Groundnuts!

I pulled up a beautiful groundnut today (Apios americana) in search of more source material for my card artwork.  Above is a picture of some of my beautiful groundnut vines in bloom earlier this summer.

After a few pictures of the woody little node, I peeled it, sliced it into quarter-inch rounds, rinsed off some of the sticky latex, boiled it in salted water for ten minutes and, of course, ate it!  Groundnuts taste like nutty potatoes, but with loads more protein.  Alone, they dry out easily but peeled and roasted with new potatoes and chicken, you will be hard pressed to distinguish the potatoes from the groundnuts.

I have harvested relatively few groundnuts since I planted them two years ago, mostly because I have been sharing the "nuts" and letting them self-propagate until I have an abundance.  I was pleased to see the monstrous size of this specimen and am half-tempted to tear up my garden in search of more!  But then I am reminded of the goose and the golden egg.  Next year there will be four times as many.  Perennial gardeners must be patient gardeners.

I got so involved with my little groundnut snack that I lost track of time and didn't draw anything!  Oh well, you know what they say about "all work, no play..."