Grow Great Goobers, Anywhere

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Even if you harvest your peanuts on precisely the right day, 20 percent to 25 percent of the nuts will be immature, or green. The shells of green nuts are soft, and the skins on the seeds are not fully colored. With a little practice, you will be able to tell the difference between mature and green nuts without removing them from the shells. Set aside the green nuts and use them to make boiled peanuts (see Page 78 for instructions). Spread out the mature nuts in a cool, dry place and allow them to dry for another two weeks before storing them in mesh bags. Kept cool and dry, cured peanuts will keep for several months, or you can shell them and store the raw kernels in your freezer for more than a year.

Raw vs. Roasted

The roasting process changes peanut flavor, which is created by several hundred flavor compounds. I like the sweet chewiness of raw peanuts, but roasted ones are more versatile in recipes. You'll be ready for anything if you keep both forms on hand.

Whether unshelled or shelled, peanuts scorch easily, so it's important to watch both the temperature and cooking time very closely. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and arrange peanuts in a single layer in a clean baking pan. I prefer lightly roasted peanuts, so I consider shelled Valencias to be done after 14 minutes. Larger Virginias take about three minutes longer. Roasted in the shell (which produces more of that delicious aroma), Valencias take about 17 minutes, and Virginias are ready in 22 minutes. Roasting makes peanut shells more brittle, which makes shelling them messier, but this is no big deal if you shell them outside.

Pegging Peanuts: A Geocarpic Wonder

Peanuts are a rare example of the reproductive strategy called geocarpy, in which the seeds form and ripen in the ground beneath the plants. Beginning about 40 days after germination, peanuts produce yellow sweet-pea like flowers. When the flowers fade, the stems on the fertilized ovaries lengthen until the painted "peg" punts itself in the soil, 1 to 2 inches deep. Once it penetrates the soil, the peg turns horizontal and continues to grow and mature into a peanut. Flowering is continuous over several weeks. The first pegs that enter the soil, which grow quite close to the taproot, mature at a slower rate than those that appear later, so they all even out in the end. Depending on variety and growing conditions, each peanut plant should produce between 25 and 50 pods.

Boiled Peanuts

Bypass roadside stands that sell boiled peanuts in June, and ignore the directions on bags of raw peanuts that tell you to boil them in salted water for eight hours. Real boiled peanuts are made with fresh, green nuts, so they're a seasonal treat of autumn. To make this delicacy, wash immature pods very well, and place them in a pot of very salty water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 60 to 90 minutes. Drain, cool and enjoy. Leftovers may be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.

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