First, the Peanut Butter Story

A few weeks ago, I went peanut-butter making at the Church's cannery here in Houston.  I learned that this cannery produces 300,000 jars of peanut butter each year!

After an orientation video, donning appropriate hair net, apron, and gloves, we headed back to do the dirty work.  It was very interesting!

Here are the peanuts ready to get dumped into the machine which shells them.  That is a huge bag of peanuts!

Everyone was given a job to do.  My partner and I volunteered to be "mixers."  This meant that it was our job to mix up the secret formula!  Here is out station.

Do you see that big mixer?  It has a special story.  When the Houston temple discontinued its food service, the mixer was donated to the cannery.  Isn't that cool?

After mixing up a batch, we would have to climb to the top of this little platform and dump it into the machine.  Then we would use a big spoon to stir the peanuts which just came from the roaster!

These guys are making sure there are no burnt peanuts getting thru!

This photo is out of order, but this is where we would stir the peanuts coming from the roaster.

Then the peanuts get combined with the mix and get pumped into jars.  These people are making sure that the jars are full and each gets a lid.  Then the jars go under a microwave to seal them.

Then they go thru the labeler.

And down the conveyer belt to be boxed.

Here is the finished product!  Yum!

And here we are - looking fabulous in our cannery garb.

I have to admit the best part was when they were draining the machine at the end of the night and we got to eat warm peanut butter right out of the machine.  Yum-my!  

The worst part, of course, was cleaning up.  Every single inch of that peanut butter maker had to be cleaned before we could leave.  

But all in all, it was a fun evening!