Boiled Peanuts a Southern Snack and Treat

I remember as a young girl taking day trips to the Blue Ridge mountains in Northeast Georgia. We usually went in the fall so that my parents could admire the fall foliage. (I was a pre-teen and at that time thought "how stupid" haha). The BEST part of that trip were the boiled peanuts we would always stop to buy and snack on. Along the mountain roads there were roadside stands with the words sometimes painted and stamped on pieces of wood or scrawled out on cardboard signs that stated:

BOILED PEANUTS!

How great they were. Soft, salty, and juicy. You had to be careful if you liked to "suck" on your peanut before cracking it open. A girl could accidentally squirt her little brother in the eye with peanut juice!

Trips to the local trade day here in my little town offer a chance to relive a taste I enjoyed as a child and sometimes crave as an adult. Boiled peanuts are a southern treat. You can read more about this southern delicacy here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiled_peanuts

This weekend I am returning back to the mountains in Northeast Georgia and I wanted to make my own recipe. This recipe is my father's and I have "tweaked" it a bit.


Boiled Peanuts:

3 pounds fresh green peanuts
2 cups salt
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons onion powder
3 tablespoons red pepper flakes
Water: enough to cover peanuts

I use a slow cooker so that I may prepare and just let them cook for hours on end. Cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 6. The length of time is more of a personal taste: less time for a crunchier peanut or longer for a softer, juicer one. Of course the salt content may be adjusted as well. I prefer my boiled peanuts salty and soft.

*Spices added to peanuts*

Wash and sort peanuts. I place mine in a colander to rinse and drain after "picking" through them. Place peanuts in slow cooker, add all spices and cover peanuts with water. The peanuts may appear to be floaters. They will settle down as the water begins to heat.

*Boiling Peanuts*

There is not really a right or wrong amount of time to boil the peanuts. The longer the better for me personally. When cooked to preference turn off and drain excess water. EAT and ENJOY!
Boiled peanuts may also be cooled and put in the freezer for future snacking! Just reheat in the microwave.

*Boiled Peanuts Ready To Eat YUM*

Peanuts