My peanuts sprouted!
I have wanted to grow peanuts for such a long time but I never did. Since they are legumes (kitniyot). there is a halachic imperative to leave a big space between them and other vegetables (48-60 cm, depending on which halachic opinion you follow)
Beans are also kitniyot – another summer favorite that I don’t grow. Some would say that corn and sunflowers are also kitniyot – though botanically they are not legumes. Halachicly, kitniyot is a crop where you primarily eat the seeds of the plant.
Bonus fact: I have it from a supreme halachic authority that snow peas are not considered kitniyot, since no one grows them for the their seeds. But green beans are kitniyot, because some people do.
As a Jew doing my best to follow halacha, Polyculture farming (growing many different types of food plants close together) is a bit more complicated.
But not impossible. Thanks to my husband who built a beautiful new raised bed out of recycled pallet wood, I now finally have a place to grow peanuts BH!
We planted them last Monday and they started to sprout on Shabbos and they’re growing super fast!
It’s kind of late in the season to plant them but I wasn’t giving up on my chance after wishing for so long!
My name is Naomi and this is my tiny little farm in the heart of the rapidly growing city of Beit Shemesh, Israel. I enjoy growing, making and processing as much of my family's food and household essentials as possible, while nurturing a biodiverse ecosystem filled with beauty and life.