A Southern tradition: How to boil traditional and spicy Cajun peanuts from people who know

A Southern tradition: How to boil traditional and spicy Cajun peanuts from people who know

‘People like the Cajun ones, but all we do is salted. Most of our customers prefer the salted ones. It’s just a Southern thing.’

If you live in the South and are a fan of boiled peanuts, you already know peanuts are being harvested right now.

Bins of green peanuts are showing up in grocery stores and roadside peanut stands are open for business.

According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, about 60% of the peanuts grown in the U.S. are used to make peanut butter. Even though that’s the most common use, many Southerners look forward to the peanut harvest for fresh green peanuts that can be boiled.

“Some people eat them for breakfast,” said Susan Campbell of Copiah County.

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Decades of growing medium jumbo and jumbo peanuts

Campbell knows a thing or two about peanuts. She and her husband, Monty, own C&B Farms and grow peanuts for a living. The two have been growing medium jumbo and jumbo peanuts since the mid-1980s and grow them specifically for boiling.

“We only grow Virginia whites,” Campbell said. “They are a green boiling peanut. That’s all they’re used for.”

The peanuts aren’t literally green. That’s a term used for freshly harvested, raw peanuts. C&B Farms sells both green and boiled peanuts.

Although spicy Cajun-style peanuts have become popular in recent decades, Campbell said she sticks with traditional boiled peanuts.

“People like the Cajun ones, but all we do is salted,” Campbell said. “Most of our customers prefer the salted ones. It’s just a Southern thing.”

However, if you want to boil your own, Campbell shared methods to cook traditional salted peanuts and spicy Cajun peanuts.

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What you need to boil peanuts

C&B Farms sells green peanuts in 30-pound sacks and 15-pound, ½ sacks. So, you’ll need a large pot. A 40-quart pot is the minimum size for 15 pounds and an 80-quart pot will handle a full sack.

Pots should have lids and strainer baskets make removing peanuts much easier when they’re ready. A cooking paddle is best for stirring larger batches such as half and full sac

Smaller batches can be cooked on a kitchen stove, but for 15-pound and 30-pound batches, cooking outdoors on a propane burner is the way to go.

Put the peanuts in the strainer basket and place in the pot. Fill it with enough water to float the peanuts.

How to make traditional and Cajun boiled peanuts

For traditional boiled peanuts:

Add 1 pound of salt for 30 pounds or ½ pound for 15 pounds of peanuts. For smaller batches, adjust accordingly.

For spicy Cajun peanuts, 30 pounds:

• 4 cups dry crab boil seasoning
• ½ cup liquid crab boil
• 1 pound salt
• Several sliced jalapeno peppers

For spicy Cajun peanuts, 15 pounds:

• 2 cups dry crab boil seasoning
• ¼ cup liquid crab boil
• ½ pound salt
• Several sliced jalapeno peppers

Boiling times:

Steve Blackwell, who works at C&B Farms’ Crystal Springs location, said once the water reaches a boil, boiling time for medium jumbo peanuts is generally 2½ hours to 3 hours and jumbo peanuts will take about 3 hours, but boiling times can be longer. Stir the peanuts occasionally to get those on top down into the water.

Blackwell said he adds water a couple of times while the peanuts cook to compensate for evaporation.

Soaking times:

Once you’ve sampled some of the peanuts and they’ve reached desired tenderness, it’s time for them to soak. Blackwell said he tops off the water in the pot with cold water and soaks the peanuts until they sink. Then he begins checking them for the right flavor.

Blackwell said that varies from person to person. For some that could be an hour or so while others prefer to soak them much longer.

“Some people soak them overnight,” Blackwell said. “If that’s what you want to do, that’s fine.”

Where to buy C&B Farms boiled or green peanuts:

Locations are open Monday–Saturday. Call ahead to check for availability or visit the C&B Farms Facebook page.

• Crystal Springs, 26169 MS 27, phone 601-892-3722
• Brookhaven, 1418 Union St. Ext. N.E., phone 601-748-5387
• C&B Farms, 3139 Sojourner Lane off MS 27 between Crystal Springs and Georgetown, phone 601-892-6000

Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or [email protected]. Follow Clarion Ledger Outdoors on Facebook and @BrianBroom on Twitter.