Good intentions, excellent nutrition

I don’t think I’m going out on a limb – and I certainly don’t mean to be insensitive – by predicting that Jimmy Carter will die pretty soon, triggering the publication of numerous tributes and commentaries that have been on file for quite a long time.

When the former U.S. president’s family announced in February of 2023 that he was receiving hospice care at home, forgoing treatment for a number of medical conditions, no one expected him to make it to his 99th birthday on Oct. 1. But Carter lived on, and he was still among the living this March when festivities took place to mark National Peanut Month in Georgia, his home state – which produces more than half of the U.S. peanut crop. There were events promoting the culinary and nutritional attributes of this tasty legume, and the industry donated 10,080 jars of peanut butter to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

I have no special insight into American politics, but it seems likely that Carter will be remembered as a decent human and a genuine humanitarian – a man committed to civil rights, democracy, the alleviation of poverty, and environmental protection. However, some mocked his background as a peanut farmer, and an image of unseriousness clung to him. Then there were domestic economic woes, and some fraught international issues, notably a hostage crisis in Iran. His defeat in the 1980 election ushered in not just a new president, but a new political climate that we now associate with the Reagan era.

Carter went on to devote a great deal of time and energy to Habitat for Humanity – a Georgia-based non-profit that now works to increase the availability of affordable housing in more than 70 countries around the world. It will be interesting to see how historians assess his legacy. Some will highlight his success in brokering peace between Israel and Egypt. Others will point out that he helped to bring renewable energy, as well as jogging, to the mainstream. Commentators seeking a Canadian perspective may recount the episode from his pre-politics naval career when he was lowered into the core of the NRX nuclear reactor in Chalk River, Ont., to help disassemble the experimental device after a partial meltdown in 1952 – though in the grand scheme of things, that’s not much more than a cute anecdote. Carter’s meddling in the Soviet-Afghan War will loom larger in the rearview mirror.

As for the humble peanut (Arachis hypogaea), let’s agree that this crop deserves more respect. Traditionally (and unappealingly) known as the Goober pea in the South, it is associated with cheapness – thus the term “peanut gallery,” which led to the name for Charles M. Schulz’s famous comic strip (though it was not his choice, and he never liked it). But peanuts are rich in nutrients, including essential minerals, B vitamins, and vitamin E, and they actually contain more protein than almonds. (The theory of “protein combining,” espoused in my yellowed copy of Diet for a Small Planet, has been debunked, as author Frances Moore LappО acknowledged in a later edition of the book – which means there is no need to pair peanuts with a complementary food to get the full nutritional benefits.) For this reason, emergency food aid commonly includes peanut-based products, such as packets of paste known as “ready-to-use therapeutic food” (RUTF), specially formulated to treat malnourished children.

A notable downside of peanuts is the fact that many people are severely allergic to them. In the past 25 years or so, this condition has become much more common in Western countries, for reasons that are not well understood. But I never minded not being able to send peanut butter in the kids’ school lunches, because we eat plenty of it at home – on toast, obviously, and often in curries too.

I started buying organic peanut butter many years ago after reading something about pesticide residues in fields formerly used for tobacco. I don’t know if that had, or has, any veracity. However, it is well known that peanuts are often grown in rotation with cotton, which is a notoriously chemical-intensive crop. I also prefer peanut butter without the hydrogenated oils (including cottonseed or palm oil) that many manufacturers add to prevent it from separating. Researchers have had some success using rice bran wax, carnauba wax (from a species of palm that grows in northeastern Brazil), and even beeswax – but I’m okay with stirring my peanut butter. If it gets a bit stiff near the bottom of the jar, I add a spoonful of honey.

If your fancy turns to thoughts of gardening, now that we’re into spring, check out Owen Bridge’s article in this issue of RD. Growing peanuts in the Maritimes may require some persistence and creativity, but we know some of you have what it takes – and we would genuinely love to hear how you make out with this heat-loving crop.

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A final note to yarn enthusiasts. The Fundy Fibre Artisans, a collective of Maritime farmers and textile producers (featured in the April 2023 issue of RD), is hoping to raise awareness of this sector by hosting the 2024 Canadian Fibre Challenge. To participate, submit a photo of a finished product you have made that contains at least 50 percent Canadian fibre, showing the label as proof, and your name will be placed on a ballot for a prize draw, which will be held in November. The prize is a gift basket containing an assortment of local and Canadian yarns and spinning fibres, with a retail value of at least a few hundred dollars. Entrants will receive a bonus ballot for finished works that contain more than 50 percent fibre from New Brunswick. We’re talking about natural fibres such as wool, alpaca, cashmere, angora, and mohair – and to be eligible, they must be produced in Canada, not just processed here. Submit entries via the Fundy Fibre Artisans Facebook page, where the photos will be posted anonymously (though you can tag yourself if you’re proud of your work). Multiple submissions are allowed – so get spinning, or knitting, or crocheting, or weaving, or felting, or hooking, or embroidering.

In the meantime, the Fundy Fibre Artisans are preparing for their annual Spring Fling, which will be held May 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Cornhill Community Hall (1205 Baseline Rd., Cornhill, N.B.). There will be a number of vendors, and plenty of crafting action – a great opportunity to find inspiration as well as materials. DL