November is National Peanut Butter Lovers Month, so let’s look at some fun facts about one of our favorite foods:
- In 1884, Marcellus Gilmore Edson is credited with the first patent relating to the production of modern peanut butter. His finished product was the result of milling roasted peanuts between two heated surfaces.
- John Kellogg (creator of Kellogg’s cereal) patented a process for creating peanut butter from raw peanuts, in 1895.
- Ambrose Straub obtained a patent for a peanut-butter-making machine in 1903.
- About 540 peanuts are needed to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.
- In 1961, astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American to travel into space. Sometime before the flight, he was drinking at a bar in Santa Monica when the owner of the bar put a peanut in Shepard’s pocket and made him promise to take it into space. Shepard kept his promise and brought the peanut back from space. Can we call this the world’s first “astronut”? J
- By U.S. law, peanut butter must contain at least 90 percent peanuts.
- About 94 percent of American homes have at least one jar of peanut butter in their pantry.
- Harry Burnett Reese invented the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in 1928.
- It takes 3.2 gallons of water to produce 1 ounce of peanuts. To produce 1 ounce of almonds, you’ll need 28.7 gallons of water!
- If you are ever in Minnesota, try the “Lowden Zpecial” from a chain of restaurants called Zorbaz. This pizza has tomato sauce, peanut butter, extra cheese, pepperoni, and jalapenos. Boy, doesn’t that sound great? I’m hungry. Let’s all go and try one out!
