Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Pappy’s Peanuts…

I think my father-in-law, (MIL, too), my two brother in-laws (and I’m sure even my SIL’s) sang the hallelujah chorus last Wednesday evening.

All the peanuts on the farm were finally dug and picked! The crew has been working seven days a week for quite some time, stopping only long enough on Saturdays for Florida Football and for church on Sunday…it’s all about the priorities. :)  They’ve all been working so hard and we’ve barely seen each other lately, and when we have, they’ve all been covered in dirt.

It all started back in May…

We rode out to the field one evening so AB could see Uncle Van plowing and laying out the rows, getting ready to start planting…

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We rode back out several weeks later to see those seeds had sprouted right up! DSC_0416

I don’t really know all that went into it over the next few months, but I know there was lots of spraying involved.

The plants grew and grew, though…IMAG0249

By mid-September, the peanuts were ready for digging.DSC_3775

fresh from the digger…

I’m always interested to see how all this works, so we went out to the field one afternoon so I could see…(& AB, too) :) My Papa grew peanuts, too, back when he farmed, but I was so small then I don’t remember anything about it…

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Little Miss showing off some peanuts she picked off the vine

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This is the peanut digger. It’s pulled behind the tractor and digs the peanuts up, laying them in perfect rows on top of the ground…

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Freshly dug rows, drying…

Then it’s the pickers turn. DSC_3801

AB & DW checking out Uncle Adam’s picker

The peanut vines are sucked up by those tines and the peanuts are shook loose. They stay in the top bin and the empty vines are shot back out on the ground.

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vines that have been dug & picked

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AB & her Pappy

After the peanuts are picked, and that basket on the top of the picker is full, they get dumped into the trailers and then taken to the dryers to be dried even more. After that, I don’t really know. :) I forgot to ask that question…  All I know is the last time we saw them was on the trailer heading to the dryers. DSC_4254

Even “Nie-Nie” helped with the peanuts! She was the official trailer hauler. AB just HAD to sit on the tractor with her and “drive”.

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Our girl showing off the finished product… a trailer full of peanuts!

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We’re all about home-grown around here! :)

~amw~

5 comments:

Surrounded-By-Boys said...

yum yum! Love me some peanuts!

Stephanie Heintz said...

This is so cool. I've got to come down and check all this out. Secretly, I'm also hoping you will do a photoshoot with me on the peanuts as well. :) ha
But really, I would like to see how the photo shoot goes w/ AB. Do you suggest she lay on her belly and put her head in her hands all cute like that, or is she just a natural when the camera comes out? Love it.

Russel Ramblings said...

AB is precious! I think you might could make some extra money doing some photo shoots out there, I need to get Bailey out to the fields, they always make the cutest pictures!

Anonymous said...

this may be one of my top 10 fav. blogs of all time. thank you for doing and documenting what i have wanted to but didn't have the time or talent. i am seeing a future peanut queen!!! nie-nie

Carrie said...

I am so behind on my blog reading, dang :) AB is SO cute (and big) in her Whitehurst Cattle t-shirt these days.