Raw Peanuts??

I can't think of anything besides pasta where boiling is the best way to cook it, over other options.

It's a year later and that time of year. Has anyone found a source for green peanuts in Louisville?

I think the ones in gas stations are from cans, heated up in a slow cooker.

It's a year later and that time of year. Has anyone found a source for green peanuts in Louisville?

I think the ones in gas stations are from cans, heated up in a slow cooker.

Not sure if they're green but, creation gardens carries 50# sacks of raw peanuts for $92.90.

[Robin Garr]

Did I mention a year ago that Feeders Supply has them in big boxes (25 pounds or so)? I'm pretty sure they're raw, and although they're meant for wild animal feed, I'm pretty sure they're good for human consumption.

So, the thing about raw peanuts for making boiled peanuts in all their proper glory . . . they have to be raw GREEN peanuts, which, to my understanding, means fresh-of-this-growing season. The ones at feed stores and such . . . raw but dehydrated slightly for storage. You could probably make 'em work, but . . . ~sigh~ . . . just not the same.

If you guys find a source for raw green peanuts, did you know you can can them at home? Pressure canner required but looks like really easy processing.
http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_nuts/green_pnuts.html

I did a search on Amazon and they are available there.

Hardy Farms in Georgia just posted the last raw green peanut harvest of the season. They are on their website as Hardys Boiling Peanuts. We brought a 1/4 bushel back from vacation in June. SO SO GOOD!!!

Hi all,
Long time lurker, first time poster. I have been following this forum for quite some time. I've never registered because, up until now, there has never been a topic to which I felt needed a response from me. However, this thread on raw peanuts hit home.
I grew up farming peanuts (among other crops) south of Valdosta, Ga. across the state line near Jennings, FL. This was way back in the 60s, 70s & 80s. The poster who said that raw GREEN peanuts are needed for boiling is absolutely correct. There is no other way to get the true taste of fresh boiled peanuts. Most people haven't had the opportunity to go out into the field early in the morning, pick off a bushel of green peanuts, put them on to boil and have them as a snack by mid-morning!!
I've been in Louisville for about thirty years now and still bring back a bushel or two when I go back to the farm on which my brother still lives and grows crops; albeit in a greatly reduced capacity. When I run out of peanuts, Hardy Farms in Hawkinsville, GA (mentioned by another poster) does a very good job for mail order peanuts; boiled, or green. They have what is known as the Virginia peanut which is a larger variety and the ones we used to grow, Florida runners; a smaller variety but with more flavor IMO.
There is a source for raw green peanuts here in Louisville. I happened upon it by chance. The Indian market on Hurstbourne next to Shalimar has them, or at least they did when last I was there about a month ago. When I boiled them, the taste was spot on. The shell was a little tougher than ones fresh out of the ground, but not a problem for me.
Fresh green boiled peanuts need to be refrigerated if they are not eaten within a day. If not the shell will become slimy and the nuts go rancid.
Sorry for the long post!

[Robin Garr]

Great post, Justin! No need to apologize for its length. I'm glad you found your way in, too, and hope that you won't be a stranger now that you've broken the ice.

Not to worry, Robin.

Thank you, Justin!

So, Justin, I'm a complete novice on the subject but curious whether, in your experience, the process from the NCHFP would result in an acceptable end product? I want to trust them since they are part the University of Georgia and might know a little about peanuts.

Good question Lois. Canning fresh green peanuts, I think, would be just like canning any other type of produce. It would be a good, safe method of storage if done correctly. That being said, the method we used (and use) is to boil the peanuts until they are done to your liking and with the salinity you prefer. What we don't eat right away goes in the freezer. They will keep for a year and will taste just like the day you boiled them. Just bring 'em back to a boil and turn off the heat and they are ready to eat. We would boil a bushel at a time in a large cast iron pot outside, dump a couple of boxes of salt in (we like 'em salty LOL) and let them boil for an hour-hour and a half. So, back to your original question. I've never canned peanuts so I can't say how they would be as far as taste, consistency, etc. The VERY few times that I have eaten canned boiled peanuts that I bought from Walmart I found that there was no comparison to fresh boiled ones IMO. I think freezing is the way to go. That's how Hardy Farms does it I think.

Good to know. In my house, I tend to can anything that moves slower than I do. Meat, dried beans, vegetables, broths, you name it. Generally my first choice for preservation. Don't have to worry about a power failure, etc. But will have to try your method of freezing boiled peanuts some day.