Actually a legume not a nut, Raw Valencia Peanuts make for one way popular sprout! We got thousands of folks hooked on these over our years at the Dane County Farmer's Market in Madison, Wisconsin (where we sold sprouts every Saturday from April-November for 10 years). In our opinion, Peanuts are best when they put out only a bulge at their tip (germ), not a big root, but you can decide for yourself (assuming that you can keep from eating them long enough to let them grow).

Yields approximately 1 Cup (1/2 lb.) of Sprouts

Put 1/2 Cup of seed* into a bowl or your Sprouter.
Add 2-3 times as much cool (60-70°) water.
Mix seeds up to assure even water contact for all.
Allow seeds to Soak for 4-12 hours.

Empty the seeds into your sprouter if necessary.
Drain off the soak water.
You may water plants or use it in stock if you like - it has nutrients in it.
Rinse thoroughly with cool (60-70°) water
and Drain thoroughly.

Set your Sprouter anywhere out of direct sunlight and at room temperature (70° is optimal) between Rinses.
This is where your sprouts do their growing. We use a counter top - in the corner of our kitchen, but where the sprouter won't get knocked over by cats, dogs, kids or us.
We don't mind the indirect sunlight or the 150 watts of incandescent light, because light just does not matter much. Your Peanuts will never have leaves, and a plant can only perform photosynthesis when it has leaves. Until then light has little if any effect, so don't hide your sprouts. Plus, they like air-circulation.

Rinse and Drain again in 8-12 hours.
And, once more...
Rinse and Drain again in 8-12 hours.
And, perhaps once more...
Rinse and Drain in 8-12 hours.

We stop no later than here. We like our Peanuts crunchy.
Typically, we sprout for just 3-4 Rinse and Drain cycles.

We prefer to sprout only to the point where most of the seeds have a bulge at their germ (the pointy end of the peanut) which is typically after just 3-5 Rinse and Drain cycles. We stop - bulge or not - no later than the 5th cycle.

Depending on your climate and the time of year you are sprouting and most importantly your personal preference - You may Rinse and Drain again at 8-12 hour intervals for up to 6 days. Peanuts are usually horrible when sprouted that long, but you can experiment to your heart's content.

Grow them for as long as you like. As long as you continue to Rinse and Drain every 8-12 hours. you will at least, learn something. Experiment! Have Fun! It's All Good - if sometimes inedible @;-D

As always, we suggest that you taste your crop at EVERY Rinse - including the very first - just after the Soak period. The soaked seeds are already alive and super nutritious - and - they are without enzyme inhibitors (a very good thing indeed!) so they'll digest themselves and nourish you. So taste them often and find out for yourself when they are most delicious! That's when they're done.

Harvest
Your sprouts are done 8-12 hours after your final Rinse.
Be sure to Drain them as thoroughly as possible after that final Rinse.
The goal during the final 8-12 hours is to minimize the surface moisture of your sprouts - they will store best in your refrigerator if they are dry to the touch.

Refrigerate
Transfer your sprout crop to a plastic bag or the sealed container of your choice and put them in your refrigerator.
We offer Produce Storage Bags that will extend shelf life substantially.

* If using Sproutpeople's Single Harvest Pack - use the whole bag. It will produce a crop of approximately 8 ounces.

These seeds yield approximately 2:1 - so in theory you can start with up to as 1/2 as much dry seed as your Sprouter has capacity.
If you are new to sprouting, or new to this crop; we advise that you start with 1/4 - 1/3 of your Sprouter's capacity so that your sprouts have more room.

Crop Notes

The 2011 crop was devastated by drought, so Peanuts are VERY hard to come by in 2012 - and their price skyrocketed! Expect every peanut product you buy to be astronomically more expensive - it's supply and demand, as you know. Sadly 2012 was an even worse growing season for the organic peanut farmers we have long relied upon and they have had other issues that have made it almost impossible to meet demand for their Peanuts. We are looking hard for other sources. Keep your fingers crossed.

Seed Storage

Peanuts are best stored in a cool location - at home, we keep ours in a freezer, but a refrigerator works well too. If you plan on storing these for more than 6 months you should use one of these cool locations. Peanuts are pleasing to a particular pest - the Indian Meal Moth, which can appear out of nowhere when conditions are right (hot). These are organic seeds after all, so there is no other way to keep your seeds absolutely safe, except to freeze them. Consider yourself warned =:-}

Science:

If you continue to sprout peanuts for a week or more you can learn a lot about plants! A Peanut is a DICOT seed. A dicot seed is itself, the first leaves of the plant it will grow into. You can just keep Rinsing and Draining or you can make it easier by sprouting the peanut in a small pot full of soil, after you get a small root growing (put the peanit into the soil - root down). Keep it moist in either case and see what you see! Though this is not uncommon in the sprout universe, peanuts are perhaps the most impressive example - because they are so plump and big! To learn more about sprout science you may want to visit our Kid's Sprout Zone (fun for inquisitive adults too!) and our Glossary/Taxonomy page.

Raw
Sprouts and Salads
Spicy San Francisco Snack
Herbed Bean Sprout Snack

Cooked
Gil's Sprout Fried Rice
Sprouted Bean Burgers
Awesome Potato Salad
Sprouted Bean Rice Pot
Sprouted Beans in Garlic Sauce