Fun Facts

Fun fact! Potatoes were first introduced to North America in 1691, and first planted in New Hampshire in 1719. Click to learn more.

Fun fact! Sugar plants in the U.S. and Brazil burn bagasse, a byproduct of sugar production, to produce electricity in their plants. Click to read more.

Fun fact! Flour made from yellow mustard is a very good emulsifying agent and stabilizer often used in sauces and prepared meats.

Fun fact! Oil from fig seeds has a 30% fatty acid composition that includes oleic, linoleic, linolenic, palmitic, stearic and arachidic fatty acids.

Fun fact! European varieties of plums are predominantly grown for processing into prunes, while Japanese varieties of plums are grown exclusively for the fresh market.

Fun fact! To make one can of jellied cranberry sauce requires about 200 cranberries.

Fun fact! To make one pound of raisins, it takes about 4-4.5 pounds of green grapes.

Fun fact! New Jersey leads the nation in the acres of eggplant harvested. In 2019, the state harvested 849 acres.

Fun fact! The flowers and leaves of sweet potato plants are in fact edible and can be prepared similarly to spinach.

Fun fact! Only 3% of U.S. corn production, annually, is used toward human consumption.

Fun fact! Early European settlers in the United States would serve popcorn as a breakfast cereal with milk or cream.

Fun fact! The paper and pulp industry can use fiber from the stem of flax plants for linen sheets, napkins, tablecloths, clothing, as well as fine papers like parchment paper and cigarette paper.

Fun fact! Use of added sugar (from cane and beets) peaked in 1972 at 102 pounds per person for the year. Read more!

Pecans have among the highest antioxidant capacity of common tree nuts, with 17,940 ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) units per 100 grams. Click to learn more!

Fun fact! In California, sugarbeets are planted each month except July and August. Click to read more!

Fun fact! Rye is believed to have originated in Southwestern Asia, but in the first millennia rye moved to Northern Europe before spreading to the rest of Europe.

Fun fact! Mustard can be used as a cover crop to suppress soil born pests. When mustard plants that are still green are incorporated into soil and decomposition starts, glucosinolates are released. It is the breakdown products of these glucosinolates that are thought to have biofumigant properties.

Fun fact! In addition to their well-known red color, raspberries are also grown in black (not to be confused with blackberries), purple, and yellow varieties.

Fun fact! There are only three states in the United States that grow dragon fruit commercially: California, Florida, and Hawaii.

Fun fact! Currently, all sunflowers for oil production are developed using traditional breeding techniques, with no GMO sunflowers currently in production.

Fun fact! Research is being done into the economic feasibility of using oil from the camelina plant to create biofuels, potentially as an alternative to conventional jet fuel, for example.

Fun fact! Cottonseed oil places third behind soybean and corn oil in production volume, used commonly as a salad and cooking oil, as well as in shortening or margarine.

Fun fact! The income from direct honey-bee pollination of U.S. agriculture can far exceed the value of wax and honey. In 2017, income from direct honey-bee pollination was estimated to be $453 million.

Fun fact! To extend the growing season for berries, farmers use high tunnel production, which are large hoop houses covered in plastic that cost a fraction of greenhouses.

Fun fact! Fig leaves are used as perfume material in Southern France for a woody-mossy scent.

Fun fact! The “everbearing” type of strawberry plant has a misleading name because it only produces fruit two-three times per year during spring and/or summer and fall.

Fun fact! Spanish missionaries introduced grape-growing and winemaking knowledge to Mexico, California, and other parts of the United States in the 18th century.

Fun fact! Mulberry leaves are palatable and easy to digest for herbivorous animals, so many countries use mulberry leaves as the main forage for goats, sheep, and rabbits.