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Peanuts Casey Cox

Eddie’s boiled peanuts

5 pounds green Georgia peanuts

4 cups Coca Cola

4 cups light beer (Edward: I prefer PBR, I know, I know... so indie rock)

3 cloves garlic

1 pod star anise

2 tablespoons coarse ground pepper

2 tablespoons chili flakes

1/2 cup salt to begin - season to taste

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 bouquet garni of thyme, bay leaf and parsley

2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock

Add Coca-Cola, beer and all aromatics except bouquet in lager stock pot. Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Add peanuts and bouquet, cover with inverted plate large enough to hold everything down inside pot. Fill rest of pot with water until 3/4 full. Return to medium heat, simmer for at least 5 hours, but the slower the better. Check the liquid level occasionally, when it gets low add stock to keep the peanuts covered. Check after 5 hours, tasting for seasoning. Adjust seasoning to taste. When peanuts are finished, let cool and chill in liquid overnight (totally better the next day). To serve, return to medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer. I like serving them in bowls with some of the liquid. Enjoy!

Edward Russell is a versatile, self-taught chef with a passion for local, sustainable food, and he strongly believes you can be one too.

Edward did not study cooking in college or dream of being a chef as a child. He graduated from the University of Georgia with degrees in psychology and philosophy but found his passion to be in sustainable cooking.

Five years ago, Edward and some neighbors got together to cook dinner. They began inviting friends. They call themselves The FourCoursemen, and their neighborhood has grown. A lot.

With the goal of making local and sustainable food available to everyone, The FourCoursemen have made their mark in the culinary world. A documentary featuring the group was recently nominated for the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award, known as the Oscar of the food world, in the category of Best Television Special/Documentary for 2011.

Edward is the newly appointed Chef de Cuisine at Epting Catering, a group inspired by traditions of the Southeast. For almost ten years, Epting has been catering The Nature Conservancy in Georgia’s Picnic for the Planet event, the Hoochie, an annual celebration of conservation and its protectors. We sat down with Edward to learn more about his philosophy on food, vision for the Hoochie and his thoughts on how we can all make better choices whether planning a picnic for a few or a party for hundreds.

Why should we care about making sustainable food choices?
After learning about food, I was really concerned about what we are putting into our bodies.

We make a lot of bad choices when there are healthier options. Food grown on farms and heritage-breed meats are not crazy, distant ideas. It’s what our grandparents did; it’s tradition, and it’s better for the environment. Plus, having something grown locally just tastes better.

How can anyone begin to make better choices?
Start small. If you make one change, the next one will be there.

For me, it was not an overnight transformation. It is trial and error, and a lot of learning along the way. The good thing is it’s a food movement, you can find other people in your area that are excited about it and have knowledge to share.

Going green can be pricey. How do you fit more sustainable choices into your budget?
It is quality over quantity. Focus on where you spend your money. If you eat meat, that’s the best place to start when buying locally. Then buy as much local produce and products as you can. It is not all or nothing – even I can’t get everything locally grown. If you can’t find something local, try to buy organic.

Ok, so we are ready to make the first step. Now…where do we go?
Farmers markets and stores like Whole Foods are great places to start. I began networking with farmers in my community. Now, I am building relationships with food lovers around the country and learning as much from them as possible.

What is your advice to cooks trying out new things?
Be optimistic. The results are life-changing.

Using new products can be intimidating. For example, people are blown away when they taste chicken that is raised locally and on a healthy diet, but cooking it can require a different approach.

Go into it realizing you are going to make mistakes. Then you can be open to learning. Try it next time, and you might get it right. Or you can learn something new and apply it to 27 different things.

We’re looking forward to this year’s Hoochie. What are we doing to make sustainability a priority at the event?
The Hoochie is a cool event because we are able to incorporate various local foods, like fresh oysters  from the coast of Georgia and state pecans. We get a chance to better connect people with their food, showing them that it is possible and even easy to have a more sustainable dinner party or outdoor event.

Like the Georgia pecans we are having, I remember growing up with 12 pecan trees in my yard; I would eat them right off the tree. We can still have that connection, even in Atlanta, if we learn about local food.

What do you like to cook for your parties?
My potentially famous boiled peanuts; I like them with a nice glass of vino verde or a cold beer!

Written by Allison Segrest

Allison Segrest

Allison Segrest is a student at Berry College in Rome, Georgia and intern for the Nature Conservancy in Georgia.