Boiled Peanuts .....

[Olf Art]

There are probaby few things that speak more about the South than the lowly boiled peanut.
Jeff Foxworthy appeared one morning on a local country music station, and he even made reference to them. "If you cause a 15 car pileup on the Buckman Bridge, pullin over to get a bag of boiled peanuts ..... you might be a redneck."

As near as I can tell, it was when the South was under attack during the Civil War that they first came into widespread use. Nothing was cheaper or easier to keep (a few bags could hang in a barn or shed for a long time), and all that was really needed to fix em was a pot of water and a fire. Peanuts are a very high source of protein, and I'm sure that there were a lot of folks that made meals of them during hard times and were probably glad to have em.

Anyway, we've refined em a little over the years and I like em a lot. Anybody got a recipe they'd like to share ?

olf

[Whitebear]

Olf

I make mine in the crock pot.

I pit in the water then I add a bunch of cayenne pepper and Tony Cacherets Cajun seasoning and taste it. If it needs more salt I add it in. I use only sea salt, NEVER Iodized salt. The water should be VERY salty to the taste.

Ya gotta use raw peanuts, roasted just won't work.

Put in crock pot for a day and check, when the hulls will pop apart easily with yer fingers they is ready.

I serve em up in plastic cups for company and keep a zip loc bag handy at all times in the shop for emergencies.

Jus like Am Ex, never leave home without em !

Scotty

[Olf Art]

Scotty, there were many nights over the years that I headed off for a run with Ziplock bag of em. When you're working all you really want is a little something to chase the hunger pains away until you have a chance to do better. They worked for me.

You're absolutely right about the raw peanuts. Nothing less works.

olf

[Cajun]

There are alot of different ways ( seasonings ) to make em. But here is THE VERY IMPORTANT thing that most folks don't know about. If you remove the p-nuts hot from the liqour when they get done they will not get their full potential of seasoning. They go thru a drawing as they cool down, if you want to remove them while hot, have a second pot of liqour that is cooler than the boiling pot and they will suck up all the seasoning you want. Next time you boil some, when they are done , dip a couple out and lay on the table and watch them, they will suck up like a vacume sealer. We usally use hot ground red pepper, tabasco, and salt , in both pots. We have also used liquid smoke and alot of different things just to get some different flavors. We use to do some with a beef stew powder seasoning and they tasted just like beef stew, these we took hunting or fishing and they would kill ya hunger pains for a while. Its really unlimited as to what you can do with them.Play with some different seasonings, you will be surprised at what you can get out of that little p-nut. Later Cajun

[Whitebear]

I don't think I have ever thrown out a batch of Pot Liquor for boilin em. I just freeze it and thaw and add some to it for the next batch. I have froze it for over a year ata time this way and still made great P-nuts.

For those that don wanna fatten up the local power company you can fire em up over charcoals, a wood fire, or use yer favorite fish cooker. I use the crock pot at home cause I was never comfortable with leaving an open fire unattended while I slept.

NOW: When I get home this time, Im thinking a big fresnell lens and an insulated pot and do em for free in a solar oven.

Scotty

[Skeeter]

They had deep fried peanuts at the races.First time I ever tried them that way.They were ok.

[bondsman]

green penuts cook faster but when you cant get them i get the dried unsalted penuts. every 2 pounds of penuts i use 1/4 cup salt and 1/4 quarter cup tony catchers creole also (good flavor) put them in a pressure cooker cook them on 15lbs for one hour after pressure has been reached then let cool for 2 hours with the lid still on make sure you have an ample amount of water for them to soak up.they come out crisper if you let them sit 2 more hours they get softer.and you can always put the pot on low heat to keep em nice and warm with the lid off.don't know if anyone else would like them this way but all my family does.

[dblj006]

I'm going to the store...

[K-mac]

Brings back some good memories,back on the ranch I would often
take a vacation the week of the fourth of july, and help my bosses
dad boil peanuts. We would start right after breakfast ,He always
had a big garden with at least a couple of rows of peanuts, and these
wer'nt little city rows they was long. we would pull em up as he drove
the little tractor and throw em on the wagon only about a 4x6 with
about a foot of sideboards we would fill it and dump it under the big
shade tree in the front yard seems like about three or four heaping
loads. Then he would fire the gass burners with two big aluminum
pots I guess about eight or ten gallons each I don't remember the
resepi sept for there was lots of salt. We would then start picking them
off the bush and putting them in five gal. buckets. We would be
boiling peanuts all daylong bagging them up and freezing them and
giving them away, seems like everyone on the ranch would come
over for some peanuts. Them paitent cows were waiting by the fence
and knew they would get the bushes when we were done.
I know it don't sound like a big thing, but its kinda neat how somthing
like boild peanuts can bring back good memories. ( you guys are good for
that ) Thanks , Kevin.

[deepsea diver]

The "Gal" out on hwy50 and the St Johns makes some really nice boiled P-nuts. Salted and Cajun. I have seen many a hungry FATBOY sitting along hwy50 polishing off a bag of p-nuts and downing a couple of cold ones in the afternoon.

She sits in a old van and boils them along side of the road. Every weekend. She has been there for years.

Damm, I got to go get a few bags. The old lady and the kids can tear them up.

My dad use to boil them in a 50 gal drum on an open fire. An all day event. My uncles use to hang out in the barn, drink beer and whiskey, play cards and gutairs. Just to get out of the house and have a good time.
There are all gone, but it sure brings back some good memories and some great times.

[deepsea diver]

K-Mac, it's like a fresh snap shot in my mind. Clear picture.
So true!!!

[Cajun]

When I do a p-nut boil, I have a stainless beer keg with the top cut out and a garbage can lid that fits it nice and snug. I have an assortment of large pots but it just has a different feel doing it in the keg. The burner is a propane stand wrapped with a garbage can to keep the wind from blowing the heat away from the keg. Looks like a homeless persons cooking gadget but I've used it for I know close to 20 years. Another thing, if you are boiling raw p-nuts and not green, you can bring the raw ones to boil and then shut down and let them sit for hours and they will start softening on their own then refire them and they will cook faster than normal. Almost like soaking hard beans over night before you cook them, they soak up the moisture and cook faster. We use to get some called GOOBERS from a fellow, these were bigger than you could imagine, the nuts out of the shell were as big as your thumb joint. Giant, and hard to find. I think the farmers market north of Ocala on 301 had some from Africa this past year. Later

[dblj006]

The p-nuts are done and good too. Didn't use Tony Chachere's Creole though...All I could find was Old Bay...good substitute in a pinch. Heck Maryland was Confederate too.

[BoHawg]

When I was a little kid, we'd dig 'em all day in exchange for a dip in Coldwater Creek, where the tire swing was. The boilin' came later

[Wild Hair]

Used to live next door to the head game warden in southern ms named JG Wisner, a legend. came home one day and saw something in his garden. it was him. died digging peanuts.

Joel

[cflacowboy001]

Some of the best boiled peanuts I had growing up was @ this vegatble stand in Arcadia at SR 70 and 72 . That old lady there could boil some peanuts,she would heavily salt them and then add sugar to them not to make them sweet though. There was no measuring with a cup of this or a cup of that , It looked like 2 or 3 coffee cans of salt and about half that in sugar. Something remembered growing up .Them peanuts were some best peanuts I've ever tasted!

[Olf Art]

Cajun, it sounds like 'you da man' when it comes to boilin em ..... I'm gonna try some of that seasoning. I'm very sorry to hear of your loss. Been there. God bless.

cenfl, I've had em with a little sugar. Not bad at all as long as you don't try make em sweet.

olf

[basketcase0302]

No recipe for ya'll but I eat em ever chance I get Love them cajun style!

Gotta start keepin a bib in the truck

Basketcase

[mwood7800]

try this one sometime, find the largest size green bag of peanuts, if they were not keep in the cooler look somewhere else.


16oz liquid zatarains crab boil, 1 1/2 box salt. one 30lb bag peanuts, boil for 3 hours hard, let soak for 1/2 hr..

[AlaskaTours]

Man how ironic is this.... I use to be a Carolina boy ,But moved here to Alaska and rigt now I got a pot of Goobers on the stove cooking as I write. Your thinking how the heck did he get raw P-Nuts in Alaska..Very ,Very good friends in Carolina I trade them salmon for P-nuts ( Good Trade !!) , I boil mine with some smoked ham hocks . Sit some of those on top of your head and your tongue will beat you silly trying to get them...

[FoMeAirboater]

Some of the best I have had is from this black guy in Avon Park that sits at the corner of 64 and 17A on the way to the AP Bombing Range. Sells both Cajun and Regular style. Has em priced from $1.00 size all the way up to $10.00 family bag. Went to the Range Saturday to scope out some campsites and he was there we got a $5.00 bag and was plenty for 2 adults and 2 kids.

[Whitebear]

Ok, I have always had to buy my raw peanuts at Winn Dixie or Publix which is terribly expensive in little bags. Does anyone in Brevard or central FL have a source for big bags of raw peanuts? Care ta share?

Scotty

[jdotson]

I remember running around the Wauchula Feed Store that was owned by my grandparents years ago and they always had large galvanized trash cans slam full of raw peanuts sold by the pound. I remember the scoop, hanging scales, and paper bags next to the peanuts. I spent many a Saturday eating raw peanuts and climbing at what seemed mountains of stacked feed bags.

Makes me wonder if any of the local feed stores might sell peanuts in bulk?

[Olf Art]

There's a wholesaler right on Hwy. 301 in Citra where I've bought several bags in the past, but the ones we've gotten this Fall at Winn Dixie have actually been pretty good too ..... nice size and filled out good.
The drought this year really hurt our quality up here.

Bear, I'll ship you a bag if you'd like to boil up some.

olf

[Cajun]

That place in Citra is the Farmers Market that I was talking about having those huge goobers called African Giants, they have pretty good prices on p-nuts usally when in season. You can always call and find out if the nearest produce distribution markets like in Tampa on Hillsboro and about 50 th. st. . I am not sure where ya located but most large cities has a produce distribution market, the only 2 I know of is the one in Tampa and the one in Jax. But there is a big difference in raw p-nuts and green p-nuts, the raw are older and dried out some what and takes alot longer to boil, thats when its good to bring to a boil and then let set for a few hours to soften up before you try to cook all the way. The green p-nuts are the fresh ones and you can get them done in a matter of a few hours, now this is talking about large pots 25 lbs. and more. Good luck in finding them, just call around. Later, Cajun