Boiled peanuts are definitely a southern thing, but I LOVE them and it is my favorite way to eat peanuts. My husband hates them boiled and he grew up in the south too.

For those of you who have never had them, PLEASE don't buy the canned ones, and don't buy the ones you can find frozen either. They just aren't as good. You cook them in a big pot of boiling water with lots of salt. They do get soft and juicy. If you like peanuts because of the "crunch", you might not enjoy boiled peanuts. You buy them raw and cook them for a long time on low heat, stirring them periodically and adding more salt. There are people who set up these little stands on street corners on the weekends or on the roadside up in the mountains with huge kettles and sell boiled peanuts. They also almost always have them at flea markets too.

I was at the Farmer's Market recently and guess what they had? Fried Peanuts, in the shell! We actually tasted them, but they were like eating roasted peanuts (parched).

What a fun thread!