Apparently, you might be a redneck if....
-You're from Ocala, Florida which among other things has a drag-racing museum.
-The swamp was your playground as a child.
-And, you boll your own peanuts. (No, that isn't a typo, that's the way my Momma says it. It just doesn't sound right any other way.)
Or so I'm told.
I would totally disagree, because:
1. I have never stepped foot in that museum!
2. The swamp was just there. What's the difference between a very wet playground filled with gators and sidewalks with fast-moving cars and homeless folks?
3. I am only boiling my own peanuts because I can't get them out here. And since when does making something yourself make you a hick? It's not like I've got a moonshine still out back, although I totally want one!
If these things make me a redneck then I'm cool with that.
Anyway, back to the peanuts.
It takes 16 whole hours. Yep, 16. 8 happened while I was sleeping, 'cause soakin' is best done unconsciously. Other than the time, boiling peanuts ain't so bad. It does take a lot of your attention, but it ranks low on a difficulty scale. Water and salt are your only other ingredients.
I hear tell that boiled peanuts actually have some health value as boiling releases phytochemicals and maintains the presence of reservatrol (associated with the reduction of heart disease). Whew, those are some mighty fancy words, but that new internet thing says those are good things.
I had a lovely vision of myself stirring a big pot over an open flame, me in my flannel and boots, but I live in an apartment so my vivid imagination would have to do. Plus, you need friends and beer to help you wile away the time. Maybe next year.
Lee Brothers recipe for boiled peanuts.
