GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - It’s peanut harvest season in eastern North Carolina, and farmers in Pitt County are making one of the most important decisions of the year.

One Pitt County Ag Agent shows how a process called “pod blasting” helps determine when peanuts are ready for harvest.

Every September, Pitt County farmers bring their peanut plants to this facility off Old River Road called the Charles Tucker and Son Peanut Company.

The process is called pod-blasting. Agents pressure wash the outer layers of the peanuts to reveal the mesocarp, the inside layer of the shell.

The color tells growers exactly when to dig up their crops.

“Pod blasting is the most important decision a grower makes all season. The color shows us maturity. If you dig too early, you lose the younger peanuts. The

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