Hello!

As mentioned before I will tell you about growing and harvesting peanuts. 

The picture below shows that peanuts grow under the ground. This makes the peanut a very special plant. People often are surprised to find out that peanuts are not nuts but instead are actually seeds from a leguminous plant related to peas and beans. Almost all peanuts have two nuts in one shell

The short film below (2 min.) will show and explain you how peanuts grow and how the peanuts are harvest. From planting to harvesting, the growing cycle takes four to five months, depending on the type or variety. (There are 4 different varieties, I talked about them in my previous blog.)

As mentioned in the movie, farmers harvest the peanuts in the fall. The peanuts are pulled from the ground by a peanutdigger which is a special machinery and turned over to dry in the fields for 2 or 3 days. The combine machines then separate the peanuts from the vines and put them in a drying trailer.  The peanuts are then taken to be sold at nearby peanut buying stations.
At the shelling company buying station, peanuts are sampled and graded 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.The peanuts are placed in dry storage for eventual sale to processors and manufacturers. Peanuts are taken from storage and cleaned; dirt, rocks, bits of vines 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.
After all these processes the decision is made what happends to the peanuts; peanut butter, sold in shell, sold without shell. What the choice will be influence the next processing steps. For butter and the peanuts that are sold without shell this means that the shell has to be removed and the nuts in the shell needs to be cleaned. 

Next time I will tell you if peanuts are good for you and add some delicious recipes!