Groundnuts

Groundnut vines

I came to the park eager to check on the progress of the groundnuts along the power lines. I found them. Their vines emerge from the ground in search for their host plant. Once detected they proceed to lengthen on a winding upward course sucking in any vegetation in their path as they wrap around the vegetative shaft. The pinnate leaves grow oppositely along the its vine. In about 2 months, beautiful maroon pea-like flower clusters will develop in the axis of the leaves. The edible part of the plant grows just below the surface of the ground horizontally as part of a string of tubers. To located them you have to start at the tip of the vine and trace its twining length down to the ground. There you have to loosen the dirt and tug gently upward to dislodge the little potatoes from their subterranean nests. I pulled up a foot long string which ended in what looked like a rock the size of a Russet potato. It was not a rock but the mother of groundnuts-all 3 1/2 inches of it! Once home I scrubbed it and baked in in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes. Slack and I enjoyed the groundnut with eggs for breakfast. They are very filling have a thick consistency much like a potato. It's no wonder the Pilgrims survived their first Winter on them after the Native Americans introduced them as a food source.