The
peanut plant probably originated in Brazil or Peru,
although no fossil records exist to prove this. But
for as long as people have been making pottery in South
America (3,500 years or so) they have been making jars
shaped like peanuts and decorated with peanuts. Graves
of ancient Incas found along the dry western coast of
South America often contain jars filled with peanuts
and left with the dead to provide food in the afterlife.
Peanuts were grown as far north as Mexico by the time
the Spanish began their exploration of the New World.
The explorers took peanuts back to Spain, where they
are still grown. From Spain, traders and explorers took
peanuts to Africa and Asia. In Africa the plant became
common in the western tropical region. The peanut was
regarded by many Africans as one of several plants possessing
a soul.
When Africans were brought to North America as slaves,
peanuts came with them. Slaves planted peanuts throughout
the southern United States (the word goober comes from
the Congo name for peanuts - nguba). In the 1700's,
peanuts, then called groundnuts or ground peas, were
studied by botanists and regarded as an excellent food
for pigs. Records show that peanuts were grown commercially
in South Carolina around 1800 and used for oil, food
and a substitute for cocoa. However, until 1900 peanuts
were not extensively grown, partially because they were
regarded as food for the poor, and because growing and
harvesting were slow and difficult until labor-saving
equipment was invented around the turn of the century.
The first notable increase in U.S. peanut consumption
came in 1860 with the outbreak of the Civil War. Northern
soldiers, as well as Southern, used the peanut as a
food. During the last half of the 19th century, peanuts
were eaten as a snack, sold freshly roasted by street
vendors and at baseball games and circuses. While peanut
production rose during this time, peanuts were harvested
by hand which left stems and trash in the peanuts. Thus,
poor quality and lack of uniformity kept down the demand
for peanuts.
Around 1900, equipment was invented for planting, cultivating,
harvesting and picking peanuts from the plants, and
for shelling and cleaning the kernels. With these mechanical
aids, peanuts rapidly came into demand for oil, roasted
and salted nuts, peanut butter and candy. George Washington
Carver began his research into peanuts in 1903 at Tuskeegee
Institute. Research that would lead him to discover
improvements in horticulture and the development of
more than 300 uses for peanuts (including shoe polish
and shaving cream).
The talented botanist recognized the value of the peanut
as a cash crop and proposed that peanuts be planted
as a rotation crop in the Southeast cotton-growing areas
where the boll weevil insect threatened the regions'
agricultural base. Farmers listened and the face of
southern farming was changed forever. For his work in
promoting its cultivation and consumption, Carver is
considered the father of the peanut industry.
Peanut production rose rapidly during and after World
Wars I and II as a result of the peanut's popularity
with Allied forces, and as a result of the post-war
baby boom.
Today, peanuts contribute over four billion dollars
to the U.S. economy each year.
 The peanut is unusual because it flowers above the ground,
but fruits below the ground. Typical misconceptions of
how peanuts grow place them on trees (like walnuts or
pecans) or growing as a part of a root, like potatoes.
Peanut seeds (kernels) grow into a green oval-leafed
plant about 18 inches tall which develop delicate flowers
around the lower portion of the plant. The flowers pollinate
themselves and then lose their petals as the fertilized
ovary begins to enlarge. The budding ovary or "peg"
grows down away from the plant, forming a small stem,
which extends to the soil. The Peanut embryo is in the
tip of the peg, which penetrates the soil. The embryo
turns horizontal to the soil surface and begins to mature
taking the form of peanut. The plant continues to grow
and flower, eventually producing some 40 or more mature
pods. From planting to harvesting, the growing cycle
takes about four to five months, depending on the type
or variety. The peanut is a nitrogen-fixing plant; its
roots form modules which absorb nitrogen from the air
and provides enrichment and nutrition to the plant and
soils.
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Types
of Peanuts
Although
peanuts come in many varieties, there are four basic
market types: Runner, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia.
Each of the peanut types is distinctive in size, flavor,
and nutritional composition. Within each four basic
types of peanuts, there are several "varieties"
for seed and production purposes. Each variety contains
distinct characteristics which allows a producer to
select the peanut that is best suited for its region
and market.
Runner
Runners have become the dominant type due to the introduction
in the early 1970's of a new runner variety, the Florunner,
which was responsible for a spectacular increase in
peanut yields. Runners have rapidly gained wide acceptance
because of the attractive, uniform kernel size. Fifty-four
percent of the runners grown are used for peanut butter.
Runners are grown mainly in Georgia, Alabama, Florida,
Texas and Oklahoma.
Virginia
 Virginias have the largest kernels and account
for most of the peanuts roasted and processed in-the-shell.
When shelled, the larger kernels are sold as snack peanuts.
Virginias are grown mainly in southeastern Virginia
and northeastern North Carolina.
Spanish
Spanish-type peanuts have smaller kernels covered with
a reddish-brown skin. They are used predominantly in
peanut candies, with significant quantities used for
snack nuts and peanut butter. They have a higher oil
content than the other types of peanuts which is advantageous
when crushing for oil. They are primarily grown in Oklahoma
and Texas.
Valencia
Valencias usually have three or more small kernels to
a pod and are covered in a bright-red skin. They are
very sweet peanuts and are usually roasted and sold
in-the-shell. They are also excellent for fresh use
as boiled peanuts. New Mexico is the primary producer
of Valencia peanuts.
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Where
Peanuts Grow
Peanuts
are grown in the warm climates of Asia, Africa, Australia,
and North and South America. India and China together
account for more than half of the world's production.
The United States has about 3% of the world acreage of
peanuts, but grows nearly 10% of the world's crop because
of higher yields per acre. Other major peanut growing
countries include Senegal, Sudan, Brazil, Argentina, South
Africa, Malawi, and Nigeria.
In
the U.S. these are the major peanut producing states:
VIRGINIA, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA
FLORIDA, ALABAMA, TEXAS, OKLAHOMA, NEW MEXICO
In
the United States, nine states grow 99% of the U. S.
peanut crop: Georgia (which grows about 39% of all U.
S. peanuts), followed by Texas, Alabama, North Carolina,
Florida, Oklahoma, Virginia, South Carolina and New
Mexico. These states are grouped into three regions.
The Georgia-Florida-Alabama region (Southeast) grows
mostly the medium-kernel Runner peanuts. The Southwest
region (Texas-Oklahoma-New Mexico) grows Spanish and
Runner. The Virginia-Carolinas area grows mostly the
large-kernel Virginia type peanut. About 55% of all
U. S. peanuts are grown in the Southeast, with the Virginia/Carolina
area accounting for 14% and the Southwest, about 30%.
|
Peanuts:
Area Harvested, Yield,
and Production by State
and United States, 2001
|
|
State
|
Area
Harvested
|
Yield |
Production
|
|
2001
|
2001
|
2001
|
| 1,000
Acres |
Pounds |
1,000
Pounds
|
|
Alabama |
199.0 |
2,670 |
532,326 |
| Florida |
82.0 |
3,050 |
250,100 |
| Georgia |
514.0 |
3,330 |
1,711,620 |
| New
Mexico |
22.0 |
3,020 |
67,044 |
| North
Carolina |
122.5 |
2,910 |
356,476 |
| Oklahoma |
77.0 |
2,570 |
197,890 |
| South
Carolina |
10.2 |
3,000 |
30,600 |
| Texas |
310.0 |
2,890 |
895,900 |
| Virginia |
75.0 |
3,130 |
234,750 |
| |
|
|
|
| United
States |
1,411.9 |
3,029 |
4,276,704 |
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|
Peanuts:
Area Harvested, Yield, and Production by State
and United States, 1999 and 2000
|
|
State
|
Area
Harvested
|
Yield
|
Production
|
|
1999
|
2000
|
1999
|
2000
|
1999
|
2000
|
| 1,000
Acres |
1,000
Acres |
Pounds
|
Pounds |
1,000
Pounds
|
1,000
Pounds
|
|
Alabama |
206.0 |
182.0 |
2,175 |
1,490 |
448,050 |
271,180 |
| Florida |
94.0 |
86.0 |
2,770 |
2,485 |
260,380 |
213,710 |
| Georgia |
544.0 |
492.0 |
2,575 |
2,700 |
1,400,800 |
1,328,400 |
| New
Mexico |
22.0 |
26.0 |
2,800 |
2,115 |
61,600 |
54,990 |
| North
Carolina |
124.0 |
123.0 |
2,410 |
2,750 |
298,840 |
338,250 |
| Oklahoma |
79.0 |
67.0 |
2,400 |
1,800 |
189,600 |
120,600 |
| South
Carolina |
11.0 |
10.0 |
2,300 |
2,950 |
25,300 |
29,500 |
| Texas |
280.0 |
275.0 |
3,310 |
2,540 |
926,800 |
698,500 |
| Virginia |
76.0 |
75.0 |
2,870 |
2,805 |
218,120 |
210,376 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| United
States |
1,436.0 |
1,336.0 |
2,667 |
2,444 |
3,829,490 |
3,265,506 |
Peanut Crop Summary: Area Planted and Harvested, Yield, and Production,
United States, 1990-2000
Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA
| Year
|
Area
Planted |
Area
Harvested |
Approximate
Yield Per Acre |
Production |
| |
1,000
acres |
1,000
acres |
Pounds |
1,000
pounds |
| 1990 |
1,846.0 |
1,815.5 |
1,985 |
3,603,650 |
| 1991 |
2,039.2 |
2,015.7 |
2,444 |
4,926,570 |
| 1992 |
1,686.6 |
1,669.1 |
2,567 |
4,284,416 |
| 1993 |
1,733.5 |
1,689.8 |
2,008 |
3,392,415 |
| 1994 |
1,641.0 |
1,618.5 |
2,624 |
4,247,455 |
| 1995 |
1,537.5 |
1,517.0 |
2,282 |
3,461,475 |
| 1996 |
1,401.5 |
1,380.0 |
2,653 |
3,661,205 |
| 1997 |
1,434.0 |
1,413.8 |
2,503 |
3,539,380 |
| 1998 |
1,521.0 |
1,467.0 |
2,702 |
3,963,440 |
| 1999 |
1,534.5 |
1,436.0 |
2,667 |
3,829,490 |
| 2000 |
1,536.8 |
1,336.0 |
2,444 |
3,265,506 |
| 2001 |
1,541.2 |
1,411.9 |
3,029 |
4,276,704 |
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How
Peanuts Are Planted And Harvested
 Peanuts are planted and harvested with specialized machinery.
Peanut seeds are planted about two inches deep, one every
three or four inches, in rows about three feet apart.
The seeds do best in sandy soil, especially soil rich
in calcium. When the soil temperature is warm (65-70 F.)
given enough water the seeds will sprout. In about two
weeks, the first "square" of four leaflets will
unfold above the peanut field. Thirty to forty days after
emergence the plants bloom, "pegs" form and
enter the soil. The peanut shells and kernels develop
and mature during the next 60 to 70 day period. Depending
on the variety, 120 to 160 frost free days are required
for a good crop.
When the plant has matured and the peanuts are ready
to be harvested, the farmer waits until the soil is
neither too wet or too dry before digging.
When conditions are right, the farmer drives his digger
up and down the green rows of peanuts plants. The digger
has long blades that run four to six inches under the
ground. It loosens the plant and cuts the tap root.
Just behind the blade, a shaker lifts the plant from
the soil, gently shakes the dirt from the peanuts, rotates
the plant, and lays the plant back down in a "windrow,"
peanuts up and leaves down. When dug, peanuts contain
25 to50% moisture, which must be dried to 10% or less
for storage. Peanuts are generally left in the windrows
to dry for 2 or more days in the field, then threshed
or combined.
The farmer drives his combine over the windrows. The
combine lifts the plants, separates the peanuts from
the vine, blows them into a hopper on the top of the
machine, and lays the vine back down in the field. The
peanuts are then dumped into wagons and cured to 10%
moisture with warm air forced up through the floors
of the wagons. The peanuts are then taken to be sold
at nearby peanut buying stations.
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At
the shelling company buying station, peanuts are sampled
and graded by the Federal-State Inspection Service to
determine their value. The inspectors establish the meat
content, size of pods, kernel size, moisture content,
damaged kernels and foreign material. The results of the
inspection determine the overall quality and value of
each load.
After the peanuts are purchased by the sheller, they
are placed in dry storage for eventual sale to processors
and manufacturers. At the shelling plant, peanuts are
taken from storage and cleaned; dirt, rocks, bits of
vines and other debris are removed. If they are to be
sold in their shells, the peanuts may also pass through
a machine that cuts off any remaining stems on the shells.
(About 10% of the peanut crop is sold as in-shell peanuts
- usually the Virginia and Valencia types.) To sort
for size, the peanuts travel over sizing screens that
permit the smaller pods to fall through.
Peanuts to be shelled are placed in slotted drums containing
screens of different sizes. Rotating peanuts rub against
each other until the shells are opened and the kernels
fall out. The kernels are sized on screens that permit
the smaller kernels to fall through. The shelled peanuts
are cleaned again to remove foreign materials. This
is done with density separators, electronic color sorters
and by visual inspection to ensure that only the best
peanuts reach the market. The peanut kernels are then
sized, graded and bagged for market.
From the sheller, peanuts are cleaned again and "blanched"
before they are used in most peanut foods. Blanching
is simply the removal of the reddish skin covering the
kernels. In whole-nut or split-nut dry blanching, the
kernels travel through warm air for a period of time
to loosen the skins. Then the kernels go through a blanching
machine where large rollers rub the surfaces of the
kernels until the skins fall off. These kernels are
checked with electronic color sorters to ensure that
blanching is complete.
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How
Peanuts are Marketed
Peanuts
are sold in various ways. A peanut broker or a sheller
may sell the peanuts to the end user - or, a peanut dealer
or commission merchant in a large market may buy the peanuts.
Peanuts are usually sold to a manufacturer or "end
user," who then converts the peanuts to consumer
products and markets the peanuts to the public.
Roughly three-quarters of the peanuts grown in the U.
S. are used domestically, predominantly as edible products.
About one-forth of all U.S. grown peanuts are exported
to other countries. Exported peanuts are usually shipped
raw, both shelled and in the shell. The major buyers
of U. S. peanuts are found in Western Europe, Canada
and Japan.
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Peanut
Butter/Peanut Spread
About
one-half of all edible peanuts produced in the United
States are used to make peanut butter and peanut spreads.
By law and industry standard, any product labeled "peanut
butter" in the U. S. must be at least 90% peanuts.
The remaining 10% may be salt, sweetener and an emulsifier
(hardened vegetable oil which prevents the peanut oil
from separating and rising to the top).
Other similar products which don't subscribe to the
90%/10% rule are labeled peanut spread. Many are reduced
fat products with added vitamins and minerals. These
standards are subscribed to by the industry to assure
consumers of uniformly nutritious products.
The ancient South American Indians were the first to
make and eat peanut butter, and one of the peanut foods
invented by Dr. George Washington Carver was similar
to peanut butter. Historical reference has it, however,
that peanut butter was invented by a physician in St.
Louis about 1890 as a health food for the elderly. No
one remembers the physician's name, although records
show that in 1903 Ambrose W. Straub of St. Louis patented
a machine to make peanut butter. Also during that period
(1895), Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (of breakfast cereal
fame) patented the process of making peanut butter for
the patients at his Battle Creek Sanitarium, a health
food retreat in Michigan.
Basically, all peanut butter is made by a similar process.
First the raw, shelled peanuts are roasted and cooled,
then the skins are removed (blanched.) Some manufacturers
split the kernels and remove the heart of the peanut
as well. The hearts can be saved to make peanut oil
and the skins left over from blanching can be sold for
animal feed. The blanched peanut kernels are electronically
sorted or hand picked one last time to be sure only
good, wholesome kernels are used in peanut butter.
The peanuts are ground, usually through two grinding
stages, to produce a smooth, even-textured butter. The
peanuts are heated during the grinding to about 170
degrees F . Once the emulsifiers are added and mixed,
the butter is cooled rapidly to 120 degrees F or below.
This crystallizes the emulsifiers, thus trapping the
peanut oil that was released by the grinding. To make
chunky peanut butter, peanut granules are added to the
creamy peanut butter. The peanut butter is then packed
into containers for sale at stores.
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Roasted
Peanuts/Snack Peanuts
To
be roasted in the shell, peanuts are cooked at medium
heat for about 15 minutes. They may be plain roasted or
seasoned. The most popular are salted in-the-shell, however
the new cajun flavor is getting accolades from consumers
as well. To season peanuts in the shell - prior to roasting,-
the peanuts are washed and then the seasonings, which
are dissolved in water, are forced through the shells
by a pressure process. When dried during the roasting
process, the seasonings remain inside the shells.
Most often, snack peanuts are shelled, blanched, roasted
and salted, (although Spanish peanuts are usually roasted
with their skins on.) Peanuts may be roasted in oil
or by a dry-roasting process. Peanuts are oil-roasted
in continuous cookers that take a steady stream of peanuts
through hot oil for about five minutes. After draining,
the kernels may be salted.
Dry-roasted peanuts are cooked in a large oven by dry,
hot forced air after which spicy seasonings are applied.
The roasted peanuts are then packed in containers ranging
in size from bags holding a handful, to large cans and
jars. Frequently, peanuts are mixed with other nuts
and dried fruits for "health-food" snacks.
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Peanut
Confections
Peanuts
are used in candy-making in a seemingly infinite number
of ways. A large variety of candy bars combine peanuts
(whole, chopped or as butter) with such treats as chocolate,
nougat, marshmallow, caramel, other nuts and dried fruits.
Peanut brittle and chocolate-covered peanuts are always
popular. The high protein content of peanuts make them
ideal for high energy snacks. Six of the top ten candy
bars sold in the U.S. contain peanuts and/or peanut butter.
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Oil
and Other Peanut Products
Applying
pressure to peanuts squeezes out their oil. This oil is
excellent for cooking because it is tasteless and can
be heated to very high temperatures before it smokes.
(450 degrees F, which is hotter than most other cooking
oils). With hotter cooking temperatures, food will cook
faster and absorb less oil. Peanut oil does not absorb
or transfer flavors, so the same oil may be used repeatedly
to cook different foods.
Specially processed, defatted peanuts are available
as roasted snack peanuts; they may be ground into a
flour, which can be used to make such foods as high
protein drinks and snacks. Or, the defatted nuts may
be granulated and added to breakfast or diet bars to
raise their protein level.
Partially defatted peanuts can also be flavored to taste
and to look (when chopped) like other nuts, such as
pecans, almonds and walnuts for use in cooking.
Peanuts can be made into imitation milk, cheese and
ice cream. In fact, "cheese" made from peanut
milk is nutritionally superior to dairy products in
everything except calcium.
Peanut meal (made from the by-product of peanuts pressed
for oil) is an important high protein animal feed.
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Non-Food
Uses for Peanuts
The
shells, skins and kernels of peanuts may be used to make
a vast variety of non-food products. For example, the
shells may be used in wallboard, fireplace logs, fiber
roughage for livestock feed and kitty litter; and, the
skins may be used for paper making. Peanuts are often
used as an ingredient in other products such as detergent,
salves, metal polish, bleach, ink, axle grease, shaving
cream, face creams, soap, linoleum, rubber, cosmetics,
paint, explosives, shampoo, and medicine.
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 Materials:
- Raw
peanuts (may be purchased in the produce section of
most grocery stores, at health food stores OR by mail
order - see Peanut
Marketplace for more information)
- Flower
pot or container with drainage hole (6-8 inches in
diameter)
- Sandy
or sandy loamy soil
Method:
- Soak
peanuts in water overnight
- Fill
pot with soil to one inch below rim
- Plant
three peanuts 1 to 1.5 inches deep and cover firmly
with soil but do not pack
- Keep
soil moist (not wet). Maintain a temperature of 65
degrees F or above
(80 degrees F is ideal)
Peanuts
should sprout within five to eight days. Continue to keep
plant in a warm location exposed to direct sunlight as
much as possible. Blooms will likely appear approximately
45 days after the peanut plant has emerged. (Production
of peanuts on potted plant is unlikely, but may occur
if kept growing for a minimum of three months)
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Growing
Peanuts In the Garden
CLIMATE
FOR PEANUTS
For high yields and superior quality, peanuts require
a moderate growing period (110 to 120 days) with a steady,
rather high temperature and a moderate, uniformly distributed
supply of moisture. The growing season should be long,
warm and moist, and the harvest season should be dry.
SOIL
FOR PEANUTS
Light colored, well drained, sandy loam soils are ideal
for growing peanuts. Since the tap root of the peanut
plant frequently penetrates to a depth of 18 inches,
it is important that the subsoil be deep and well drained
and without tendencies to become excessively dry.
Peanuts
should not be grown on the same land for successive
years (alternate with corn, potatoes, etc.).
SEEDS
Raw peanuts with redskins, intact and unbroken, should
be used. Seeds may be left in the outer shell, however,
germination will be faster if shelled peanuts are planted.
(Raw peanuts may be purchased in produce sections of
most grocery stores and from health food stores.) Commercial
peanut farmers use seeds treated for disease, but this
is not necessary for the home garden.
SOIL
PREPARATION AND FERTILIZATION
Soil should be worked until loose and prepared into
rows spaced 24 to 36 inches apart.
Peanuts
respond best to residual fertilization that has been
applied to the crop preceding peanuts; however, if the
area to be planted has not been fertilized during the
prior 12 months, then ahead of planting, apply 10 pounds
0-10-20 fertilizer per 1,000 square feet.
PLANTING
Plant as early as possible in spring after there is
no danger of frost. Plant only when the soil is moist
and at least 65 E F. at seed depth (2 to 4 inches).
Space
seeds 4 to 6 inches apart at a depth of about 2 inches.
Cover furrow with soil and lightly pack. Plants emerge
in 10 to 15 days depending on soil and weather conditions.
When plants are about one inch high, thin stand to about
8 inches apart.
Control
grass and weeds. In cultivating, never throw dirt on
the peanut plant.
FURTHER
FERTILIZATION
When blossoms appear on the peanut plants, apply Gypsum
[calcium (CaSO4) sulphate] in a 14-inch band over the
plants (does not burn) at the rate of 15 lbs. per 1,000
square feet. This is essential to the formation of the
peanut kernels.
GROWTH
AND DEVELOPMENT
As the peanut plant grows and develops, small yellow
blossoms appear (are capable of self-pollination). With
maturity, these blooms wilt and a stem or peg forms.
Gravity pulls the peg downward into the soil where the
peanut pod forms.
The
outer shell reaches full size well before the individual
peanuts mature. Each plant produces between 25 and 50
peanuts. Mature plants may be as large as 36 inches
in diameter and about 18 inches tall.
The
peanut plant has a fruiting period of about two months.
All pods do not "set" or ripen evenly. The
object is to harvest when the greatest number of pods
are matured.
HARVEST
DIGGING
When a peanut is ripe, the veins of the hull are prominent
and the inside of the hull has turned dark. If the inside
of hull is white, the pod is immature. Pull a plant
to examine pods for readiness. Dig when about 2/3's
of pods on a plant are mature.
If
the soil is packed down around the plant, loosen it
gently. Shake off as much of the soil as possible (if
the earth is damp and sticks to the peanuts, shake again
later when it has had time to dry.)
DRYING
(OR CURING)
Allow plants, with peanuts still attached, to "cure"
in full hot sun for 4 to 7 days (may be left, turned
peanuts side up on the garden row) or inside a dry,
well ventilated area (may be hung or spread in garage
basement or storage building). Ventilation is important
to the curing process of reducing the initial moisture
level of about 50% to a safe storage level of about
10%. Inside curing may take from 2 to 4 weeks.
When
the curing process is completed, peanuts may be separated
from the plant and used or stored.
STORAGE
Peanuts should be stored in a cool, dry place. They
keep fresh indefinitely when stored in a tightly closed
container in the freezer, ready for use.
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