Boiled Peanuts

[JennotJenn]

Dignan,

I don't know how you talk them up but you need to explain that they are not at all like the dry, crunchy peanut they are used to, but as mentioned above, similar to eating blanched soybeans. Don't know if there are other beans you can harvest fresh which end up with the same texture you can compare them to but you need to get their expectations away from the usual and prepare them for something completely different.

The first time I tried them I was expecting not to like them because I so dislike roasted peanuts. Not being one to shy away from new food experiences, I tried one anyway. Reminded me of a pinto bean with the richness of a peanut. But the texture, to me at least, is close to that of cooked pintos.

[Dignan]

My mother mails green peanuts to me during the season so that I can have them during football.

Welcome to egullet Dignan.

I don't know much about you but I think your Mama must be o.k.!

Mine just sent me a fresh bottle of Mexican Vanilla today. She's pretty much o.k. as well.

I still like 'em spicy though.

Rest assured, MM, my mama is Good People. I moved to Texas thinking green peanuts wouldn't be a problem, but after many a conversation with many produce managers I realized I might as well have moved to Portland (you can pick the state). My mother came through.

[Dignan]

Dignan, try the slow cooker/crockpot approach. No (or minimal) refilling of water, and you can let them go overnight or all day without having to worry about them.

Yes, I've heard that's the way to go without the green item ... I'll try them one day. Thanks.

[Dignan]

i actually stopped by Publix last night and picked up a bag of cajun style boiled peanuts in the produce aisle. i will eat them cold for dinner tonight, perhaps with a vanilla coke.

And Publix is where my mother buys me my (uncooked) green peanuts. It's Tampa Bay FL but the local Publix sells green peanuts both by the bulk and prepackaged in convenient 1lb styrofoam and cellophane wrapped bundles. So when those bundles show up in the market, I get a couple in the mail a few days later....

[Dignan]

i actually stopped by Publix last night and picked up a bag of cajun style boiled peanuts in the produce aisle.  i will eat them cold for dinner tonight, perhaps with a vanilla coke.

Crab boil! Now that sounds awsome! I'll have to try that.

Boiled peanuts are farily common throughout Asian countries.

Here's something interesting... peanuts are not really "nuts", they are actually in the legume family.

I've promised dear friends with whom I had shared many favorable culinary experiences that they are going to love boiled peanuts, and have been sorely disappointed by their reactions. The taste definately changes (from the roasted peanut flavor that most folks are familiar with), but it's usually the texture that sets most people against them,

Dignan,

I don't know how you talk them up but you need to explain that they are not at all like the dry, crunchy peanut they are used to, but as mentioned above, similar to eating blanched soybeans. Don't know if there are other beans you can harvest fresh which end up with the same texture you can compare them to but you need to get their expectations away from the usual and prepare them for something completely different.

Sure, I'm aware of the texture differences, but since it didn't bother me . . . . That is the main issue though, it seems. People won't move onto the taste itself, because of the texture.

And to everyone, sorry for the surplus of responses today, I have'nt been able to before now and this is a topic I enjoy.

[Dignan]

I thought this was a good idea because in Charleston, although they are not a bar snack, they are a very popular, universally known and understood snack. They are a regional delicacy, and where you find them is by the road or you cook them yourself at home. That’s what we did. And you take them out on your weekend excursion, on the boat, in the country, on a road trip. Anywhere you can just throw the wet shells overboard is an appropriate setting for boiled peanuts. They are wonderful, and they taste totally different from roasted peanuts, and what people expect of peanuts if they’ve never had them raw and boiled.  I thought isn’t this just a great opportunity, they don’t have them here.... 

...So I hit the streets. At first I found the raw peanuts, which was a bit of a struggle, and then I ended up getting them at the Hunt’s Terminal in the Bronx at a fruit and vegetable clearninghouse, and boiled them in our tub in our apartment on Ludlow Street, and hit the streets. And  found no success, with one exception. Most bars  and restaurant owners who were not Southern had no interest in bringing into their establishments wet, slimy, drippy, boiled peanuts. The exception was Alexander Smalls at Café Beulah, who is from Orangeburg, South Carolina, so he understood them.  He found it sort of quaint, I guess, that we were hitting the streets and trying to sell them.

How do you boil anything in a bathtub?

[SobaAddict70]

These are served as a sort of pre-appetizer snack at Prune, a restaurant in the East Village here in New York.

They were lukewarm if memory serves.

Soba

[alacarte]

...So I hit the streets. At first I found the raw peanuts, which was a bit of a struggle, and then I ended up getting them at the Hunt’s Terminal in the Bronx at a fruit and vegetable clearninghouse, and boiled them in our tub in our apartment on Ludlow Street, and hit the streets.

How do you boil anything in a bathtub?

That's a really good question. I never gave much thought to the logistics.

[Ari]

How is it possible that I've been in Georgia for two months and still haven't tried boiled peanuts? Where do I need to go to get some? (I'd prefer to buy them from somebody over 70, with few teeth, on the side of the road ... just for the cultural experience. But I'll take what I can get.)

[Lan4Dawg]

in what part of Georgia do you live? Find a state highway in the middle of nowhere & drive. Chances are that after a few miles you will see a hand written & usually badly mis-spelled sign by the side of the road, "boiled peanuts ahead" followed shortly by a sign reading, "fresh pork rinds" and then "pecans" followed by another sign proclaiming "boiled peanuts" w/ the distance given (kind of like a Burma Shave ad for Southern snack foods). Keep an eye peeled for an old pick up truck w/ either a trailer rig or a road side stand that looks as if a good wind would do more good than damage. There is the ubiquitous torn umbrella & an old lounge chair somewhere around and extra points if there is a radio blaring country music and a hound dog lying in the shade.

I know that there are several folks on the side of 316 going to Athens, on 411 & 136 up by Carter's Lake, and on 441 past Cornelia as well as a few on various spots around Lake Lanier.

[Dignan]

How is it possible that I've been in Georgia for two months and still haven't tried boiled peanuts?  Where do I need to go to get some?  (I'd prefer to buy them from somebody over 70, with few teeth, on the side of the road ... just for the cultural experience.  But I'll take what I can get.)

You're more likely to find them in the fall, which coincides with the peanut harvest that provides the preferable green peanut. You can find them at other times, but that is the best time.... And it's even better if you are on your way to a UG or GT football game . . . .

[tryska]

How is it possible that I've been in Georgia for two months and still haven't tried boiled peanuts? Where do I need to go to get some? (I'd prefer to buy them from somebody over 70, with few teeth, on the side of the road ... just for the cultural experience. But I'll take what I can get.)

ari - i'm not sure about in town - but I do know if you go to the corner of hammond and mt vernon in sandy springs there is a farmstand that has them. Unfortunately the lady that sells them there is under 70, but does meet your specification for minimal teeth.

also if you ever decide to drive to florida, stop at pretty much any gas station in South Georgia and they will have them simmering in crockpots.

worst comes to worst, check Publix produce aisle - they've got them near the bagged salads in plastic bags.

[mcdowell]

Find a state highway in the middle of nowhere & drive ... Keep an eye peeled for an old pick up truck w/ either a trailer rig or a road side stand that looks as if a good wind would do more good than damage. 

You'll see something like this Boiled PNUT Stand (this one found somewhere deep in South Carolina).

These things are ubiquitous throughout the Carolinas and Georgia.

What you can't see from the low-res scan is the four big boiling pots. Amazing little operation.

*Argh! edited to move the image to someplace that allows direct linking - yahoo doesn't like it!

Edited March 12, 2004 by mcdowell (log)

[tryska]

Florida too, around Kissemee and the outlying groves. incidentally i can't see your picture mcdowell.

[joiei]

I am headed down to the Beaches of South Walton this next weekend for a wedding and will be hoping the cajun boiled peanut lady is still there by the Navarre bridge. With any luck.

[southernpeanut]

Getting boiled peanuts to taste like the ones you drive up and buy from stands is very tricky. As a business owner who started out as this way, I can tell you that lots of time and preparation is put into boiling peanuts if you truly want to sell a quality product.

I have expanded my business to include selling peanuts at all events held inside of Altel Stadium - Jacksonville Jaguars, Florida - Georgia game, Toyota Gator Bowl, Monster Truck Shows, Musical Events, etc. As the quality of my product spread via word of mouth I was able to start selling peanuts at all the Southern League Baseball Games and selected area High School Football games.

Starting this year I launched a website and discovered that there are very many person that love boiled peanuts that have moved from the south.

I sell and ship peanuts to everystate including Hawaii and have also sent some to Canada. Weather your looking for Regular or Cajun Flavored, Roasted or Canned, I can help.

[SIZE=7]Bobby Harvey's Southern Peanuts[/url]

Thank you for your time : Steve

[Mayhaw Man]

Welcome to egullet. I hope that you will stay around and tell us about life in the boiled goober trade.

If you don't mind, how did you approach the people at the stadium? Boiled peanuts, even in the deep south, are not the kind of thing you usually see at sporting events (although they should be dammit! I get sick of Frito Pie )

What is your cooking set up? Do you cook them at the stadium and let hungry sportsfans get them straight from the source or are they cooked and packed in advance? Are they spicy or salty or both? How much do they cost?

Tell us about it.

[southernpeanut]

Well I must disagree, Jumbo boiled peanuts in the south at sporting events is a must. The top three selling items at pro football games are Water, Hotdogs, Peanuts. Beer is also a great seller but most stadiums stop selling it in the 3rd quarter.

As far as how I got into the Pro Stadium here in Florida, Hmmm must keep the lids on that one, My eyes are set on other stadiums in Florida.

For the local High Schools that allow me to vendor Jumbo peanuts in the stadiums, I give them back 40% to their Athletic Department. Also offer a great school fundraising program.

There is nothing like the smell of fresh jumbo boiled and roasted peanuts in the air. For a 1pm game, I start the 6 cooking stations located in different areas of the stadium up at 6am. I have regular flavor as well as cajun ( spicey ), I even have prepacked 2# microwavable bags for customers to take home. They are frozen from fresh and can be ready in 4 minutes.

Check out my website, ( Since i am still a new domain i need the hits ) for a complete list of prices and the shipping is free to all states except Pacific Time Zones which is only $10, keep in mind that freshly cooked Jumbo peanuts must be frozen for shipping so all orders are sent out 2 - 3 day UPS Select service.

[URL=www.SOUTHERNPEANUT.COM]Bobby Harvey's Southern Peanuts

Thank You : Steve

[Lan4Dawg]

the link is not working (fyi) but I will try it the long way.

btw, where are you going to be for the GA/fla game? We will make an effort to stop by for a visit on our way into Alltel--or take a minute to swing by our tailgate before the game.

[fifi]

I haven't had boiled peanuts in many years. When I worked at FDA in New Orleans, one of the guys would always make boiled peanuts. He had some elaborate process that I obviously don't remember. Ya'll have mentioned texure a few times. These had a texture similar to a water chestnut. They were not at all mushy like a cooked bean. What is the "traditional" texture?

[therese]

Seems (if memory serves) like boiled peanuts are not sold by the vendors at Turner Field (Braves baseball) in Atlanta, but you can buy them from street vendors on your way from the parking lot to the field.

...one of the guys would always make boiled peanuts. He had some elaborate process that I obviously don't remember.

There's nothing elaborate about making boiled peanuts. See my recipe above. If you can't make boiled peanuts then you really can't cook a lick.

The texture will vary according to your starting peanuts (very young new peanuts vs mature, and newly harvested vs green but in the bag for a while so dried out a bit), and according to how you like them. All the way from still a bit of a crunch (most people consider these underdone) to edamame to a bit mushy.

[southernpeanut]

There is a secret to boiling regular and cajun peanuts but your personal taste really decides what you like. Any one can throw salt into a large pot and boil peanuts, but the peanut preparation and selection makes them 2nd to none.

A peanuts texture really depends on the age and size of the peanut, which can be used to help determine the cooking times.

[joiei]

I just got back from a quick trip to the beach for a nephew's wedding. On the way home, I stopped at Peanut Hill on Moffatt Road on the west side of Mobile. The peanuts were XL, lightly salty with lots of what I would call pot liquor. They were pretty messy to eat while driving, but by the time I got to Jackson, they were gone. They were not too mushy which was nice, just lightly chewy. There were peanut stands galore between Mobile and Jackson.

[robyn]

Getting boiled peanuts to taste like the ones you drive up and buy from stands is very tricky.  As a business owner who started out as this way, I can tell you that lots of time and preparation is put into boiling peanuts if you truly want to sell a quality product.

I have expanded my business to include selling peanuts at all events held inside of Altel Stadium - Jacksonville Jaguars, Florida - Georgia game, Toyota Gator Bowl, Monster Truck Shows, Musical Events, etc.  As the quality of my product spread via word of mouth I was able to start selling peanuts at all the Southern League Baseball Games and selected area High School Football games.

Starting this year I launched a website and discovered that there are very many person that love boiled peanuts that have moved from the south. 

I sell and ship peanuts to everystate including Hawaii and have also sent some to Canada.  Weather your looking for Regular or Cajun Flavored, Roasted or Canned, I can help.

[SIZE=7]Bobby Harvey's Southern Peanuts[/url]

Thank you for your time : Steve

I live a bit south of Jacksonville so you're in my neck of the woods.

It's always nice to see something southern being trendy - and - in this case - it's good for your business too . Hope you get to work the Super Bowl! On the other hand - I really hate boiled peanuts. Such is life. Perhaps if they were covered in chocolate . Robyn

[southernpeanut]

Robyn;

Boiled peanuts covered in chocolate Yikes !!! What a mess that would be keeping them hot and not letting the chocolate run. Maybe a side container of chocolate dip, just like they put BBQ sauce in.

Since I have been getting so many positive replies and private e-mails I will offer a special deal.

Anyone who orders a 5# bag of regular or cajun peanuts will get a free sample of the opposite. Here's all you do, under special instructions >> type in can i get the free eGullet sample and then the flavor you desire.

www.southernpeanut.com