Fifty years ago when I was 16y.o., I planted some (unroasted) peanuts here in SW Michigan and got a crop from eight sandy hills not knowing how critical the soil type was to be. And those pretty yellow flowers were disappearing, oh what did I do wrong? We cleaned up the garden at harvest and I was stunned by my success! Reading about G.W. Carver was a kid was an inspiration as well.
There are many local varieties of peanuts that had developed through selective breeding in specific areas. As times changed, fewer of these local varieties were grown and many were lost.
