leave 'em on the plant. then, once the hulls are dry, shuck 'em and put them somewhere in the shade with good air flow (a cookie tray on a back porch, say)... i've had seeds go funky even when i was SURE they had completely dried.

btw, you know you can eat the beans when young, before the seeds form--just like green beans. you can eat them once the hull dries a bit and turn light brown but the peas are still green (easier to shuck 'em). and you can let the peas dry completely and store them, though really the flavor degrades. personally, if i have a lot, i stick 'em in a ziplock and into the freezer.

I like to get them when the pods just get yellow, shull 'em, blanch them quickly and freeze them. Or cook them up the way you like 'em and eat some and freeze the rest for later.
If they get dry I use 'em for seed next spring.
But I guess you could use them as dried beans too, if you have enough.

So basically everyone thinks I should leave them on the plant until the pods have dried. Then blanch and freeze them for later use. Thanks everyone.

I like black eyed peas the best before they dry when they are still fresh. Wait till the peas fully mature and the pods start to turn yellow. Then peel them out of the pod and cook right away about 15 minutes. Its a waste to let them completely dry out and have to cook them for 45 minutes to rehydrate them.

I think dnicebb6 might be a little mixed up? You don't 'blanche & freeze' dried BEPs (or other beans, for that matter). I've frozen fresh shelled cowpeas (no blanching), but if you leave the pods on the plant until they're dry & brown(IOW, mature), you don't need to blanche them, they will dry out & you can STORE them in the freezer, but I'd recommend against blanching, once they've dried.

& I dry mine in the pods for a week or so after picking, then shell into airtight jars....

Thanks everyone. I will let some dry out completely to freeze and I will cook up some of the fresher ones. I cannot wait.