While we were in Lukodi outside of Gulu, Uganda working with ChildVoice International I had a lot of culinary experiences. A lot of life in the African bush consists of making food so when becoming a part of the lives of these women I was happy to do what they did. The ChildVoice Center has a goal of being fully sustainable and so I was able to see culinary processes from start to finish! They grow a lot of their own food as well as maintain livestock so there is always a job to be done. Making peanut butter was one of the things that the women did so Cara and I took some time to learn the process. Cara and I love to document so we made a little “how-to” video if you want to make your own African Peanut Butter at home.
You will need:
- Lots of time
- Calloused hands for shelling and husking your raw peanuts.
- about 5 kilos of raw peanuts (harvest them from your local field- or do what I did and take the easy way out and make friends with a lady who will give you some for free). This will make about 1.5 kilos of peanut butter.
- A pot for roasting your nuts and a fire to place your pot on.
- Some children for helping you sort and husk the peanuts. Don’t let them eat too many during this process.
- A grinding stone that has been aged at least 5 years. (Ask your local Pampered Chef representative if you don’t have a rock quarry near by).
- A strong back for grinding. Go to the gym and bulk up.
- A large flat basket for separating the peanuts from their husks.
- Probably some more time
I hope that you’ve been inspired to make your own preservative-free all natural peanut butter…or that you appreciate what you can drive to the store and pick up for a few bucks and not nearly this much trouble.
