Living: Peanut Envy

Fighting the goober crunch

However thin you spread it, peanut butter is in short supply and increasingly expensive as a result of last summer's drought in the producing states. The impending sandwich crisis may be averted, however. From Texas, which also helps fill the oil gap, comes a substitute spread that sticks to roofs of mouths as fondly as the real stuff. Made from organically grown glandless cotton nut kernels mixed with 15% peanut oil, the American nut butter is higher in protein and lower in calories than peanut preserve. The Madeleine & Charlotte's brand, available in chunky salted and creamy unsalted varieties, is already selling in West Coast supermarkets for $1.49 per 16-oz. jar (vs. $2.35 for 18 oz. of goober butter). Texas ranchers are putting their money where the chunky clings by planting 55,000 acres of the hybrid cotton seed. Jelly supplies remain firm.

Another alternative to peanut butter is sunflower spread. It has the texture and appearance of peanut butter and sells for $1.99 per 18-oz. jar. In addition to roasted sunflower seeds, ingredients include hydrogenated rape seed, which is commonly fed to birds and is said not to stick to beaks. As for the flavor, both cottonseed and sunflower spreads compare to the real thing like, say, California sauternes to Chateau d'Yquem. ∎