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Barefoot In The Sand: Remembering the Waning Days of the Hopewell Community (1998) Bruce C. Gragg 28/123

After all the hard work of making a crop, harvesting what was to be
canned, the one last pleasure was the peanuts to be ready to dig.
This too had the trips to the field and just do a trial dig to see
how they were doing. We grew peanut primarily as feed for the hogs,
and the vines were cut to make hay for the horse or mule and cows as
a winter feed. At that particular time we were not too interested in
hay for the animals, we were only looking for peanuts to BOIL. Those
gathered early were usually the whites, the way to eat them was to
pick a hand full roll them on your blue jeans or overalls to get most
of the dirt off, then just eat them there without taking time to wash
them. You don't notice a little sand or grit when enjoying fresh from
the ground peanut whites. Eventually the season was far enough along
they would be ready for the harvest. They had to be stomped just
right to loosen the dirt for them to be properly removed, if too much
the nuts were broken off and left in the ground and if too little
they would not pull out and the stems would break. You locate the
vine to be harvested and stomp you feet on each branch of the vine,
they gently remove vine and peanuts, pick them and put them in a big
bucket. After a sufficient quantity had been picked they were
thoroughly washed and place in salted to taste water in the wash pot,
with a fire going they began to boil. After they boiled for a while
then it was time to begin the testing to see if they were cooked.
Then it is everyone's duty to try to put on a pound or two finishing
off that pot of peanuts, without a refrigerator they would not keep
long. Now, we did use the dried peanuts to make peanut brittle. But,
the most favorite was fresh "Boiled Peanuts." I always liked the
"whites" the ones not yet mature, and they were sweet and tender and
the hull and all could be eaten.

Regardless what anyone calls them, goobers, sand peas, pinders or a
legume nut that does not change the great taste of FRESH BOILED
PEANUTS. They along with many other foods are not the most healthy
food item to eat, but sometimes we do have to get a little reckless
in our eating. Then again, in the forties and fifties not a lot was
know about what foods should be avoided or at least consumed in
moderation. After all if it tasted good or filled you when hungry it
couldn't be that bad for you. You could always tell if a boy was
wearing a pair of blue jeans or overalls and he had been digging
something to eat, there would always be a dirty place on the legs
where things had been rubbed to remove the dirt before eating. That's
when they were at their absolute best. People now days would be
absolutely horrified just to think someone would eat produce fresh
from the ground without taking time to thoroughly washing it first.
We were all COUNTRY and there was nothing better to us than the plain
ole ground, it was our source of survival. It was Mother Earth, and
we were extremely close to it for all its

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