USES OF THE PEANUT 



1585 



kind of peanut candy can be made by 

 simply boiling shelled peanuts with a 

 thick syrup consisting of two pounds of 

 granulated sugar and one large cupful 

 of water, together with a teaspoonful of 

 lemon juice. When the syrup begins to 

 boil add two pounds of unroasted shelled 

 peas and cook slowly until the peas are 

 tender and the syrup sufficiently hard to 

 break when quite cold. The cooking 

 process should as a rule continue for 

 about an hour, when the mixture should 

 be poured on a cold buttered platter to 

 cool. Peanut candies are as a rule not 

 adapted to handling in warm weather 

 and should be kept cold after making. 



During recent years great quantities 

 of shelled peanuts, especially of the 

 Spanish variety, have been employed for 

 the manufacture of peanut butter. This 

 butter is prepared by the ton in fac- 

 tories, is put up in bottles or tins con- 

 taining from one-fourth pound to five 

 pounds each, and has become very popu- 

 lar as a part of the luncheon menu and 

 for camping and cruising supplies. In 

 the process of the manufacture of peanut 

 butter the shelled peas are first given 

 a medium roast, care being taken that 

 the meats do not become overdone or 

 scorched. The peas are then fanned and 

 screened to remove the thin brown cov- 

 erings and the germs, after which they 

 are ground to a pulp by means of a spe- 

 cial grinder similar to those used for 

 chopping meats. As the peanut pulp 

 comes from the grinder it is fed through 

 a tin tube into the bottles or tins and 

 tightly sealed. Some manufacturers fol- 

 low the practice of salting the peanut 

 butter, while others leave this part of 

 the process for the consumer, who can 

 easily salt to suit the taste. 



By a little experience and the aid of a 

 small meat grinder, any one can make 

 good peanut butter for home use. The 

 peanuts may be roasted before or after 

 shelling, but in either case the oven 

 should be only moderately hot and the 

 peas should be stirred frequently. After 

 roasting, rub off the skins and screen 

 out the small germs, or hearts. In grind- 

 ing, use the finest plate on the grinder 



and screw up the tension until the crank 

 will be quite hard to turn. If the pulp 

 is too coarse after one grinding it may 

 be run through a second time. It will 

 not be necessary to add anything but a 

 little salt to the butter, but if desirable 

 the butter may be thinned by the addi- 

 tion of a little olive oil. 



In the preparation of vegetarian meats 

 a portion of the oil is expressed from 

 the ground peanuts, other ingredients, 

 including various vegetable substances, 

 are added, and the whole is crushed and 

 pressed into tins ready for use. In this 

 case the extra oil is either used for thin- 

 ning peanut butter or sold as a com- 

 pound for use in further cooking the 

 vegetable meats. 



Peanut meal, made from finely ground 

 blanched peanut meats, is used to some 

 extent in confections. This meal is espe- 

 cially desirable in the manufacture of 

 almond macaroons and small cakes, to 

 which it imparts the desired almond 

 flavor. This meal is also used in the 

 manufacture of candies. 



Peanut oil is used in the same manner 

 as olive oil; also for mixing with cotton- 

 seed oil in order to improve the quality 

 of the cotton-seed oil for salad purposes. 



PEA MIT OIL 



The oil of the peanut belongs commer- 

 cially in the same class as do cotton-seed 

 and olive oils. Peanut oil is of a higher 

 grade than cotton-seed oil and of some- 

 what lower value than first-class olive 

 oil. Peanut oil is sometimes used for 

 mixing with olive oil for the production 

 of an oil that can be sold at a lower 

 price than pure olive oil. On the other 

 hand, peanut oil is frequently mixed with 

 cotton-seed oil in order to improve the 

 quality of the cotton-seed oil for certain 

 purposes. 



IXSECTS IXJIimOIS TO THE 

 PEANUT 



The insect enemies of the growing pea- 

 nut crop have been so few that very little 

 attention has been given them by the 

 entomologists. Recently there has been 

 reported a species of aphis working upon 

 the roots of the peanut plants. This in- 

 sect belongs to a class that obtains its 



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