The peanut is a tasty snack enjoyed by many. Its flavor is pleasantly distinct, making it a popular snack worldwide. Unfortunately, many people develop allergies while eating a good amount of roasted peanuts. They are often left staring at the legume, thinking of other ways where it can be useful to them.
The peanut, being a popular food product, has a surprising number of alternative uses. In fact, 18th century farming specialist George Washington Carver discovered about 300 hundred different uses for peanuts. We are currently enjoying some of Carver’s food-related discoveries like peanut oil, salted peanuts, or peanut milk. Unknown to some people, he also found several unusual uses for peanuts. Here are some of them:
Peanut Soap – Peanut oil is composed mostly of monounsaturated fat. Fat is one of the primary ingredients of soap. Soap fats are responsible for displacing dirt and germs from our bodies, given its thick and sticky base. Peanut oil, for that matter, is thick enough to be a good component of soap. You can make peanut soap by mixing the oil with water, coconut oil, and lye.
Biodiesel Fuel – Did you know that the diesel engine was originally created for peanut oil? The first engines created by inventor Rudolf Diesel ran on various vegetable oils. Today, using peanut oil to power diesel engines can be futile. You can instead use a large amount of concentrated peanut oil to power biodiesel motors. The use of biodiesel motors is slowly gaining fame, given the current fuel prices. You might as well make an engine switch, if you want travel cost-effectively.
engine fueling
Peanut Laxative – As a laxative, the peanut is not as potent as some of the other known medicenes but it is certainly more delicious than any of them. If you are constipated, you can just snack on a bag of peanuts while watching a movie or a prestigious sporting event. The oil of the nuts will eventually act up on your tummy, improving your bowel movement in the process. Talk about having a good time before taking a dump.
Peanut Dye – Peanuts can never be used for producing colors like food coloring but its oil can act as the base of dyes. The slightly viscous and sticky fluid ensures that the color of dye will stick on many surfaces. If you are not satisfied with peanut oil as a base, you can just mix it with other ingredients to increase its viscosity.
Peanut Shampoo – After watching too many episodes of MacGyver, you probably want to make your own nifty invention. You can make your own shampoo made of peanut oil and Castilla Soap. Just mix the two ingredients in a blender and add scent enhancing materials like lavender or rosemary oil.
insecticide
Peanut Insecticide – For some reason, ants and some pests do not like peanut oil. Some manufacturers of insecticides, in fact, add the edible oil when creating their products. Its components is believed to be toxic to several household pests. In any case, you can just splash a good amount of peanut oil at an ant line and they will all drown upon making contact with the sticky fluid.
Peanut Explosive – Peanuts can be used as an ingredient for creating nitroglycerin. The acids that make up peanut oil can act as substitutes for some of the acids used in formulating nitroglycerin. As dangerous as the resulting solution may be, you cannot readily create peanut nitroglycerin, so don’t worry about your favorite snack exploding inside your tummy anytime soon.
Peanut Axle Grease – At first, using peanut oil to create grease may sound silly. Grease is simply too viscous to be made from a relatively thin solution like peanut oil. Now, if you combine peanut oil with rosin oil and lime solution, you might be surprised with the result. You can start applying the resulting mixture on the axles of your automobile.
Peanut Seat Cushion – Some shelled nuts are hard to open even if you have powerful fingers. For these stubborn items, you can use them as substitutes for the contents of beaded seat cushions. Shelled peanuts may shatter when supporting heavy people. You can cover the nuts with a layer of cotton to give them added durability.
Peanut Shell Charcoal – Try observing peanuts when they are being cooked. You will notice that peanut shells do not burn easily. They can absorb decent amounts of heat and even help in cooking their contents. Look at those features closely and you will be reminded of charcoal. If you are peanut lover, you can store shells until you fill up an entire garbage bag. You can then use those peanut containers as good substitutes for charcoal.
charcoal
Peanut Soil Conditioner – Burying peanuts along with your garden plants is a good idea. The nuts release oil that adds nourishment and richness to the soil. Your plants will be healthier since they can readily acquire food from the soil. If you want a more direct approach to soil conditioning, you can apply peanut oil on your garden. Its effects may be short term, but your plants will be instantly satisfied.
Peanut Glue – Peanut-based glue may not be the most efficient adhesive but it is pretty easy to make. During your free time, you can mix peanut oil with flour and corn oil. Transfer the mixture onto a frying pan then add boiling water. Stir the solution thoroughly. Once it stiffens, your peanut glue is ready to use.
glue
According to a certain urban legend, you will become smarter if you eat peanuts frequently. That claim may not be true but you can call yourself resourceful, once you start using the peanut as a substitute item for its variety of purposes. With its useful properties, tons of unusual uses for the legume are still waiting to be discovered.