra crops with neighbors. Farm supervisor Jack Clark took care of planting and tending to the garden. The community also planted a shared sweet potato garden nearby, where everyone could help grow and enjoy the harvest together. 
Black-eyed Peas (Vigna unguiculata)Black-eyed peas, a staple legume in Georgia, were as beloved in Jimmy Carter’s youth. Known for their resilience and nutritional value, these peas produce an abundant, high-protein harvest even in limited garden space, making them ideal for small-scale growers and family gardens. Black-eyed peas and their relatives—field peas, crowder peas, and cowpeas—are thought to have been brought from Africa to the Southeast during the colonial period, where they became integral to Southern cuisine and culture. They’re versatile in the kitchen, easily prepared fresh, canned, or dried, and they enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen, benefiting other plants in the garden. 
Velvet Beans (Mucuna pruriens) Velvet Beans (Mucuna pruriens)Velvet beans, a unique legume often grown alongside corn, played an important role in traditional Southern farming. After the corn leaves were stripped and left to dry on the stalks for fodder each fall, the beans would be harvested—a task young Jimmy Carter recalls as particularly unpleasant due to the itchy, stinging fuzz on the bean pods. Despite this discomfort, velvet beans were valuable for their ability to fix nitrogen in the soil, enriching it for future crops, and were sometimes used as fodder themselves, adding both nutrition and soil health benefits to the Carter family farm. 
Sweet Potatoes (Ipomoea batatas)For many South Georgians during the Depression, "potatoes" at supper typically meant the reliable sweet potato, a staple food that sustained families through lean times. Unlike "Irish potatoes" (Solanum tuberosum), which required careful storage in dry areas like attics or under the house, sweet potatoes could last the entire winter when stored in traditional “potato hills.” These mounds, made by burying the tubers in pine straw, helped preserve them through colder months, providing a nutritious, energy-rich food source that was easy to grow and store on the Carter family farm. 
Collard Greens (Brassica oleracea var. acephala)Collard greens, a beloved Southern dish, are known for their hardy, thick leaves that thrive in cooler months and develop a richer flavor after the first frost. Traditionally, they’re prepared by slow-cooking in water seasoned with salt pork, which enhances their earthy taste and tenderizes the leaves. Though collards are not as widely enjoyed outside the South, they remain a classic staple in Southern cuisine, prized for their nutrient density and resilience in gardens like those on the Carter family farm. 
Peanut (Arachis hypogaea)Peanuts, a unique legume rather than a true nut or tuber, are among the most misunderstood crops in American agriculture. Growing underground in pods, peanuts are related to beans and soybeans, not tree nuts like pecans. Over the course of Jimmy Carter's life, peanuts rose from a regional snack to South Georgia’s most significant crop, transforming local agriculture and becoming a staple in diets nationwide. Known for their high protein content and versatility, peanuts hold a special place in Southern heritage and were central to the Carter family’s livelihood. |
Last updated: March 20, 2025