Peanut Lovers Are Coming Out Of Their Shells All Across The Country

Peanuts are grown commercially in 15 states-Georgia, Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Carolina, Louisiana, Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, California and Tennessee-and served in a wide variety of ways throughout the country.

That means it's possible for peanut fans to take their love of peanuts on the road.

• Celebrate USA-grown peanuts at peanut festivals across the south, like the National Peanut Festival in Dothan, Ala.

• Stop into the cozy little sandwich shop in Greenwich Village, New York, called Peanut Butter & Company. They're famous for their handmade peanut butter and unique sandwich combinations.

• Go to Peanut Butter & Ellie's in Portland, Ore. This is a café for kids, offering PB&J sandwiches without the crust and 20 toppings for custom creations.

• Visit the place where Dr. George Washington Carver started it all-Tuskegee, Ala. Carver researched and developed more than 300 uses for peanuts in the early 1900s and is considered "The Father of the Peanut Industry."

• What's said to be the world's largest peanut-actually a statue of a peanut-can be found sitting atop a brick perch along the interstate in Ashburn, Ga. Ashburn is also home to the world's largest peanut-shelling plant.

• Plains, Ga. is home to the Jimmy Carter Peanut. This 13-foot statue of a peanut has a smile that resembles that of the former president and has been around since 1976.

• Lexington, Ky. has more than horses. It is the home of the Jif® factory, the largest peanut butter factory in the world. One in ten peanuts ends up in a jar of Jif®.

USA-grown peanuts and peanut butter offer more than 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients, including protein, vitamin E, folate, niacin and magnesium; are naturally cholesterol-free; and have zero trans fats. So stop along the roadside and have some boiled peanuts-a peanut lover's favorite and a delicious surprise for those who have never tried them.

Americans eat enough peanut butter in a year to make more than 10 billion peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

However, peanut butter is more than just an ingredient in a sandwich. For example, here's a new twist on an old favorite to take on the road:

Peanutty Trail Mix Bars

11/2 cups whole grain flake cereal

1 cup whole grain "O" shaped cereal

1/2 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts

1/2 cup dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, chopped apricots or figs

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup packed golden brown sugar

3 tablespoons peanut butter

In a medium bowl, stir together cereals, peanuts and dried fruit. Combine honey, brown sugar and peanut butter in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Pour over cereal mixture and stir until well coated. With back of oiled spoon, press mixture into lightly greased 8-inch square pan. Cool. Cut into 9 pieces.

Serving size: 1 piece

For more fun facts and healthful recipes, visit www.nationalpeanutboard.org. Americans eat more than 600 million pounds of peanuts and 700 million pounds of peanut butter each year.

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