Peanuts. Pexels / Pixabay.com / 2014 / CC0 1.0
The 13th of September is Peanut Day.
Peanuts are a very common, affordable food, but still it’s easy to let time slide by without having any, so… have some peanuts today!
Peanuts can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes, and are, of course, also a snack food par excellence, with good levels of protein, fibre and unsaturated fat. Though remember, they still pack a lot of calories too, so snack moderately on them, especially if they are salted.
In the American south, peanuts are also eaten boiled, and deep-fried right in their shells. [1]Isom, Cathy. Celebrating National Peanut Day. South East AgNet. 13 September 2018. Accessed August 2021 at http://southeastagnet.com/2018/09/13/celebrating-national-peanut-day-2/
Do you like peanuts already shelled, or do you like to shell your own to slow you down eating them? Do you like them plain, salted, honey roasted, or with another type of coating?
When they shell peanuts for you in factories, those peanut shells don’t go to waste: they can be used industrially for many things, from kitty litter to artificial fireplace logs.
At least two U.S. presidents, Jefferson and Carter, grew peanuts.
A peanut, of course, is not really a nut. It is a legume that grows underground, but we treat it as a nut. It’s part of the pea family. Think about its name: pea nut. Now you’ll never be able to unsee that again.
If ever you want to request the Planters®️Nutmobile to come to an event in your community, here is the request form: Planters®️Nutmobile.
See also: Peanuts, Runner Peanuts, Spanish Peanuts, Valencia Peanuts, Virginia Peanuts, Peanut Day, Peanut Butter Day, Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, Peanut Brittle Day
Activities for today
- Take a bag of roasted peanuts into work to share;
- make a recipe that calls for peanuts in some form;
- have peanuts as a topping on an ice cream dessert;
- sprinkle peanuts on top of a salad;
- try making your own peanut butter from peanuts;
- try some peanuts in Coke today;
- have some candy or a chocolate bar with peanuts in it, such as Snickers.
Recipes
- Kunde
- Pork Peanut Butter Cookies
- Ribs in Peanut Sauce
- Pressure canning green peanuts in shell (National Center for Home Food Preservation)
History
In the 1950s through to at least the 1980s, the Kiwanis organized a National Peanut Day on the fourth Friday of September. They sold peanuts on this day to raise money for their work:
“The Austin Kiswanis club today launches its second annual Peanut Day. Something new has been added to the contest this year, however. A Mr. Peanut will be selected as well as a Miss Peanut. The judging will be done on the basis of short essays which the contestants will be asked to write. And — best of all — the boy and girl winner will each receive a fancy bicycle. The contest will reach its climax on National Peanut Day, set for Sept. 24, when the king and queen will help members of the Kiwanis club sell peanuts to raise funds for youth activities sponsored by the Austin group.” — Kiwanis Open Peanut Day Contest. Austin, Texas: The Austin News. Wednesday, 18 August 1954. Page 1, col. 7.
There’s a 1966 mention of this Peanut Day in Illinois.
“Friday, Sept. 23 is National Kiwanis Peanut Day which will be observed in Sycamore. Proceeds are used to sponsor youth projects in the community.” — Kiwanians Induct New Members. De Kalb, Illinois: The Daily Chronicle. Wednesday, 21 September 1966. Page 17, col. 3.
The Kiwanis Peanut Day was still ongoing in the 1980s [2]Peanut Days. Streator, Illinois: The Times. Saturday, 24 September 1983. Page 1, col. 4. and in the 1990s, print media still referred to National Peanut Day being on the fourth Friday of September.
By 2001, though, sadly, print mention of the day was suddenly disconnected from its origins raising money for community projects, and becoming just another nonsense food holiday, lurched to the fixed date of September the 13th:
“13th [September]: Positive Thinking Day, National Peanut Day, Defy Superstition Day. Here’s your mantra: ‘Nothing can possibly go wrong today, like choking on a rotten goober, even if I forget to wear my special lucky socks.’ — September. San Francisco, California: San Francisco Examiner. Sunday, 2 September 2001. Page C1, col 2.
The 2001 mention attributes the source for the day just as “internet sources”.
Sources
Blakinger, Keri. For Sept. 13 National Peanut Day, here are 13 fun facts about peanuts. New York, NY: 13 September 2015. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/national-peanut-day-13-fun-facts-peanuts-article-1.2355374
McKinney, Christian. 5 Ways to Eat Your Way Through National Peanut Day. Albany, Georgia: WALB TV. Accessed March 2019 at https://www.southgeorgiaweekend.com/5-ways-to-eat-your-way-through-national-peanut-day/
Peanut Day. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Accessed March 2019 at https://food.unl.edu/september-food-calendar#peanut