Peanuts – The official state crop of Georgia raked in $1.1 billion in 2013.
What are Georgia peanuts used for?
Official State Crop of Georgia
More than half of the harvested peanuts are used in the production of peanut butter (Americans consume more than 700 million pounds of peanut butter each year).
Who is the peanut State?
In 2019, Georgia (nearly 50 percent) grew the largest proportion of all peanuts followed by Florida (over 11 percent), Alabama (over 10 percent), Texas (over nine percent), North Carolina (over eight percent), and South Carolina (over four percent).
Is Georgia known for peanuts?
Georgia is the number one producer of peanuts in the United States, and Georgia peanut farmers provide more than 45 percent of the U.S. peanut crop each year. Georgia peanuts produce a farm gate value of well over $600 million.
Where did the peanut originate?
The peanut, while grown in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world, is native to the Western Hemisphere. It probably originated in South America and spread throughout the New World as Spanish explorers discovered the peanut’s versatility.
Which state grows the best peanuts?
Peanuts are also called goobers, goober peas, pindars, ground nuts, earth nuts, monkey nuts, and grass nuts. Peanuts are members of the pea family. Georgia is the largest producer of peanuts in the U.S. Alabama is ranked second. The first peanuts grown in the United States were grown in Virginia.
What month are peanuts harvested in Georgia?
From planting to harvesting, the growing cycle of a peanut takes four to five months, depending on the type and variety. HOW DO PEANUTS GROW? PLANTING. The peanut harvesting starts in September and continues through October in Georgia.
Who grows the most peanuts in the world?
China
World production of peanuts was approximately 47 million metric tons in 2020, with China being the world’s largest producer. The United States is the fourth largest producer (2020) and exports about 25-30% of production. In 2020, about 56% of the peanuts grown were made into peanut butter.
Why are Virginia peanuts so good?
Considered the “gourmet” peanut variety, Virginia peanuts have large kernels, and are the variety you get in the shell at ballpark stadiums. Because of their large size and premium characteristics, this variety is best suited for snacking instead of in peanut butter.
Who invented peanut butter?
In 1884 Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Canada patented peanut paste, the finished product from milling roasted peanuts between two heated surfaces. In 1895 Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (the creator of Kellogg’s cereal) patented a process for creating peanut butter from raw peanuts.
What fruit is Georgia famous?
Peaches
Peaches. Of course, the peach’s distinction can’t be denied. The state’s iconic fruit has thrived here since the late 1500s. Fresh Georgia peaches are available from May to August, and this sweet fruit is never in short supply.
What is Georgia’s state fruit?
Peach
But in popular culture, Georgia will always be the Peach State, and the peach became Georgia’s official state fruit on April 7, 1995, Today in Georgia History.
What is a famous food in Georgia?
7 Iconic Georgia Foods You Need To Try
- Peaches. Home cooks and chefs around the state use peaches in pies, jams, jellies, ice cream, and of course, peach cobbler.
- Fried Chicken.
- Peanuts.
- Lowcountry Boil.
- Shrimp and Grits.
- Buttermilk Pie.
- Pimento Cheese.
- 7 Romantic Weekend Getaways in Georgia.
Did a black man invent peanut butter?
The African American agricultural scientist invented more than 300 products from the peanut plant.
Why do Southerners boil peanuts?
Letters and memoirs from the Civil War tell us Confederate soldiers were without the basics of bread or meat, especially toward the end of the war. Peanuts were an available food and could be carried wherever they went. On the trail, soldiers roasted or boiled peanuts over campfires and added salt as a preservative.
Why do they boil peanuts?
The process of boiling peanuts draws antioxidants from their shells. The boiled peanuts have four times the antioxidants of raw or roasted peanuts. Boiled peanuts have also been studied as a potential way to treat people with peanut allergies since boiling peanuts denatures proteins that trigger allergic reactions.
What’s the peanut Capital of the world?
Dothan, Alabama
Dothan, Alabama, “Peanut Capital of the World.” The peanuts located all over town depict various forms of peanuts | Library of Congress.
Why do peanuts split in half?
See that little nub on the end of the peanut below? That’s an embryo. See the cute lil’ embryo? The peanut is really just a seed, which, when planted in soil, grows into a peanut plant.
What are the four types of peanuts?
U.S. peanuts fall into four basic types: Runner, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia. Each of these peanuts is distinctive in size and flavor.
Can you eat peanuts right out of the ground?
In conclusion, raw peanuts are safe to eat, and in fact the many health benefits of peanuts and other tree nuts outweigh the potential health risks.
What county in Georgia produces the most peanuts?
With 700-plus acres in peanuts, Eddie Miller of 4 Miller Farms in Seminole County, Georgia, produced the highest yield — 6,880 pounds of peanuts per acre.