- Because who doesn't love peanuts and fun facts?
National Peanut Day is today, September 13th . Here are a bunch of peanut fun facts to celebrate, well, peanuts!
- In the U.S., it’s illegal to label a product “peanut butter” if it’s less than 90% peanuts.
- For every 12oz jar of peanut butter, there are over 500 peanuts stuffed in.
- The phrase “peanut gallery” comes from the 1800’s. People in the audience upper levels of stage productions would throw peanuts at performers when they weren’t happy with the show.
- Women, children, and people on the West Coast prefer creamy peanut butter, while most men and people on the East Coast prefer chunky peanut butter, statistically.
- March is National Peanut Month. Did you know this as one of the peanut fun facts?
- Farmers harvest peanuts 140 to 150 days after planting.
- Peanuts have the most efficient water use carbon footprint.
- The US has a yearly export of over 200,000 tons of peanuts.
- Peanuts make money! They’re the 18th most valuable crop worldwide.
- Despite the name, peanut aren’t actually nuts, they’re legumes and they grow underground.
- George Washington Carver didn’t really invent peanut butter but he is known as the “plant doctor” and the “grandfather of peanuts.” He discovered many ways to use peanuts.
- The more popular peanuts are “in a place” the less peanut allergies there are.
- Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth.
- The city “Peanut” exists in six different places around the United States. Peanut, California; Peanut, Tennessee; Peanut, Pennsylvania; Lower Peanut, Pennsylvania; Upper Peanut, Pennsylvania; and Peanut West Virginia.
- Two of our former presidents were peanut farmers. How fun is this as one of the peanut fun facts? They were Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter.
- It takes almost five gallons of water to process 1oz of peanuts. (In comparison, it takes 80 gallons of water for 1oz of almonds.)
- Did you know there’s a Guinness World Record for how far a person has thrown a peanut. Colin Jackson holds the record for a distance of 124ft and 4 inches.
- Mr. Peanut, of Planters, is over 100 years old. In 1999, he got his own peanut shaped car, named the NutMobile.
- Peanut flowers are yellow.
- Peanuts are the most sustainable nut, from roots to hulls, no part of the plant goes to waste.
- Half of the top ten best selling candy bars in the US have peanuts in them.
- There are enough peanuts in one acre to make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches. This is one of the best of the peanut fun facts!
- Another record about peanuts? The most peanut butter and jelly sandwiches eaten in one minute was six sandwiches.
- Peanut shells cans make fire kindling, logs, packing material, compost or even kitty litter.
- Runner, Virginia, Spanish, and Valencia are the four different types of peanuts.
- The average American eats more than 6 pounds of peanuts and peanut butter products every year.
- Peanuts are naturally cholesterol-free.
- The average peanut farm is 200 acres.
- Peanuts are the 7th most valuable crop in the United States.
- Georgia is the largest producer of peanuts in the US. The state accounts for over half of the peanuts produced annually.
- The largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich goes to Grand Saline, TX. The sandwich weighed in at 1,342 pounds.
- Peanut products have been used to treat malnutrition in emergency situations. Peanuts literally save lives.
- “Goober” is a nickname for peanuts. The word comes from “nguba,” the word for peanut in the Congo.
- Mr. Peanut was created by 13-year-old Antonio Gentile. There was a logo contest held by Planters in 1916 and he won the grand prize of $5.00.
How much do you love all these peanut fun facts? Will you celebrate National Peanut Day?