Growing up, I knew how lucky I was to have my paternal grandmother, Omega Long, living just 15 minutes down the road. Gran’s butter-yellow Cadillac was a welcome surprise in the school carpool line, her slightly off-key singing voice kept me entertained in the church pews on Sunday morning, and her dining room table was the joyful location of many family celebrations.
Each year on Christmas Day, my parents, sister, and I would head over to Gran’s house in the evening for what felt like an upscale holiday dinner party for five. She’d pull out her favorite lace tablecloth, lay out her Spode Christmas Tree china, and use place cards calligraphed by her neighbor. These evenings were an occasion to dress up and try out my best manners.
Before we’d claim our places at the table, Gran would have us gather for drinks and snacks in the living room by the Christmas tree. As she laid out the appetizers on the coffee table, there was always a familiar can with a green label: Hubs Virginia Peanuts. They were usually a gift from her next-door neighbor, and as a lifelong Virginian, Gran couldn’t imagine hosting Christmas without them.
Founded in Sedley, Virginia in 1954, Hubs was the dream of former school teacher Dot Hubbard, who aspired to bring the authentic taste of her father’s farm-grown peanuts to communities beyond her home county. With her husband HJ, Dot was able to scale the business and eventually make her gourmet peanuts accessible to hosts across the country and around the world.
Seventy years later, the peanuts are still cooked in Sedley—a fact my grandmother reminded us of every time she opened a can.
https://www.southernliving.com/canned-snack-review-11858368
