Boiler brawl

Insults and cans flew in 7 Eleven fracas, police say, from the St. Petersburg Times, speaks for itself:

SPRING HILL — Words were exchanged, a pocketbook was thrown at a pickup, and a man and several women went at each other outside a 7-Eleven store with Mace and a can of boiled peanuts, deputies say.
When it was all settled, the Tuesday morning brawl left several people with minor injuries and criminal citations, and nearly 25 braided hair extensions strewn across the parking lot....
During the altercation, Infante allegedly struck more than one person with a can of boiled peanuts, but she wasn't exactly sure whom she hit. Hoskin had about 25 braided hair extensions ripped from her head during the scuffle.

Boilers and confirmation hearings

Not everyone can pass judicial scrutiny. At least Sue Popper couldn't, as she writes in The Clinton News.

I think I flubbed any chance I had of becoming a chief justice of anything at the ripe old age of 2 when I had the audacity to say, "I no eat boiled peanuts," which put me in the category of a brainless nitwit according to the inhabitants of the state where I was born.

Needless to say, I have since learned to love boiled peanuts. However, the stigma has remained.

The gentleman in Villanow

[Map it on the Roadside Guide]
Rating: 4 pea on a 5-pea-pod scale
Verdict: If you’re on your way to Cloudland Canyon from points east, don’t blink or you’ll miss Villanow, Georgia. You’ll also miss the fine sir who was selling raw Valencia-type boilers. These were very well done by the time we came along, but they were a hot, delicious comfort on surprisingly chilly day.
[Map it on the Roadside Guide]

Season: n/a
Hours: n/a
Price: $3.00 we think
Serving: Big bag; at least a quart
Notes:
Proprietor: Our man in Villanow
Last taste: May 2009
Nut type: Valencias
Soak time: n/a
Boil time: n/a
Taster: Thomas

Villanow street view!

A wine pairing recommendation...

...we are crapping you negative. Actually, we were joking about this just the other day. How hilarious it would be to pair boilers and a good wine. We're glad some people take boilers more seriously than we do. And it's splendid to see boiled peanuts written about by a more northerly publication without seeing "country caviar" or "p-nuts" in the article (h/t Abel Pharmboy):

Is there a wine you would recommend having with boiled peanuts? My wife and I were recently on a vacation at Daytona Beach, Fla., having wine and boiled peanuts for a light dinner. We had a bottle of a red blend from Habersham Winery in Georgia called Scarlett. As we were enjoying the lengthening shadows and watching the activity on the beach, we wondered what you two might recommend we try next time. Because you both grew up in Florida, we thought you might be fans of the treat of boiled peanuts.
—Chuck Head, Keystone Heights, Fla.

You're right that, growing up in North Florida, both of us were quite familiar with boiled peanuts, though Dottie has always liked them far more than John. We also happen to be familiar with Habersham Winery. For years, John has worn a T-shirt featuring Habersham's wine in his runs around Central Park. We like the idea of drinking a Southern wine with a Southern delicacy, though we probably would have suggested a white. In terms of more-traditional wines, our vote would be for Cava, the sparkling wine from Spain, which has the kind of fruity, nutty tastes and bright acids that would pair well with boiled peanuts.

Get your vinegar on

A group of New Orleans chefs get together occasionally to can seasonal produce, boilers included (this wonderful article even includes a "pickling primer"):

At Dante's Kitchen, house-pickled green beans and pickled okra, which garnish Bloody Marys, decorate the shelves of the back bar, along with lots of other jars of vegetables. The restaurant has between 300 and 400 canning jars in rotation, Loubier estimates. Sous chef Mike Doyle uses his grandmother's recipe to make watermelon pickles.... Sous chef Doyle says last year the staff pickled boiled peanuts in Coca-Cola and rice vinegar."Oh, man! That was a great thing!" Loubier exclaims. "I think peanuts were my favorite last year."

Meanwhile, back in Georgia, Ashley Tusan Joyner wrote last year (in the Macon Telegraph) about the pickled boiled peanuts that were available at City Market on the Green. The market has already re-opened for 2009. It's Saturdays 9:00 to 1:00 pm, through 19 December in downtown Macon. The article link is archive-only, now, and we never got around to writing about it. But Ashley was kind enough to elaborate via email. The vendor, name of Holloway, uses "cider vinegar, kosher salt, garlic cloves and one other ingredient I can’t quite recall."

(photo nola.com)

Boiled peanuts don't kill people; improper cooling, packaging, handling and distribution practices kill people

The good folks in Blakely, Georgia, home of a Peanut Corp. of America plant, are struggling mightily to stay Peanut Proud (photo courtesy ajc.com). We've been quiet about the salmonella scare that has crippled the peanut industry. But we've secretly allowed ourselves to get a little too smug and superior about it. After all, peanuts might contain salmonella, but boiling definitely kills it. So we can snack on, right?

We weren't surprised that Peanut Corp. was victimized by this confounded rod-shaped, Gram-negative, non-spore forming, predominantly motile enterobacteria. But we were taken aback to learn about the outbreak in Pumpkintown, South Carolina. About two dozen Pumkin-Festival-goers who indulged in the official S.C. state snack food that mid-October day in 2006 fell ill. Let's turn to Craig Beatty of Carolinas CW to make this sordid affair a learning opportunity:

While the boiling process kills most forms of bacteria, including salmonella, Myrick says that prepared foods can become contaminated after the cooking process during cooling, packaging, handling and distribution. Myrick couldn't say how the contamination happened in this case.

But we can end on a positive note courtesy of the AP via the Salmonella Lawyer:

"We never heard of salmonella in boiled peanuts before. It appears to be an isolated, very unusual event," Department of Health and Environmental Control spokesman Adam Myrick said.

Actually, let's end with a call to action. Boiled peanuts are a privilege, not a right. Fight the bacteria!

Another reason to heal

We were waylaid by sprained ankles, stomach viruses, strained backs, and colds in the recent month or two, but DO NOT PANIC folks. We'll be roiling again soon. It's alright. Let's tide us over with a reminder of what Santa Claus brought over the holiday. Cherry pie + chocolate frozen yogurt + shelled organic Valencias = Glorious.

World's Largest Peanut Boil -- and how

We can't decide what's most impressive about the World's Largest Peanut Boil (which we wrote about last year): the sheer magnitude of the operation or the degree of kindness of these Shriners exhibit as they raise money for kids in need of medical care.

On that first point, consider this. The Crenshaw Country Shrine Club in Luverne, Alabama, trucked in 12.5 tons of green, jumbo "runner" type peanuts from Florida. That's a tractor-trailer full. They had 18 large pots boiling all-day every day, starting the Wednesday before Labor Day through Saturday, when we visited, and on into Sunday or Monday. They have a giant propane tank beside the pavillion that pipes gas to 18 burners. They use a fire hose to fill the pots. There's a drainage trough built into the floor.

Dr. Beall, an area dentist and Shriner, told us they have the Guiness Book of World Records designation for, you guessed it, the World's Largest Peanut Boil.

Based on some of the details we gleaned, gross proceeds probably came out in the neighborhood of $140,000. They say they'd sell a greater tonnage if they had more, younger, stronger Shriners to help keep the pots roiling from dawn to dusk for a few more days. It's hot, tiring work.

Luverne bills itself the "Friendliest City in the South." It's a designation we would be inclined to agree with were it not for the shocking, racist jokes one boisterous Shriner shared with us for no apparent reason.

Old South inclinations aside, this is simply an awesome enterprise. And the peanuts were pretty tasty, too. Not our favorite variety, but delicious nonetheless.

I'm thankful for boiled peanuts...

...among other things:

I'm thankful for boiled peanuts, vine-ripe tomatoes, fresh Georgia pecans and a turkey at Thanksgiving.

How to win friends and influence Yankees

On meeting people and the mental health benefits of peddling boilers:

Clayton said the most enjoyable aspect of her job is meeting the variety of people who come to her booth.

"If I didn't do this, I'd have to talk to the TV, and it doesn't answer me back very well," she said.

Well said Ms. Clayton.

There's two kinds of people in the world...

...those that like boiled peanuts after four tastes, and those that love them right way.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) -- It takes most people about four tastes before they really become boiled peanut converts, says Tom Lowe, aka "The Peanut Guy." Give it time, he says, they'll grow on you.

"Yeah, I can convert people," says Lowe, who sells boiled peanuts from a roadside stand and runs a shipping business as well. "There's that other group that tries them, and they like them right off the bat."

We couldn't agree more with the Peanut Guy as quoted here.

U pick' em' boiled peanuts

In the course of encouraging the invention of the boiled peanut huller, Blackshear Times columnist Jason Deal shares his recollections about the satisfaction of taking peanuts from the ground to the pot to the stomach all by oneself. We can only imagine such a joyous aesthetic. The picking-your-own, that is, not the labor-saving device!

Trailer at Exxon station

[Map it on the Roadside Guide]
Rating: 4 pea on a 5-pea-pod scale
Verdict: Bravo! We knew when we saw the yellow, vintage RV comfortably tucked away in the corner that we were in for a treat. And not just because the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway never fails to deliver. This gentleman knows the score.

He’s got everything you need: three different sizes, napkins, a bag for your shells. And of course, they’re Valencias boiled to perfection with a fresh, clean taste. A bit on the salty side, but just wonderful overall. Bravo!

[Map it on the Roadside Guide]
Season: Year round
Hours: Fridays and Saturdays
Price: $5.00
Serving: Three sizes; we opted for two of the giant, 40-something ounce styrofoams cups
Notes:
Proprietor: A friendly fellow
Last taste: September 2008
Nut type: Valencias
Soak time: n/a
Boil time: n/a
Taster: Thomas