It's August 1 and you know what that means here in the South. It is boiled peanuts season! I've seen these boiled peanut stands up in the North Georgia mountains numerous times, but I guess I had just never driven that stretch of Peachtree Street in Buckhead where this south Georgia woman named Jean has worked at a simple roadside stand filled with seasonal, local produce for more than ten years, moving up and down the road as construction and land ownership dictated, most recently being displaced by a new Walgreen's.
Boiled peanuts were apparently a source of protein for soldiers during the Civil War when supplies were scarce. Boiling young, green peanuts in salt was easy to do over a campfire and it preserved them for days. I have to admit, if you are used to hard, crunchy peanuts at ball games, the soft, wet, young peanuts are a definite acquired taste, and frankly, I'm not there yet. But when this lady asked me if I wanted the warm sack of peanuts with Cajun spices, I had to say yes. I mean, if you're buying a historic delicacy on the side of a busy city avenue, you might as well go all the way.
She looked at me skeptically. "You better make sure to have it with a can of Coke or beer," she warned. And yes, Coca Cola is local here in Atlanta, and yes, there are a number of local brewpubs, but no, I drink neither soda nor beer. Maybe that's what I did wrong.
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