In early autumn it is time to harvest peanuts from your own garden. How to tell when the fruit is ripe, how to harvest it, and how best to store or process it.
When and how do you harvest peanuts in your own garden?
Peanuts are ripe in early fall when the plant turns yellow. To harvest them, loosen the soil around the plant with a digging fork, gently lift and pull the plant out. Allow the peanut plant to pre-dry, remove the fruit, and further dry before storing or processing.
This is how the peanut is harvested
- Dig up plant
- Pre-dry peanut plant
- Pull off the fruit
- Continue to dry
- Store or prepare
When is the time to harvest peanuts?
When the plant begins to turn yellow, the peanuts underground are ripe.
You can expect a harvest of 30 to 50 fruits per peanut plant if the location and weather conditions are good.
Dig up peanuts along with the plant
Use a digging fork (€139.00 on Amazon) to loosen the soil around the plant. Gently lift it slightly.
Pull the peanut plant with the fruits hanging from it out of the ground so that the peanuts stick to it.
Use peanuts
Peanuts are not just delicious snacks. They give the finishing touches to Asian dishes in particular. You can simply cook fresh peanuts. You can store them in the freezer for six months.
Drying peanuts
If you want to store peanuts for a long time, you must dry them well. The remaining water content must not be higher than five percent.
Hang the plants to dry in an airy place for about two weeks.
Only when the plant has dried well, remove the peanuts and let them continue to dry for another two weeks.
Roasting peanuts
To roast the peanuts, set the oven to around 180 to 200 degrees. Place the peeled fruit, with or without the skin, on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Peeled nuts need to be put in the oven for around 15 to 20 minutes. Unshelled peanuts take five to ten minutes longer.
Roasting really develops the aroma of the peanuts. If you want to make s alted peanuts, roll them in coarse sea s alt while they are still warm.
Tips & Tricks
Make sure that you store dried peanuts in a dry, airy place and not too warm. Otherwise there is a risk that the dangerous mold Aspergillus flavus will develop. Infected peanuts are harmful to he alth and are no longer suitable for consumption.