Peanut butter is one of those foods that we all like to eat unless we are allergic to peanuts.  It goes great alone, on bread or crackers, on celery, or baked into a dessert or entree.

But, have you ever read the label?  I had not until a co-worker mentioned that her family only buys peanut butter that contains peanuts and salt with nothing else added.

I had just purchased a jar of organic peanut butter at Walmart.  It included peanuts, salt and palm oil.

The next time I was at Central Market, I purchased a jar that contained just roasted peanuts.  It was tasty.  I didn’t feel like it lacked in flavor.

With the all natural nut butter, the only thing you have to get used to is stirring up your peanut butter before you use it.  The solids and liquids separate when it sits on the shelf.  I drained off some of the oil, mixed the jar real well and stored the jar in the fridge.  Keeping the peanut butter refrigerated prevents it from separating.

If you are using some of our childhood favorite brands, you may notice your peanut butter contains all sorts of things, like corn syrup, hydrogenated vegetable oils and sugar.

When I was a child, I remember going to the state fair and watching them make peanut butter in a big machine by just grinding up peanuts.  We stood in a long line to taste a sample.  We can have that same peanut flavor by just reading the label before we purchase our next jar of peanut butter.