Growing up in Florida you where used to seeing "boiled Peanuts" signs and make shift stations all along the road. When I moved to NY in 2010 it took me forever to find raw peanuts in order to boil them and re create what I grew up loving. I finally found "green raw peanuts by the lb" in Chinatown! You could basically buy "anything" in Chinatown if you searched hard enough *wink. So I brought my 2 lbs of raw peanuts home with much excitement and went to town. I boiled those suckers for 2 days straight mixing in all the right seasons and the 2 cups of salt it called for. my final product was exactly what i had been waiting to taste since leaving Florida. When I introduced my roommates from various parts of the US to my freshly made batch, they had mixed reactions. They either love them or hated them and all of them where confused about where they came from and why they where mainly found on the side of the rd in the southern parts of the US. Anyhow, so here is some back ground on those wonderful little pods and some info I just found out for myself. I HAVE easily found raw peanuts (lots of "raw dieters" here) in Portland and have made a few experimental batches with different seasons. Michael Barker (my roommate) and I decided if all else fails in our working lives.. we will just open a boiled peanuts cart and add to the 129875039475097 other food carts floating around in Portland.
How to make boiled peanuts --->> link
History of Boiled Peanuts
Boiled peanuts are a traditional snack in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, northern Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. They are an acquired taste, but according to southerners, they are totally addictive. From May through November, all over the south, you will see roadside stands - ranging from woodsheds to shiny trailers - offering fresh boiled peanuts. Sometimes they are hard to open with your fingers, and you must resort to using your teeth, but according to most people, they are worth the trouble.
Southerners will tell you boiled peanuts should always be accompanied by a beer, sweet tea, or a soft drink. Traditionally they are eaten outside where it doesn't matter if wet shells are tossed or spit on the ground.
Boiled peanuts are green or raw nuts that are boiled in salty water for hours outdoors over a fire. The shells turn soggy, and the peanuts take on a fresh, legume flavor. A green peanut is not green in color, just freshly harvested. It takes ninety to a hundred days to grow peanuts for boiling, and they are available only during May through November throughout the southern states. One of the drawbacks of boiled peanuts is that they have a very short shelf life unless refrigerated or frozen. If you leave them out on the kitchen counter for 3 to 4 days, they become slimy and smelly!
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