Look up George Washington Cavalier. The story begins that one weekend, God
told him everything there was to know about the peanut. I got a kick out of
how Watchtower Magazine missed that first part and used the rest of the
story (300+ patents, served a banquet made of a large variety of dishes, all
made from peanuts) in an article about God's wonderful creation.

Watchtower = Magazine of Watchtower and Bible Tract Society (WTBTS); WTBTS =
"Jehovah's Witnesses" (I'm not with them, just somewhat polite towards their
evangelists...one of which flipped open a Watchtower Magazine to a peanut
article...and I told him the beginning of the story...I suspect because it
showed him I probably know more about theological issues than WTBTS, he
never bothered me again.)


On 8/26/07, jaber_1934 <jaber@...> wrote:
>
> --- In MarsLivingNow-@yahoogroups.com, "jaber_1934" <jaber@...> wrote:
> Scientific classification
>
> 1.Peanut (Arachis hypogea)
> Scientific classification
> Kingdom:Plantae
> Division:Magnoliophyta
> Class:Magnoliopsida
> Order:Fabales
> Family:Fabaceae
> Subfamily:Faboideae
> Tribe:Aeschynomeneae
> Genus:Arachis
> Species:A. Hypogaea
> Binomial name Arachis hypogaea
> L.
>
> Lets see if we can do a rather fun project this time. We will see
> what Peanuts have to offer.
>
> Peanuts go by several names other than peanuts, depending on what
> your location is. Some of the AKA's are: Earthnuts, Goobers, Goober
> Peas, Pindas, Jack nuts, Pinders, Manila nuts, and Monkey Balls. (The
> last is often used to mean the entire pod, not just the seeds. In the
> UK these are sold as monkey nuts.)
>
> A description of the plant is as follows: It is an annual
> herbaceous
> plant growing to 30 to 50 cm (1 to 1 ½ foot tall.) The leaves are
> opposite, Pinnate with four leaflets (two opposite pairs with no
> terminal leaflet), each leaflet is 1 to 7 cm (3/8 to 2 3/4") long and
> 1 to 3 cm (3/8 to 1 inch) broad. The flowers are typical peaflower in
> shape, 2 to 4 cm (¾ to 1 1/2") across, yellow with reddish veining.
> After pollination the fruit develops into a legume 3 to 7 cm (1 to 2
> inches) long, containing 1 to 4 seeds, which forces its way
> underground to mature. Although a nut in the culinary sense, in the
> botanical sense the fruit of the peanut is a woody, indehiscent legume
> and not a nut.
>
> The peanut is a Native of South America, it originated between
> southern Bolivia and northern Argentina from where it spread
> throughout the New World as Spanish explorers discovered its
> versatility. Today farmers in Asia and Africa also cultivate it. It
> is grown in a wide range of environmental conditions in areas between
> 40° south and 40° north of the equator. It was brought to the United
> States from Brazil, by the Portuguese around 1800.
>
> Some of the largest producers of the peanut by far are China and
> India followed by the sub-Saharan Africa countries, and Central and
> South America. The majority of the crop is produced where average
> rainfall is 600-1200 mm (23" to 47") and daily temperatures are more
> than 20°C (68 degrees F). The peanut or ground nut is the 13th most
> important food crop in the world. It is the world's fourth most
> important source of edible oil, and third most important source of
> vegetable protein. {The oil is 50% high quality, 25% is easily
> digestible, and 20% are carbohydrates.} In 2004 the ground that it was
> grown on was 24 million hectares worldwide with the total production
> of 36,000,000 metric tons.
>
> The peanut is a valuable source of several vitamins. Vitamin E, K,
> and B among others. (Its a good source of thiamine (B1) and also rich
> in niacin.) Peanut cakes formed after the oil is extracted, makes a
> high protein cattle food. With the proper processing it is also used
> in making baby foods and biscuits.
>
> An interesting side note. Unless the legislation was passed in 2002
> reversing some protectionist policies that were passed during the
> reign of one of our presidents (1977-1981), it is illegal to grow more
> than 1 acre (4000 m²) for private use unless you have many years of
> experience and/or belong to a peanut association. I wanted to grow
> them to feed my cattle I was not allowed to. The tops make great
> forage and silage, and they benefit the soil by fixing nitrogen.
>
> There are basically four major cultivar groups. The most popular
> being Spanish, runner, Virginia, and Valencia. There are also
> Tennessee red and Tennessee White groups. Certain cultivar groups are
> preferred over others because of the use and the flavor of the nut.
> Some produce a better flavor oil, others are better sized and some
> shape differently and others are disease-resistant. The various
> types are distinguished by branching habit, and branch lengths. There
> are numerous varieties of each type of nut and two main growth forms,
> bunch and runner. Bunch types grow up right while runner types grow
> near the ground.
>
> The Spanish group. The small Spanish types are grown in South
> Africa, in general, and in the southwestern and southeastern US.
> Prior to 1940, 90 percent of the peanuts grown in Georgia were Spanish
> types, but the trend since has been larger seeded, higher-yielding
> more disease-resistant cultivars. Spanish peanuts have a higher oil
> content than other types of peanuts.
>
> The runner group. Since 1940, there has been a shift to the
> production of runner group peanuts in the southeastern US. Runners
> are found in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina. This
> shift is due to good flavor, better roasting characteristics and
> higher yields when compared to Spanish types leading to food
> manufacturers preference for use in peanut butter and salting. Some of
> the cultivars are Dixie runner, early runner, Virginia Bunch 67,
> Redford Runner, Egyptian giant, Rhodesian Spanish bunch.
>
> The Virginia group. The large seeded Virginia group peanuts are
> grown in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and parts of Georgia.
> They are increasing in popularity due to demand for large peanuts for
> processing, particularly for salting, confections, and roasting in
> the shells. The Virginia group peanuts are either bunch or runners in
> growth habit. The bunch type is upright to spreading. It attains a
> height of 45 to 55 cm (18 to 22 inches), and a spread of 70 to 80 cm
> (28 to 30 inches), with 80 to 90 cm (33 to 36 inches) rows that seldom
> cover the ground. The pods are borne within five to 10 cm of the base
> of the plant.
>
> The Valencia group. The Valencia group peanuts are course, and
> they
> have heavy reddish stems and large foliage. In the US large
> commercial production is primarily in eastern New Mexico, but they
> grown on a small scale elsewhere in the South as the best flavored and
> preferred type of boiled peanuts. They are comparatively tall, having
> a height of 125 cm, (50 inches), and they spread of 75 cm,(30 inches).
> The peanut pods are borne on pegs arising from the main stem and the
> side branches. Most of the pods are clustered around the base of the
> plant, and only a few are found several inches away. Valencia types
> are three seeded and smooth, with no constriction between the seeds.
> Seeds are oval and tightly crowded into the pods. There are two
> strains, one with flesh and the other with red seeds. Typical seed
> weight is 4/10 to 5/10 gram.
>
> Tennessee red and Tennessee White groups. These are alike except
> for
> the color of the seed. Plants are similar to Valencia types, except
> that the stems are green to greenish brown in the pods and are rough,
> irregular, and have a smaller proportion of kernels
>
>
> The soil pH should be in the range of 6.0. It should not be clay
> and
> should be loose and free of rocks and sticks and some compost should
> be added. You should do a soil test to see just exactly what is going
> to be needed. If lime is needed it should be applied well in advance
> of planting the seeds and worked in the soil. At time of planting you
> could use an 8-8-8 fertilizer, one half cup for every 10 foot of row.
> The seeds should be planted an inch to an inch and a half deep and
> four or five seeds for each foot of row. The nuts need calcium in
> order to fill out well. You can use either gypsum or calcium sulfate
> at the time the peanuts are flowering to supply needed calcium.
>
> Cultivation should be shallow. This is to prevent damage to the
> peanuts as they develop near the soil surface. Also, you should not
> let them dry out during the period of flowering. They should be
> watered weekly, so that the soil is soaked at least six to 8 inches deep.
>
> When it comes time to harvest them, after 4 to 5 months from
> planting, the plants will start to yellow. Dig the whole plant and
> turn it upside down and allow it to dry for two or three days. The
> peanuts should still be attached to the vine. If it looks like rain
> move your drying process indoors out of the rain.
>
> Peanuts are particularly susceptible to contamination during growth
> and storage. Poor storage of peanuts can lead to an infection by the
> mold fungus Aspergillus flavus, releasing the toxic substance
> aflatoxin. The aflatoxin producing molds exist throughout the peanut
> growing areas and may produce aflatoxin in peanuts when conditions are
> favorable to fungal growth.
>
> Many people here in the United States seem to have allergies to
> peanuts. Some even have a fatal case of anaphylactic shock set in.
> There seems to be very few cases of people in China and India and
> Europe being allergic to peanuts. According to a 2003 study, the
> roasting of the nuts is more commonly done in North America, thus
> causing a major peanut allergen, Ara h2 to become a stronger inhibitor
> of the digestive enzyme, typsim, making it more resistant to
> digestion. Additionally this allergen has also been shown to protect
> Ara h1, another major peanut allergen from digestion, a characteristic
> further enhanced by roasting. Though the allergy can last a lifetime
> an other 2003 study indicates that 23.3% of the children will outgrow
> a peanut allergy. Peanut allergy has been associated with the use of
> skin preparations containing peanut oil among children, but the
> evidence is not regarded as conclusive. Peanut allergies have also
> been associated with a family history of intake of soy products. There
> is now an experimental drug being tested to combat this allergy,
> called TNX-901. As the peanut is a member of the legume family and
> unrelated to other nuts, individuals with peanut allergies may not be
> allergic to other types of nuts, and vice versa. Peanut allergies
> come from the protein molecules of the nut and not the fat, this means
> those with allergies can use unprocessed peanut oil with no negative
> side effects.
>
> It is estimated that half-a-billion people on Earth rely on the
> peanut as their primary source of protein. Most of these people are
> small land-holding farmers in Africa, South America, and Southeast
> Asia. The main factor limiting their ability to increase their output
> has been that they lack the technological infrastructure to shell
> peanuts at a cost-efficient rate. The job is usually delegated to
> women and children, who shell only about 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) per hour. In
> 2005 an organization of former Peace Corps volunteers known as the
> Full Belly Project designed an inexpensive, hand-powered peanut
> sheller, known as the "Universal Nut Sheller" that can shell peanuts
> at around 55 kg per hour. The designs for the machine are in the
> public domain, and the organization hopes to create more appropriate
> technology for sustainable development in the future. Other
> inventions presently in research and development include a corn
> cracker and a soy milk maker. The main designer of the Malian peanut
> sheller and other Full Belly Project inventions is author and film
> technician Jock Brandis.
>
>
>
> Okay let's call it quits for now. And if I find anything else I
> will
> have to do in addition.
>
> Jay
>
>
>
> WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO GET TO MARS IN THIS LIFE TIME.
> The nine life support systems (as defined by NASA) are:
> Air Supply - Food production and delivery - Waste management, - Water
> supply - Temperature control - Electricity - Transportation -Communications
> - Recreation
> I include: Radiation Protection. - Information
> storage/retrieval/processing - Ability to construct necessary additions
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


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