David's Produce & Country Store

Category: 4 peas: Scrumptiously stewed legumes

User Rating

Rating: 4 peas on a 5-pea-pod scale
Update May 3, 2008: Bought two bags served out of one of the warm pots, not the steaming hot one. It was a slightly more inconsistent batch than last time but neither fact prevented me from gorging whilst maneuvering I-285 on the way home. Later, we enjoyed them chilled, on ice, with friends at a Derby Day gathering. Still the best place to get your fix on a regular basis ITP in the ATL.
Verdict: For intowners, the idea of snacking on boiled peanuts regularly is downright exotic. So much of the experience (allegedly) lies in the sudden application of the brakes to get your fix on a lonely, country two-lane whilst en route to a hiking trail, a watering hole, a tent revival, or the rustic-road-trip-destination-of-your-choice.
In places like Atlanta, much of which cannot be considered as part of the Deep South, that’s changing. You can get decent boiled peanuts at a smoky, hipster rock club. You can get cruelly mistreated (and terrible tasting) boilers at a neighborhood-pub-and-Democratic-stronghold. If you’re somewhere between desperate and insane, you can get a can of Rodenberry’s from just about any grocery store in the South.
Until there’s a Starbucks for gourmet boiled peanuts, however, there’s David’s Produce in north Atlanta. Being easily accessible from both I-85 and I-285, it’s got convenience going for it. And the boilers are every bit as rich and flavorful as any OTP purveyor’s (that’s “outside the perimeter,” I-285, for those of y’all who don’t know). If you’re road-tripping through Georgia and passing near the ATL, here’s a reliable stop fronted with nutty, down-home folk art that would make Rev. Finster proud. No need to go on a wild peanut chase. If you’re an Atlantan just out-and-about running errands on the north side of town, get in the habit of making this your last stop. David’s Produce is here. It’s near. You really need to make it a part of your life.
Season: Year ‘round
Hours: Open until 7:00 pm (closed Sundays)

Price: $2 (maybe $3; I wasn’t paying attention)
Serving: About a quart by volume in a plastic bag
Notes: Lots of other sauces, veggies, gifts, and other goodies at this little shop with the always-overflowing parking lot and the painted boilers out front.
Proprietor: David? It’s run by a couple.
Last taste: 2007 07.
Nut type: Sun-dried (raw) Valencias from New Mexico
Soak time: No soak (No joke!)
Boil time: Seven hours
Other:
Taster: Thomas