"Peabutter" Catches On As Substitute For Peanut Butter

"Peabutter" Catches On As Substitute For Peanut Butter FARM HOME Food 30-4-31 While the name, color and consistency are all very similar, "peabutter" and peanut butter have an important difference. Pea butter is completely safe for people who have nut allergies. As the number of people afflicted with this deadly allergy continues to rise, Norman and Caryll Carruthers of Legal, Alberta, are pleased to offer a tasty alternative. In doing so, they're also providing a market for a specialty variety of golden brown field peas. Peabutter was the brainchild of Joe and Pauline St. Denis, who originally developed, produced and brought it to market in 2002. Caryll Carruthers was one of St. Denis' employees until she and her husband purchased the company in 2004. Besides expanding the market for their "NoNuts Golden PeaButter," the Carruthers see potential for pea flour products. Peabutter's color and texture is almost identical to peanut butter, even though no artificial coloring is used. Its mild taste is also surprisingly similar to peanut butter. According to Caryll, the product can be used as a tasty ingredient in such things as both baked and unbaked squares and cookies, sauces, and energy bars, just to name a few. It can also be used to make "Peabutter Popcorn," which is like a caramel popcorn, but not nearly as sweet. "We contract out our pea production to farmers in north central Alberta and pay a premium price. We try to spread the locations around to reduce risk of crop failure due to such things as hail and drought," Norman says. "Once they're delivered to our plant, we clean, de-hull, clean them again and process them into flour. Then the flour is mixed with other ingredients and put into jars. Our pea butter also contains canola oil, a small amount of icing sugar, rapeseed and cottonseed oils, and monoglycerides." Because it can be used in baking, the couple is also working toward commercially marketing pea flour. It's gluten free, so pea flour will have special appeal to those suffering from Celiac Disease, another steadily increasing condition in recent years. (Celiacs can't tolerate gluten). NoNuts Golden Peabutter is available all across Canada in most of the major grocery chains. In the U.S., it's currently sold at a chain called Wegman's or you can order online at www.jsfoods.us). Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mountain Meadows Food Processing, 2004 Ltd., Norman and Caryll Carruthers, Site 13, Box 45, R.R.#1, Legal, Alberta, Canada T0G 1L0 (ph toll free 800 961-2470; info@peabutter.ca; www.peabutter.ca).

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