November Holidays

Well, we are well into November, so it is time to see what great agricultural products we are celebrating in our nation this month!  This month is a bit NuTtY as it is the month that we celebrate

Georgia Pecan Month,

Peanut Butter Lover's Month,  For all you peanut butter lover's out there--check out the peanut butter lover's website:  http://peanutbutterlovers.com/ . 

You can also find the recipe for this peanut butter lover's pie and many other fun recipes!!  Way more than just your PB&J, not that PB&J isn't an all time favorite for many--especailly MOM'S!!

Their site even includes spotlight's on peanut grower's in our nation!!  and November 23rd is designated as National Cashew Day!!  November is also home to Good Nutrition Month!!  So, enjoy good nutrition by adding pecans filled with antioxidants to your diet this month!

Pecan Facts

Every pecan pie uses 1/2 lb to 3/4 lb of pecans. It takes about 310 pecans halves to fill a one-pound bag. So there are about 78 pecans used in every pecan pie!

Pecans are the only tree nut that is truly native to the United States.

WHY A NATIONAL MONTH FOR GEORGIA PECANS??:  Georgia leads the nation in pecan production. Georgia has been the top pecan producing state in the nation since the late 1800s.

Pecans are one of the largest fruit-bearing trees. One irrigated, managed acre of pecan trees will produce about 1,000 pounds of pecans.

More than 500 varieties of pecans exist today. Over 1,000 cultivars have been released over the history of pecan culture. Only three are common and all three are available Georgia orchards.
America’s President, food connoisseur and gardener, Thomas Jefferson, was very taken by the flavor of pecans and had trees imported from Louisiana for his Monticello orchards.
In 1995, Georgia pecan wood was selected by the Atlanta Committee to make the handles of the torches for the 1996 Olympic Games. The torches were carried in the 15,000-mile U.S.A. relay and in the lighting of the Olympic flame in Atlanta on July 19, 1996.

(all info from the Georgia Pecan Commission)

PIZZA--America's Favorite Meal??

In celebration of October and National Pizza month, here are some fun facts about one of America's favorite meals!!  Also, one of my favorite home-made pizza recipes, and don't worry yet, it is really simple!  You can buy pre-made crust, biscuit doughs, or make your own--add your favorite BBQ sauce (I prefer Sweet Baby Ray's) and then saute onions and bell peppers and chicken breast or add shredded chicken, whichever you have on hand.  Add to crust and top with lots of mozzarella then bake for required time for crust (on my home-made dough, it is usually 20-25 minutes) And dinner is ready! YUM!!  Or you could swap the BBQ sauce for a bottle of Alfredo, add to it the chicken and diced green onion, plus a sprinkle of parmesan with the mozzarella, and you have another awesome pizza that breaks the pepperoni mold!

Anyway, here are some great fun facts to learn more about your pizza as you eat it!!  All come from the site below.

http://www.homemade-pizza-made-easy.com/pizza-facts.html

Pizza Facts:
The people of America eat around 350 slices of pizza each second, or 100 acres per day.

Each year, pizza is a $30 billion industry.

In the U.S., there are about 61,269 pizza parlors.

Everyone in the United States eats about 23 lbs., or 46 slices, every year.

Each year in the United States, 3 billion pizzas are sold.

In America, the most popular ethnic food is Italian.

Children ages 3-11 prefer pizza over all other foods for lunch and dinner, according to a recent Gallup Poll.

36 percent of all pizza orders want their pizza topping pepperoni.

We consume around 251,770,000 pounds of pepperonis every year.

A few popular pizzas toppings are: Mushrooms, Extra cheese, Sausage, Green Pepper, and Onion.

In the list of most popular pizza toppings in America, the last one is anchovies.

New gourmet pizza toppings have rapidly became popular. Some of those toppings include: Chicken, Oysters, Crayfish, Dandelions, Sprouts, Eggplant, Cajun Shrimp, Artichoke Hearts, Venison, Duck, Canadian-Style Bacon and Tuna.

Practically every kind of pizza topping has been tried by pizza chefs, some of those toppings being peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, and mashed potatoes.

Americans prefer meat toppings to veggie toppings by a ratio of 62 to 100. Women order twice as much vegetable toppings than men.

Some popular pizza toppings in Japan are squid and Mayo Jaga (mayonaise, potato and bacon).

In India they like pickled ginger, minced mutton and tofu. The people of Brazil prefer green peas for their topping. Russians serve pizza covered in mockba (a mix of sardines, tuna, mackeral, salmon and onions.)

Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112790/facts.htm
General Sales and Consumption Statistics: Pizza Facts
There are approximately 61,269 pizzerias in the United States. (Source: American Business Lists, Omaha, Nebraska)

Men wearing muscle shirts when answering the door order pepperoni three times more than any other kind of pizza. (San Jose Mercury News, Food Section, 1/11/95 )

Italian food ranks as the most popular ethnic food in America. (National Restaurant Association)

There are over 9,000 pizzeria's in New York alone. (The Tony Modica Pizza Dance Foundation)

94% of the population of the U.S. eats pizza. (Source: Parade Magazine)

Approximately 3 BILLION pizzas are sold in the U.S. each year...pizza fact.

Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza EACH DAY, or about 350 slices per second.

October is National Pizza Month. It was first so designated in 1987.

Pizzerias represent 17% of all restaurants. (Source: Food Industry News)

93% of Americans eat AT LEAST one pizza per month. (Source: Bolla Wines)

Each man, woman and child in America eats and average of 46 slices, (23 pounds), of pizza per year. (Source: Packaged Facts, New York)

Saturday night is the biggest night of the week for eating pizza.

Three of the top 10 weeks of pizza consumption occur in January. Another pizza fact: More pizza is consumed during Super Bowl week than any other week of the year. (Source: Kraft Foods, Northfield, Ill.)

U.S. Toppings: Pizza Facts
Pepperoni is America's favorite topping, (36% of all pizza orders). We eat approximately 251,770,000 pounds of Pepperoni per year. Other popular pizza toppings are, mushrooms, extra cheese, sausage, green pepper and onions.

Gourmet toppings are gaining ground in some areas of the country such as chicken, oysters, crayfish, dandelions, sprouts, eggplant, Cajun shrimp, artichoke hearts and tuna. More recent trends include game meats such as venison, duck and Canadian bacon.

Pizza makers have tried virtually every type of topping on pizza including peanut butter & jelly, bacon & eggs, and mashed potatoes.

Mozzarella cheese represents 30% of total cheese output. Production of Italian cheeses such as mozzarella, provolone, ricotta, parmesan and romano by U.S. cheese makers more than doubled between 1980 and 1992, (from 688.6 MILLION pounds per year to nearly 2 BILLION pounds per year. (Source: Cheese Market News)

Cheesy pizza fact: Manufacturers' sales of pizza cheese should top $32 BILLION by 2004. U.S. per capita consumption of mozzarella cheese was 7.93 pounds in 1994 and is predicted to reach 12.51 pounds by 2004. (Source: Business Trend Analysts, BTA)

62% of Americans prefer meat toppings on their pizza, while 38% prefer vegetarian toppings. (Source: Bolla Wines)

Barbeque pizza emerged as one of the more popular pizza variations in a 1994 study by the National Restaurant Association. Nearly 33% of menus offered some form of this dish. Other popular variations were Mexican pizza, five-cheese combos, cheeseless pies and traditional Italian pizzas such as Margherita, Florentine and New Potato Pizzas. (Source: NRA)

Anchovies are Americans' least favorite topping.

World-Wide Toppings: Pizza Facts
Some of the more popular international toppings are pickled ginger, minced mutton and tofu in India; squid and Mayo Jaga (mayonnaise, potato and bacon) in Japan; and green peas in Brazil. In Russia, they serve pizza covered with mockba; a combination of sardines, tuna, mackerel, salmon and onions. In France, a popular combo is called the Flambee with bacon, onion, and fresh cream. (Source: Domino's)

Around the world, toppings vary greatly, reflecting regional tastes and preferences. In Japan, for instance, eel and squid are favorites. In Pakistan, curry is a big seller. In Russia, red herring is the topping of choice. Australians enjoy shrimp and pineapple as well as barbeque toppings on their pies. Costa Ricans favor coconut. (Source: Numero Uno Pizzeria)

Vegetables for pizza toppings in Iceland are grown in greenhouses because of the lava terrain there. (Source: Domino's)

In the Netherlands, the "Double Dutch" is a favorite pizza recipe: double cheese, double onions, and double beef. (Source: Domino's)

In Saudi Arabia, all meat toppings must be 100% beef. Pork products are not consumed in the country. (Source: Domino's.)

Source: http://www.virgiliospizzeria.com/funfacts.htm

What's Popping? National Popcorn Popping Month and all the things about popcorn you never knew??

Okay, I have to admit, I LOVE POPCORN!!  I love it at the movies, I love it with caramel, I am especially fond of kettle corn.  And, I can defnitely eat my share of popcorn.  But, in celebration of October and National Popcron Popping month,  I decided it was time to learn more, and learn I did--did you know popcorn even has it's own national board??  Well, check out the info below, and especially the fun facts towards the bottom, cool stuff about popcorn, who knew??  Another great product courtesy of American Agriculture!!

All info below comes from:
http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa011501b.htm

Next time you're at the movies, with every crevice of you mouth stuffed with hot, buttery popcorn, think about this: The U.S. produces 498,000 TONS of popcorn every year, of which 103,000 tons is exported. That's more than would fit in the Mammoth Cave-sized tub the kid at the refreshment stand tried to sell you. Why, that's so much popcorn, we must need the oversight of the United States Popcorn Board.

The U.S. Government Popcorn Board comes from the Popcorn Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act signed by President Clinton, a big fan of popcorn, on April 4, 1996. Just so you'll know I am not making this up, here is a link to the actual law: [7 U.S. C. 7481-7491]

If you love the stuff, you will be happy to know that the Popcorn Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act tells us right off the top, that no lesser authority than the U.S. Congress finds, "popcorn is an important food that is a valuable part of the human diet." See. mom? Congress says so.

The nine-member Popcorn Board works to expand the popcorn market by conducting special promotions, research, and informing consumers of the qualities and economic importance of popcorn.

Membership is currently limited to nine U.S. processor chosen from among all processors who typically distribute over 4 million pounds of popcorn annually. Members are appointed to the board by the Secretary of Agriculture from a list of nominations submitted by the industry itself.

Funding for the board comes from assessments collected from all U.S. popcorn processors who distribute over 4 million pounds per year, with annual individual assessments limited to $81,000.

Under this arrangement, the popcorn industry itself pretty much covers the cost of the Popcorn Board.
The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) monitors the Popcorn Board's administration of the program.
Popcorn Production, Export and Import

According to the latest Census of Agriculture (Census) data, domestic production of popcorn totaled over 996 million shelled pounds in 1997. Popcorn is grown in 25 States. According to the Census, the top five major popcorn-producing States in 1997 were Nebraska (27 percent), Indiana (21 percent), Illinois (13 percent), Ohio (9 percent), and Missouri (6 percent).

U.S. exports of popcorn totaled 206 million pounds in 1999 (down from 219 million pounds in 1998), with a value of $58 million (down $8 million from 1998). Popcorn was exported to over 90 countries. The two largest export markets in 1999 were Mexico (with 17 percent of the poundage exported) and Canada (with 14 percent). Other major destinations for U.S. popcorn included Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Denmark, the Philippines, and Japan.

Nearly all of the world's popcorn production is in the United States, and imports are usually minimal. In 1999, only 0.3 million pounds were imported from all countries. Normally, small amounts are imported from Canada and Argentina.
The U.S. Popcorn Board

**PoPcOrN FaCtS and FuN!!** Running out of things to say to your blind date? Then pop up with some of these tidbits:

•In an average bag of popcorn, the number of yellow kernels will outnumber the white ones by 9 to 1.
•It is believed that popcorn was the very first form of corn to be cultivated.
•The oldest ears of popcorn ever found were discovered in the Bat Cave of west central New Mexico in 1948 and 1950. Ranging from smaller than a penny to about 2 inches, the oldest Bat Cave ears are about 5,600 years old.
•In southwestern Utah, a 1,000-year-old popped kernel of popcorn was found in a dry cave inhabited by predecessors of the Pueblo Indians. (There may be older ones than that under a cushion of my sofa.)

•Americans today consume 17.3 billion quarts of popped popcorn each year. The average American eats about 68 quarts.
•The ancient way to pop corn was to heat sand in a fire and stir kernels of popcorn in when the sand was fully heated.

•In 1945, Percy Spencer discovered that when popcorn was placed under microwave energy, it popped. This led to experiments with other foods, and the birth of the microwave oven.

**WhY PoPcOrN PoPs!**

Each kernel contains a small drop of water inside a circle of soft starch surrounded by the hard outer surface. As the kernel heats, the drop of water expands and pressure starts to build up. When the hard surface eventually gives way, the popcorn explodes. During the explosion, the soft starch inside the kernel inflates and bursts, turning the entire kernel inside out.

Varieties of popcorn are grown to pop into two distinctive shapes: "snowflake," the large popcorn sold in theaters and ball parks; and mushroom, the smaller variety used in popcorn candies and snacks.

A Whole List of Honey-Do's for You!

September is still not over, so that means it is still time to to celebrate National Honey Month with a few fun facts and tidbits that you probably didn't know, but just might sweeten your day!!  All of my facts an info come from the National Honey Board's website at Honey.com

Honey is honey, it’s just that simple. A bottle of pure honey contains the natural sweet substance produced by honey bees from the nectar of plants or secretions of living parts of plants. Nothing else.

When scientists begin to look for all of the elements found in this wonderful product of nature, they find a complex of naturally flavored sugars as well as trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids. Honey is made by bees in one of the world’s most efficient facilities, the beehive. The 60,000 or so bees in a beehive may collectively travel as much as 55,000 miles and visit more than two million flowers to gather enough nectar to make just a pound of honey!

The color and flavor of honey differ depending on the bees’ nectar source (the blossoms). In fact, there are more than 300 unique kinds of honey in the United States, originating from such diverse floral sources as Clover, Eucalyptus and Orange Blossoms. In general, lighter colored honeys are mild in flavor, while darker honeys are usually more robust in flavor.

How do bees make honey?

Honey is the sweet fluid produced by honey bees from the nectar of flowers. Worker honey bees transform the floral nectar that they gather into honey by adding enzymes to the nectar and reducing the moisture.

Here's what  I learned about the different forms that honey comes in:

Comb Honey - Comb honey is honey in its original form; that is, honey inside of the honeycomb. The beeswax comb is edible!

Cut Comb - Cut comb honey is liquid honey that has added chunks of the honey comb in the jar. This is also known as a liquid-cut comb combination.

Liquid Honey - Free of visible crystals, liquid honey is extracted from the honey comb by centrifugal force, gravity or straining. Because liquid honey mixes easily into a variety of foods, it’s especially convenient for cooking and baking. Most of the honey produced in the United States is sold in the liquid form.

Naturally Crystallized Honey - Naturally crystallized honey is honey in which part of the glucose content has spontaneously crystallized. It is safe to eat.

Whipped (or Cremed) Honey - While all honey will crystallize in time, whipped honey (also known as cremed honey) is brought to market in a crystallized state. The crystallization is controlled so that, at room temperature, the honey can be spread like butter or jelly. In many countries around the world, whipped honey is preferred to the liquid form especially at breakfast time.

Thought You'd Rice to Know....

Hi!  Have you had your rice today?? 

You may not realized it, but in China, that is about the same as asking "How are you Today?"  Want to know more interesting facts and legends about rice from cultures around the world--read here:  http://www.menurice.com/All_About_Rice/Rice_Variety/Legends.asp

In celebration of National Rice Month, I wanted to share what I have learned.  Rice is a staple of life for my family, along with potatoes, it is on the menu at least once a week.  I was really surprised to hear what I did about rice, I always assumed most of it was grown out of the nation and didn't realize how much is produced by Americans.  And, my family is just a itty-bitty speck out of the 2/3's of our world's population that's diet is sustained by rice.

Rice in the United States:

"Over the past 25 years, the demand by U.S. consumers for milled rice has tripled. That astonishing rate of growth is unsurpassed by any other grain. So who’s growing all that rice?

In large part, U.S. farmers are. U.S.-grown rice accounts for nearly 90 percent of the rice consumed in this country. And it is also in demand abroad because of its exceptional quality.

Rice is picky about where it grows. Only a few states have the climate and soil suitable for commercial rice production. In alphabetical order, they are Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. Can you guess which state is the largest producer? (See answer below.) All of these states primarily grow long-grain rice, except California which produces primarily medium-grain rice. The latter is prized by consumers in Northeast Asia for its exceptional cooking and eating quality.

The top rice-producing states? Arkansas ranks first, followed by California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Missouri." (All information and facts, above and below come from : http://www.menurice.com/ )

Rice has been around since 5,000 years ago in China, but how did it come to the U.S.???
"Early American colonists began cultivating rice quite by accident. In 1685, a storm-battered ship from Madagascar reached Charles Towne harbor in South Carolina. As a gift for repairing the ship, the ship’s captain gave local planters a small quantity of “Golden Seede Rice.”

Fresh-water marshes of the Carolinas and Georgia proved ideal growing environments for rice production. In truth, the rich, wet flood plains could grow little else. By 1700, rice had become a major crop for colonists. Bills of sale from that year record that 300 tons of “Carolina Golde Rice” was shipped to England.

The substantial hand-labor requirements of growing rice led to the plantation era of the southern states. Farming equipment of the time was ill suited to the demands of soggy soil preparation, planting, harvesting and threshing of the grain. Even small tracts of rice production required hundreds of manual laborers.

By 1726, the Port of Charleston was exporting nearly 4,500 metric tons of “Carolina Golde,” which had become the world standard of rice quality. By the time of the American Revolution, rice had become one of the nation’s major business enterprises.

Upheavals of the Civil War, combined with the ravages of hurricanes and competition from other crops, pushed rice agriculture westward. It was during this time that rice became a major crop in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Not until mechanized farming methods became practical in the 1880s would southern rice crops become viable again.

The California gold rush of 1849 spawned a rice boom in the far west. A steady influx of Chinese immigrants created demand that prompted growers in the Sacramento Valley to plant and harvest the grain. By 1920, California had become a major rice-growing state.

From its humble beginnings in South Carolina, rice continues to be an important U.S. agricultural product and export. The high quality of U.S.-grown rice is respected the world over. So are our innovative growing and production methods. New techniques have reduced the time spent in fields to just seven man-hours per acre while some Asian growers still require 300!"

What kinds of Rice are out There?

Long Grain: Kernels are slender and four to five times as long as they are wide. When cooked the grains are separate, light and fluffy.

•Rice varieties: U.S. long grain brown, white and parboiled, U.S. jasmine, U.S. basmati, U.S. aromatic red

•Great for: Entrées, rice bowls, pilafs, stuffings, rice salads, jambalaya and more

Medium Grain: Kernels are two to three times as long as they are wide. The cooked grains are moist and tender, with a greater tendency to cling, a desirable characteristic in many dishes.
•Rice varieties: U.S. medium grain brown and white, U.S. arborio, U.S. black japonica
•Great for: Sushi, rice bowls, risotto, paella, rice puddings, desserts

Short Grain: Kernels are plump and almost round in shape. After cooking, the grains are soft and clingy.
•Rice varieties: U.S. short grain, U.S. sweet
•Great for: Sushi, paella, Asian dishes, rice puddings, desserts


So why is Brown or Whole Grain Rice Better for you??
"When it comes from the growing field, each grain of rice is enclosed in a tough hull, or husk, which must be removed. Underneath is the nutritious whole grain, which may be brown, reddish or even black, depending on the color of the bran layers. All rice may be eaten at this stage, but most are processed further.


Under the hull are the bran and germ which are high in vitamins, minerals, oil and various phytonutrients proposed to have health-benefits. Rice at this stage is 100% whole grain.

Remove the bran and germ and what remains is the endosperm, the white rice enjoyed throughout the world. To replace some of the nutrients lost in milling, most North American processors apply a thin coat of thiamine, niacin, iron and folic acid to milled rice to produce what is known as enriched rice.
To recap:
Whole-grain rice (sometimes called brown rice): longer cooking time; more fiber; high in vitamins, minerals, oil and various phytonutrients; shorter shelf life which can be extended using cool storage temperatures.
Milled rice: shorter cooking time; enriched to restore nutrient value; longer shelf life."

Well, I hope you learned a little more about Rice today than you knew yesterday, but most of all, I hope you know a little bit more about American Agriculture today than you did yesterday and all of the great things that our nations Ag Producers are providing for you!!