Use

Peanuts are among the most popular salt nuts. Also distilled, in chocolate and on biscuits, they are in demand among consumers. Organic peanuts are part of the wholefood cuisine and go particularly well with Asian dishes. Peanut butter is not only a big seller in America, here in Germany, too, the versatile nutmeg is gaining more and more followers.

Production

Botanically speaking, peanuts belong to the group of legumes. It is closely related to peas and beans. This is also explained in the English name Peanut. Peanuts are annual, they must be sown again and again. The butterfly blossoms appear between May and August on the up to 80 cm long, creeping or upright stems.

Under the earth, the 2 – 6 cm long fruits form. They usually contain two, occasionally only one, but also three to four seeds. The mesocarp, the seed coat, is covered inside by a white, fibrous layer. The outer walls of the fruit have a net-like structure. The peanuts ripen from July to September. The brown seed coat of the peanuts is thin and papery. It tastes harsh and is therefore usually removed.

The peanut’s demands on the soil are not too high. Instead of monoculture, however, it is better to follow a crop rotation in order not to extract nutrients from the soil unilaterally. A permeable soil that retains moisture is ideal for legumes. In optimal growing areas, such as certain regions in Brazil, even two harvests per year are possible.

Origin

Once peanuts were found in the Andes of South America. Due to the increasing importance as food and oil fruit, the original cultivation area has expanded considerably. Now peanuts grow wherever the climatic conditions – warmth and sufficient humidity – suit them. They are therefore cultivated mainly everywhere in the tropics and subtropics. India, China and the USA are regarded as typical cultivating countries. Our organic peanuts come from sustainably managed plantations. They are fully ripened and processed gently.

Sustainability

What is not sold as an optically flawless product from the harvest is processed further. Peanut fracture is pressed into oil, which is in demand on the market as an aromatic edible oil. Peanut oil is also used in the production of margarine. The residues resulting from the oil pressing process, the press cakes, result in high-quality cattle feed. The herbaceous residues from the harvest serve as mulch for the soil or as animal feed.

Harvest

The optimum degree of ripeness of the peanuts is determined by the fact that individual excavated specimens are scraped off with a knife. The harvesters recognize the degree of ripeness by the discoloration of the scraped area. Harvesting is done mechanically, a special vehicle with a horizontal blade cuts the roots of the peanuts about 15 cm below the surface of the ground. The plants are mechanically lifted out of the ground and the soil is shaken off. They lie on the field and dry for a few days. They are then collected and threshed by machines. The peanut kernels are sorted into commercial sizes by sieving.

Flavor

Peanuts are particularly crunchy, the typical peanut taste ranges from mild to extremely aromatic, depending on the variety.

Yield

Of the 47 million tonnes produced worldwide, China accounts for the lion’s share with 17 tonnes. This position is followed by India and the United States. African countries are increasingly important producers.

Special feature

Peanuts grow as the only nut and original legume under the ground.