“Awwwrite, people! The baaald peanuts are reddy!” Mrs. Brooks staggered under
the weight of brine-boiled goobers in a large pot, on an August afternoon. A
genteel, southern woman in her late seventies, Mrs. Brooks was able to retain
much of the strength and energy of her youth, if not the dexterity. Today, she
wore a peach colored dress topped off with an apron dappled in orange flowers.
Her strawberry hair was pleasantly done for the occasion - a social
commemorating the eighty-third birthday of the man sitting at the head of a long
string of picnic tables wearing a light-blue cotton suit and a string bow-tie.
The old farmer was proud of the fact that he could outwork most teenagers and
did most of the farming without much help at all. Mr. Brooks' dark skin told the tale of
many hours out in the sun and the balling of his large biceps punctuated any
statement made on the subject. On this old plantation located in the bottom tip
of South Carolina, he grew corn, soybeans, oats, and peanuts, rotating the crops
every year to maintain the “soul’s” health and ensure the maximum yield of his
harvest.
George Washington Carver, a freed slave, grew to prominence as a
premiere expert in horticultural science in the United States, and became
infatuated with peanuts when he noticed that the farmers of the south planted
cotton fields year after year without rotating the crops with peanuts, potatoes
and other specimens of plants that would rejuvenate the nitrogen in the soil.
While educating the black farmers of the need for crop rotation, the erudite
scientist learned there was hardly a market for peanuts and sweet potatoes,
which discouraged the farmers from wasting the acreage on them. Carver resolved
the lack of market value by developing more than three-hundred new uses for
peanuts and over a hundred for the sweet potato. The innovations served to
create a market for these crops, and to further the prosperity of the farmers of
the south.
“I’ve made enough for Genrraal Shawman’s awmy so eat up!” The
pot hit the picnic table with a thud that made the fat-flaps on her upper arms
quiver. All the guests took their place in line to get our share of the bounty
which included potato salad, green bean casserole, bacon-wrapped beef bits
impaled on toothpicks, and - of course - the boiled peanuts. Being very curious
about the contents in the pot, I looked into the cauldron at the dark hickory
colored shells and smelled the earthy aroma coming from it. I intriguingly took
some from the pot and placed it on my plate. The peanuts looked out of place on
my plate as the rest of the food was bright and colorful – bright yellows and
greens from the vegan dishes – deep reds and browns of the meats. The old
southern delicacies were often pleasant to the taste as well as the eyes, and dinner
tables at social events were often elaborate, rich, and full of garden produce. Mr. Brooks’ birthday dinner was no exclusion; yet, the peanuts seemed to hold a hallowed right to a standard part of the fare provided.
It’s believed
that boiled peanuts originated from the Civil War, when General Sherman was
making his march with Union troops through the South. The mission of the Union
General was to consume every food store they could lay their hands on, while
destroying anything that could contribute to the efforts of the Confederacy. The
tactic did devastate the resolve of the Confederate Army through creating lack
of food for both soldier and family. Prior to their surrender, there was an effort by
The Confederacy to create other sources of nourishment that would be both
substantive and last for days without worry of rot. One solution was to boil
ripe, raw peanuts in saltwater so that the shelf life would increase, allowing
soldiers to eat them over a period of a few days. The South’s dependency,
specifically Georgians, on the legume during the Civil War became so strong that
Confederate soldiers were nicknamed “Goober Grabbers.”
I picked the first
peanut from my plate and inspected it. The shell was warm, wet, and yielded to
the slightest pressure. I allowed myself to smell its aroma again before
noticing that Mr. Brooks was watching me with amusement. “Go ahead son ‘n’ try
it. You like chicken don’t you?” I nodded. “Then I think you’ll enjoy em. Go
on.” I pinched the shell and it burst, allowing the salty water to run down my
fingers. Then with a quick motion, I dumped the contents of the shell into my
mouth as if I were taking an awful medicine. The peanuts were warm and fleshy –
almost melting in my mouth like a well cooked piece of poultry. Unaccustomed to
the consistency and taste, I had almost spat them out. Mr. Brooks chuckled,
“They don’t taste like the peanuts yo used to? Ya’ll don’t have bald peanuts up
nowth?” He took a long drink of his beer, which Mrs. Brooks vehemently argued
was for his poor kidney function. It is true that Mr. Brooks was treated several
times for kidney stones and urinary tract infections; however, he seemed to
enjoy the beverage for more than its medicinal benefits. I continued to pick at
the pile of peanuts while I ate heartily of the other food on the plate – all
the while, developing a taste for the boiled legumes. I eventually went back for
seconds, thirds, and – yes – fourths. I was a Yankee at risk of becoming a
ravenous General Sherman incarnate.
Non-processed peanuts (roasting and
boiling is not considered “processing,” I guess) have several health benefits
which include inhibiting cancer and aiding the body to burn calories and build
muscle. They are also naturally cholesterol free, thus, they aid in the
reduction of LDL (evil) cholesterol. The peanut helps to control blood sugar and
is packed full of energy with seven grams of protein per ounce. These legumes
brag thirteen essential vitamins, thirty-five percent of vital minerals. These
facts establish the goober pea as one of the most complete foods found in
nature.
Mr. and Mrs. Brooks were still in love and seemed well aware of
one another’s presence, even as they were in the midst of entertaining their
guests. They would laugh and embracing one another and on more than one
occasion, Mrs. Brooks would lay her fair brow against her husband’s cheek, in an
ultimate show of love and affection that southern graces would allow in public.
Such love is thought impossible in modern times where fidelity to self seems to
reign over responsibility to a spouse. Many would ask them what their secret was
- the recipe for a long-lasting and loving marriage. Their response was “You get
what you put into it.”
On the What’s Cooking in America website, they
post the following recipe for preparing boiled peanuts:
Ingredients:
4 to
5 lbs. of green (raw) peanuts still in their shells
4 to 6 quarts of
water
1 cup of plain salt
Directions:Wash
unshelled peanuts thoroughly in cold water until water runs clear; then soak in
cool, clean water for approximately thirty minutes before cooking.
In a large
pot, place soaked peanuts and cover completely with water. Add one cup of salt
per gallon of water. Cook, covered, on high heat for four to seven hours –
tasting and adding salt until the peanuts have reached your desired taste and
texture (when fully cooked, the texture of the peanut should be similar to that
of a cooked dry bean or pea).
