Friday Food Facts

Last we heard, the largest turkey on record weighed 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog. Americans consume 46 million turkeys at Thanksgiving each year. A few of our Arizona retail farms raise turkeys for the holidays. But nearly the whole meal can be grown and raised in Arizona… except the cranberries. And Schnepf Farms can provide the Pumpkins!

Onion consumption in the U.S. has increased approximately 50% in the past 20 years. In Arizona, we grow a large variety of onions including the onion seed.

With Arizona’s climate, we can grow just about every fruit and vegetable you can imagine and raise amazing beef and dairy cattle. In fact, Arizona agriculture is planting and harvesting every month of the year. Arizona is a 17 billion dollar industry.

Do you know what the pleats in a chefs’ hat signify? It’s the number of ways an egg can be cooked. Chefs refer to eggs as the star of the plate: An egg can be the main entrée, dessert, ingredient, appetizer, and emulsifier and/or binder! Baked Alaska, Monte Cristo’s, and Tasty Tempuras rely on eggs as the “secret” ingredient!

Did you know, 99% of pumpkins sold in the U.S. are for the sole purpose of decoration. In Arizona, our pumpkin farmers are ready to harvest. Check out our Travel Guide to find a Pumpkin Farmer near you.