Boiled peanuts are quite simply green peanuts simmered in a salty brine. They’re a little salty, a little earthy, and a whole lot delicious. This is a real southern delicacy!
I grew up in a small community in southwest Georgia. A very small community. The entire population of my home county is about 6,100, and the population of the county seat, the only town in the county, is about 2,000. That’s small. The next nearest town is 15 miles away, and it is only slightly larger than my hometown.
I am inextricably bound to that little town and the people there. It is as much a part of me as I am of it. No matter where I go, no matter where I live, that tiny little town will always be home.
Up until I was in the third grade, my family lived about ten miles out of town on our farm. Even after we moved to “town,” Daddy continued to farm for many more years. Daddy raised cows and pigs, and he grew mostly corn and peanuts. As a matter of fact, everyone I knew grew peanuts.
Back in those days, peanuts were a big money crop. If you had a good year with your peanuts, you did quite well. Even the people who didn’t farm were in some way dependent on peanuts. If the farmers did well, the merchants did well. If you didn’t farm and weren’t a merchant, you probably worked for one of the peanut processing plants. All intertwined and all hoping for a good peanut crop year after year.
Peanuts Aren’t Actually Nuts
Did you know that peanuts are not actually nuts? They’re legumes. In the same family as beans and lentils. And they grow underground.
Peanut harvesting begins in early to mid-September each year. When the peanuts are ready to harvest, the farmers use machines that dig the plants up and invert them on top of the ground. The peanuts are left to dry for a time on top of the ground before harvesting begins.
Large peanut combines are driven up and down the rows of inverted peanuts. The combine picks up the plants, separates the vines from the peanuts, drops the vines back down on the ground, and propels the peanuts up and into a large container on the back. Once the container, or “hopper,” is full, the peanuts are dumped into special trailers. The trailers are pulled two or three at a time out of the field and taken to the local processing plant.
The Peanut Lullaby of Childhood
I can remember the sound of the peanut dryers running day and night at the peanut processing plants during peanut season. You could hear them from anywhere in town. They were the lullaby we fell asleep to on fall nights.
And the smell! Right now, if I close my eyes, I can imagine the smell of freshly dug peanuts. It’s the freshest, earthiest smell you can imagine.
A little while ago, I was driving toward home, and suddenly I smelled that freshly dug peanut smell! Sure enough, I rounded the next curve in the road, and there was a field of peanuts being picked. I felt like a little girl coming home.
Boiled Peanuts – What a Delicacy!
Part of living in a peanut-growing area is the joy of eating Boiled Peanuts. They are truly a “southern thing,” and I understand that some people outside of the South don’t find them very appealing. That’s okay — more for me!
If you want to make boiled peanuts, you will need “green” peanuts. Green peanuts are peanuts that have recently been dug and haven’t dried out or been roasted.
I vividly remember Daddy bringing home stacks and stacks of fresh peanuts still on the vines every fall. Mama, my sisters, and I would pick the peanuts off the vines, then wash them well, and Mama would cook them for us to enjoy.
Where I live now, I don’t have access to really fresh green peanuts, but one of the local grocery stores occasionally has them in the produce department. When I saw them there on a recent trip, I just had to have some.
How to Make Boiled Peanuts
There are several varieties of peanuts, and I saw at least three different types in this one bag. The small ones with the red skins are Spanish peanuts. The rounded, plump ones – like ballpark peanuts – are Virginia peanuts, and the long ones with 3 or more peanuts in a shell are Valencias or Runners.
I’m sure this is far more than anyone ever wanted to know about peanuts and peanut production! But, hey, now you know something that maybe you didn’t before, right?
Let’s get these peanuts boiling!
Wash the peanuts well to make sure all the dirt is dislodged. I usually fill the sink, dump the peanuts in, and agitate them.
Place the peanuts in a very large pot and add water to cover the peanuts by 1 inch or more. I typically use my crockpot so that I can just leave them alone to cook while I do other things in the kitchen.
Add the salt and stir well. Yes, it really does take a lot of salt to flavor the peanuts. However, a huge amount of the salt gets discarded with the cooking brine.
Bring it to a boil (or set the slow cooker on high), then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until done. Start testing for doneness after about 4 hours. The peanuts should have a soft, but not mushy, texture. Cook longer if needed. Sometimes it takes six or more hours for the peanuts to cook.
After the peanuts are done, drain the brine and store the peanuts in the refrigerator (if there are any left!). Don’t let them sit in the brine. They’ll get too salty.
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Recipe
Boiled Peanuts
Ingredients
- 1 gallon cleaned green peanuts
- ½ cup salt don't worry – most of it gets discarded
- Water
Instructions
- Wash the peanuts well to make sure all the dirt is dislodged. I usually fill the sink, dump the peanuts in and agitate them.1 gallon cleaned green peanuts
- Place the peanuts in a very large pot and add water to cover the peanuts by 1 inch or more.
- Add salt and stir well. Remember that a huge amount of the salt gets discarded with the cooking brine.½ cup salt
- Bring it all to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until done. Start testing for doneness after about 4 hours. The peanuts should have a soft, but not mushy, texture. Cook longer if needed. Sometimes it takes 6 or more hours for the peanuts to cook.
- After the peanuts are done, drain the brine and store the peanuts in the refrigerator. Don’t let them sit in the brine as they'll become too salty.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Yep boiled peanuts are definitely a “Southern Thing” and one that I am so happy I found! I first ate boiled peanuts when I was 28, can you imagine. It was a pop warner football game LOL. I never tried making them and since I like them so well I think I should. Thanks for sharing the recipe and your story, both are lovely.
Can you believe I’ve yet to taste my first boiled peanut! Have to try it.
Some say it’s an “acquired” taste. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’ve never known anyone who didn’t like them. There’s a company that sells them in cans in the grocery stores here, but there’s no comparison to the taste of homemade ones. Wish I could get some to you, but shipping frozen stuff to the Netherlands?? Don’t know.
Very, very nice post, Lana. I know and love boiled peanuts too. Remember the little ditty, “Peas, peas, peas, peas, eating goober peas – goodness how delicious, eating goober peas”?
I love boiled peanuts. I grew up eating a lot of these as my parents used to plant a lot of peanuts to replenish the soil after planting other vegetables. Any leftover will be sun dried where we gathered to eat everyday as they slowly get dried. Reminds me of all the wonderful family time over eating peanuts.
I just finished boiling 3 lbs. of peanuts (Va., BIGGUNS!!) about an hour ago. They’ll be gone by tomorrow night. (:>) I grew up in the deep south with all of it’s wonderful foods & culture. Currently I live in E. Tn. in a small town/county. Folks around here look at me like I’ve got horns or something when I talk about or offer them boiled Peanuts, TILL THEY TRY THEM!!!!!
You should have seen the looks I got when when lived in New Hampshire and I asked for turnip greens. They thought I had horns and a tail!
I think I tried boiled peanuts at some points and didn’t really care for the texture. I love roasted peanuts but the boiled ones seemed really mushy and bland. Maybe the key is making them yourself.
When I was in Atlanta for business, I had my first taste of boiled peanuts. I was hooked…except that you cannot find them in Boston! Where can you get the green peanuts??
Green peanuts in Boston?!? Gosh, I don’t have a clue except maybe a farmers market that has “exotic” (ha!ha!) produce. I did do a quick Google search and found a couple of online sources. That might be an option, however I can’t vouch for them.
As a Savannah girl, I know and love boiled peanuts. Your blog is terrific!
Brings back a lot of memories. Somehow boiled peanuts are not as good as they used to be. Maybe I just need my little girls home to share them with. Great story.
I love boiled peanuts. I actually just finished a batch a couple days ago. They remind me so much of my childhood. Delish!!
Oh how your story brought back memories. We did not grow peanuts on our farm but Dad worked for a fertilizer company that also had long rows of these driers. The trailers would pull up and hook up the hoses that would blow in the heat. The smell of this permeated the whole town. There is nothing finer for this southern boy than waiting for fresh green peanuts to finish boiling. Even when the season is not in, I buy the raw ones in bags and boil these for hours. They are firmer but so good….thanks for sharing your story…
Aren’t they just so good? I always like the “pops” best – the immature peanuts whose shells hadn’t hardened yet. They were soft and salty and you could eat the whole thing shell and all! You sure don’t get any pops in the canned ones or the green peanuts from the grocery store. You have to pick them off the vines yourself for those!
Always enjoy buying boiled peanuts from roadside stands in the south. Now I need to find some green peanuts!
Thanks for the recipe!
The ones you do at home are so much better than the roadside stands. Those have been boiling for way too long and are usually overcooked. If you ever find some green peanuts, give it a try for yourself!
wow I’ve never tried boiled peanuts before…you made me want some ;-) Thanks for sharing!
If you try them yourself, just be sure to get fresh, green peanuts. One that have been cooked, dried or roasted will not work. Enjoy!
“L” is so right!! I can see the show now — a long shot of rows and rows of peanuts in the field, followed by film of the tractors, inverters, combines, all the machinery needed to harvest. I used to (and still) see pickup trucks that have the tailgate up, and hand pulled peanut vines draped over the top of the tailgate – a sure sign that somebody is going to be busy picking peanuts for a boiling.
Remember what Daddy used to say about the smell of freshly dug peanuts? “Smells like money to me!”
For those who have never experienced boiled peanuts, what a void in your culinary existence. Pair those with a large icy cold beverage, and you have an afternoon for telling tales, and laughing ’til your sides hurt. They also make a wonderful snack for watching college football games!
Take care.
Miss P
Yes, these were especially good while watching UGA beat Auburn :-)
I went to have my hair cut during lunch (you know I have to multi-task), and gave your favorite hair expert your web address so that she can check out all of the posts herself. I told her to especially look at boiled peanuts.
Miss P
I should give you some of my blog cards to hand out!
OMG! We have GOT to get you a cooking show! You just made boiled peanuts interesting! I mean, we all know that they’re good, but I think it’s safe to say they’re a little boring. I KNEW all of that stuff in the article and it was still interesting. You’re so good. =)