Chris Calohan II
Well-known member
Recently I posted a shot of a peanut vendor and a friend put it in her gallery and a passerby who puts out a monthly magazine about local happenings (no webpage at this moment, but on the way) saw it and made an inquiry. Long and shot of it, she asked me to do an interview with the guy and write a short story on him.
It will post in this coming month's issue. I have also been asked to post more images and write more articles. Whoohoo.
Here is the photo and article. (A side note: I had three hours in which to interview and write the story and had to keep it as a 575 to 585 word file. What fun!)
Come late summer, early fall you’ll be hard pressed to swing a dead opossum and not hit a boiled peanut vendor from Panama City to Tallahassee and all other points north and west; then, football season comes to an end and life returns to normal and the only boiled peanuts available are found in cans, gas stations and the occasional fruit stand still open.
There are exceptions and B.J. Legette, located at the corner of 14th Street and Tennessee in Lynn Haven is one such peanut connoisseur still in full operation. B.J. has been selling hot pepper sauce for nearly eight years and this last year began selling boiled peanuts from this location. A former car salesman, B.J. retired eight years ago but soon discovered being retired was boring. For years prior to retiring, he’d make up batches of his pepper sauce and boil up some peanuts and give them away to friends, customers and family members. Boredom nipping at his heels, he took a friend’s suggestion to sell his pepper sauce and from what he didn’t say, was also greatly encouraged by his wife.
Last year, B. J. added boiled peanuts to his little venture. Having driven past his stand for the last year and always seeing a sale transpiring, I figured they had to be pretty good boiled goobers. I asked B.J. about his recipe and told him what my research into boiling peanuts revealed which was a half a cup of salt to a gallon of water, a load of peanuts covered in water with at least one inch of water between the peanuts and the top of the pot, boil, simmer, and eat.
“Well now,” he said, “I make boiled peanuts the way my mother made them and I suspect her mother, too. Salt, oh, I turn the container upside down and when I think there’s enough, I turn it back to the upright position and add my water. If I am doing a batch of Cajun spiced, I have to add some Cajun spices and a jalapeno pepper or two,” then mused a second more, “or three.”
Further pressed for the recipe, he told me of a fellow who hounded him for his pepper sauce recipe and he gave him enough to get him along the way. Next year the man stopped by and said his was just as good. Next year after that he stopped by again and bought some more, still trying to wiggle the recipe from B.J. who, in his mild mannered way, simply said, “doesn’t pay me to do all this work then give it to you for free.” The recipe is safe.
He did impart the most important thing about boiled peanuts and that is using raw green peanuts as opposed to just raw. Economically it makes more sense for a cook time of 3 ½ to four hours as opposed to 12 to 24 hours for raw.
“Even then, 4 hours or 24 hours, it’s the trading out of boiling time, steeping time and cooling time which makes for a soft shell, and a firm but soft nut.”
Sitting under his trees, enjoying the day, visiting with old friends, new customers or giving a friendly wave to whoever passes by, you can find B.J. most every weekend, signs and cookers set up in his side yard facing Tennessee Ave. selling his pepper sauce, a special blend of pepper relish, and green boiled peanuts. Wave back!
It will post in this coming month's issue. I have also been asked to post more images and write more articles. Whoohoo.
Here is the photo and article. (A side note: I had three hours in which to interview and write the story and had to keep it as a 575 to 585 word file. What fun!)
Come late summer, early fall you’ll be hard pressed to swing a dead opossum and not hit a boiled peanut vendor from Panama City to Tallahassee and all other points north and west; then, football season comes to an end and life returns to normal and the only boiled peanuts available are found in cans, gas stations and the occasional fruit stand still open.
There are exceptions and B.J. Legette, located at the corner of 14th Street and Tennessee in Lynn Haven is one such peanut connoisseur still in full operation. B.J. has been selling hot pepper sauce for nearly eight years and this last year began selling boiled peanuts from this location. A former car salesman, B.J. retired eight years ago but soon discovered being retired was boring. For years prior to retiring, he’d make up batches of his pepper sauce and boil up some peanuts and give them away to friends, customers and family members. Boredom nipping at his heels, he took a friend’s suggestion to sell his pepper sauce and from what he didn’t say, was also greatly encouraged by his wife.
Last year, B. J. added boiled peanuts to his little venture. Having driven past his stand for the last year and always seeing a sale transpiring, I figured they had to be pretty good boiled goobers. I asked B.J. about his recipe and told him what my research into boiling peanuts revealed which was a half a cup of salt to a gallon of water, a load of peanuts covered in water with at least one inch of water between the peanuts and the top of the pot, boil, simmer, and eat.
“Well now,” he said, “I make boiled peanuts the way my mother made them and I suspect her mother, too. Salt, oh, I turn the container upside down and when I think there’s enough, I turn it back to the upright position and add my water. If I am doing a batch of Cajun spiced, I have to add some Cajun spices and a jalapeno pepper or two,” then mused a second more, “or three.”
Further pressed for the recipe, he told me of a fellow who hounded him for his pepper sauce recipe and he gave him enough to get him along the way. Next year the man stopped by and said his was just as good. Next year after that he stopped by again and bought some more, still trying to wiggle the recipe from B.J. who, in his mild mannered way, simply said, “doesn’t pay me to do all this work then give it to you for free.” The recipe is safe.
He did impart the most important thing about boiled peanuts and that is using raw green peanuts as opposed to just raw. Economically it makes more sense for a cook time of 3 ½ to four hours as opposed to 12 to 24 hours for raw.
“Even then, 4 hours or 24 hours, it’s the trading out of boiling time, steeping time and cooling time which makes for a soft shell, and a firm but soft nut.”
Sitting under his trees, enjoying the day, visiting with old friends, new customers or giving a friendly wave to whoever passes by, you can find B.J. most every weekend, signs and cookers set up in his side yard facing Tennessee Ave. selling his pepper sauce, a special blend of pepper relish, and green boiled peanuts. Wave back!