ARACHIS HYPOGAEA

PEANUTS have conquered the world since they were brought back from their native Andean lowlands, where the Incas ate them and fashioned gold necklaces and ornaments in their shape.

Peanuts are an unusual kind of little bean. The peanut plant is a little herbaceous bush that produces bright yellow flowers. As the flowers fade, a shoot called a “peg” develops at each flower’s base, elongates, and reaches down toward the soil. When it touches the ground, it burrows under the surface, where it grows its seeds—the peanuts. As far as I know, the peanut is the only plant that has this aerial and subterranean reproductive phase. It’s certainly the only one I’ve ever grown that does this.

THE ORGANIC FACTOR

Unlike the commercial brands, organic purveyors don’t mix their peanut butter with hydrogenated vegetable oils, which include potentially damaging trans-fatty acids. They also don’t put in the kinds of additives and chemicals that make most commercial peanut butters taste like peanut-flavored vegetable shortening. Make sure your peanut butter is from 100 percent organic peanuts and your whole peanuts are certified organic.

Like all legumes, peanuts grow colonies of nitrogen-fixing bacteria on their roots, thus enriching the soil they grow in, and so make excellent additions to any garden.

NUTRITION

About half the oil in peanuts is monounsaturated, the bulk of the rest is polyunsaturated, and there is about 14 percent saturated fat.

TYPES

Red Spanish and Virginia peanuts are the two most common types grown in the United States.

SEASONALITY  

Peanuts are harvested in late summer or early fall.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

The best way to ensure that you get high quality peanuts that haven’t sat around in poor conditions (see A Word on Peanut Safety) is to order fresh raw organic peanuts when the new crop comes in—August and September—from a reputable mail-order retailer such as Diamond Organics (http://www.diamond-organics.com ), and freeze them as soon as you get them.

STORAGE AND PREPARATION

Peanuts have reddish-brown skins, which I personally like to leave on—even when making peanut butter. If you prefer to remove them, freeze the peanuts overnight: The skins will slip off easily. Peanuts can be eaten raw, but are delicious roasted and lightly salted or made into peanut butter.

TO ROAST AND SALT PEANUTS

Place two cups of shelled raw peanuts on a baking sheet and roast in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Use as much salt as you like, realizing that the more salt you use, the more likely you are to raise your blood pressure.

TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER

Place 2 cups roasted peanuts in a blender with 11⁄2 teaspoons of peanut oil, salt to taste, and blend them into a smooth paste. This makes about 1 cup of peanut butter, which you should store in the fridge and use within two or three weeks.

Peanuts store indefinitely when frozen in a tightly closed container. Thaw and use them raw or roasted in a wide variety of dishes or to make peanut butter as you need it.

USES

Peanuts have a strong affinity for chocolate. Mix 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of peanut butter into 5 ounces of sweet dark chocolate melted in a double boiler, then use this warm over a hot fudge sundae. If too thick, thin with a little milk.

Peanuts are a staple ingredient in many cuisines, including West African, Indian, Southeast Asian, and Chinese.  ....read more