I was invited on a Texas Peanuts Tour where I was hosted for a few days in Lubbock, TX to learn about peanut farming. Until this trip, my knowledge of peanuts was very limited. I am not sure how I have gotten through 37 years of life without really thinking through many of the foods we eat are grown and produced. I think most Americans probably do not think about the process but instead just the end product.
This was the 2nd time I had been invited onto a private property to learn the process of farming. The first trip I took like this was hosted by cattle ranchers. We learned all about the process of raising cattle. I recall walking away from that trip with so much respect for the process. The process is lengthly and full of systems and felt like a whole new world from what I was every exposed to. This Texas Peanut Tour felt the a lot of the same.
As I stood in the peanut field listening to the farmer, I felt so grateful for his hard work. He shared that it’s super risky and he has EVERYTHING he owns on the line every year. I’m thankful that it has worked out for him for the past few years because without farmers like him, we would be buying our peanuts from over seas. This would likely come with a higher cost as shipping them across the ocean would be pricey.
Peanut Facts
Here are a few facts that I would love to pass on that you might find fascinating:
1.) Peanuts grow under ground and are actually NOT a nut. They are more of a legume.
2.) The earlier you can introduce peanuts into your babies diet, the less likely they will have a peanut allergy. (This was new info for me!) The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network state that 0.6 percent of people in the United States have a peanut allergy, and that up to 20 percent of them are likely to outgrow it.
3.) Supporting the Farm bills that helps our local farmers is important. We need them. We count on them, but we can’t expect them to continue without our support.
4.) Farming is a super risky business. Farmers can’t predict the weather and that plays a big role in how their crops grow and develop. There are less and less future farmers. Most farmers are 2nd or 3rd generation farmers who grew up watching their family do the hard work.
5.) Peanuts account for two-thirds of all snack nuts consumed in the U.S. (the Birdsong Peanut plant probably touched your Payday nuts if you enjoy those bars!) My personal favorite sweet treat is Reeses and we all know there are lots of nuts in those!
For more information, check out the Texas Peanut Board website!
[…] coming home from the Texas Peanut Tour, I have been playing around with peanuts more in the kitchen. They are easy to slip into salads, […]