5 facts about Alabama peanuts on National Peanut Day
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Did you know that today, September 13th, is National Peanut Day? We picked out some fun facts to help you celebrate National Peanut Day in Birmingham!
Did you know?
We have one man to thank for the wide popularity of peanuts in the United States: George Washington Carver. Born a slave, Carver went on to become a prolific artist, chemist, botanist and professor at Tuskeegee Institute. Most famously, Carver developed techniques to improve soils depleted by repeated plantings of cotton by encouraging farmers to grow other crops, such as peanuts. In fact, he created a list of 105 uses for peanuts.
Here are some fun facts about this popular snack!
- Peanuts go by many names, such as goobers, goober peas, pindars, ground nuts, earth nuts, and grass nuts.
- It takes roughly 810 peanuts to make a single 18-ounce jar of peanut butter.
- The National Peanut Festival, held each year in Dothan, Alabama, is the largest peanut festival in the United States.
- Speaking of Dothan, nearly half of all peanuts grown in the United States are grown within 100 miles of Dothan. In fact, Dothan is known as the Peanut Capital of the World!
- Two famous peanut farmers have gone on to be U.S. Presidents—Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter.
Where to Find Peanuts in Birmingham
When I have a craving for peanuts in Birmingham, there’s one place I can always count on—Alabama Peanut Co. Although you can find their peanuts all across Birmingham, the company’s home base is the “Peanut House” on Morris Avenue. Since 1907, the building at 2016 Morris Avenue has been always home to a peanut company—in fact, Alabama Peanut Co. still uses the original antique peanut roasters!
Aside from their home base, Alabama Peanut Co. operates a stand at ORE Mercantile and offers home delivery of peanuts, hot-roasted and packed fresh each day in Birmingham.
- Alabama Peanut Co.: 205.538.7422 | Website | Facebook | Instagram