Boiled Peanuts and Where to Find Them

As a Jacksonville native, I have been eating boiled peanuts for as long as I can remember.

My first experience was at a very young age when I was a very picky eater. I would not try anything new so my parents tricked me by asking me to crack open their boiled peanuts for them. I was told to use my teeth because they knew once I got a taste of that juice I would be hooked. Well, it worked. From that day forward we had to stop every time we saw a boiled peanut stand by the side of the road. Anytime we were at a flea market, we had to seek out the boiled peanut stand to get a few bags to satisfy our cravings.

Basically any time I was anywhere near them, I had to have them. As I have gotten older, this hasn't changed. What has changed are the flavors and where to find them. You still have the traditional roadside and flea market stands, but now you can also find them at many area stores. Many locals will tell you the best boiled peanuts are the ones you stumble across, which is exactly what happened with Marley's Boiled Peanuts. I was coming back from lunch with my parents and happened to see a truck on the side of the road. I stopped and I'm really glad I did!

Mr. Marley had four different flavors: regular, cajun, garlic, and a special collard greens version. That last one caught me by surprise and I was very curious about it. He boils the peanuts in with the collard greens so they take on the flavor. On this trip I was able to try all of the varieties offered and was impressed with each one. They all had great flavor and were hot straight from the kettle. He also mentioned he does a version with Old Bay seasoning and adds a few things like corn and potatoes, so I definitely need to go back for that one! There really is nothing like a fresh, hot boiled peanut on the side of the road. Marley's Boiled Peanuts has a few different locations and can often be found on Lonestar Rd. near Mill Creek Rd, in the Arlington neighborhood on the weekends.

Another great roadside stand is Davis Boiled Peanuts. I stopped by the Heckscher Dr. location and grabbed a bag of regular and cajun boiled peanuts. Mr. Davis gave me the option of regular cajun or extra spicy. I was too scared to try the extra spicy. My sinuses are "mild only" and I don't roll the dice anymore. Mistakes have been made. Davis has two locations in Duval County: Heckscher/New Berlin Roads, near I-295 across from the Gate gas station and Lem Turner Rd. near Harold's . The locations are open 7 days a week and offer regular, cajun, extra spicy jalapeño, and garlic (the last two are mostly offered on the weekends only).

If you don't enjoy the thrill of the roadside find, you can pick up some boiled peanuts at Jacksonville’s local flea markets and farmer's markets. I visited the Jacksonville Farmer's Market and found a great vendor, Gee's Peanuts. He is a staple at the market and has too many flavors to name. He makes all bags to order and will season to your liking. We grabbed a bag of the Crab Boil flavor then let Mr G pick a second flavor for us, which ended up being Oxtail. Both bags were bursting with flavor and it took every ounce of restraint to not eat them all on the way home. Our car smelled like these peanuts for days and I was not mad about it one bit.

I know a lot of people like to boil their own peanuts at home but that can take up to 8 hours depending on the variety. Whether you are visiting Jacksonville for the day or just like to have some boiled peanuts on hand for those serious cravings, Papa John's Boiled Peanuts is a great option. The Jacksonville-based company specializes in refrigerated, pre-packaged boiled peanuts. You can find them at most local Winn-Dixie supermarkets, Rowe's supermarkets, and Sam's Club locations. They also have online ordering through their website. The boiled peanuts are fully cooked but require heating, with instructions on the bag to fill a large pot with water, add the boiled peanuts, and bring to a boil. That's it! Even the worst cook (me) can do this.

If you are looking for boiled peanuts, Jacksonville has you covered. When I started my search, I only knew of a few places around town where I could reliably find them. I ended up coming across a few more that I had no idea about, which I feel is the true spirit of boiled peanuts in the South. I'm sure there are many more that I haven't heard about or listed here, ones you might come across on the side of the road. My advice to you is: make sure you stop.

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Author

Jill Cruz

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