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. But nearly the whole traditional meal can be grown and raised in Arizona… except the cranberries.

You and I may celebrate our Arizona climate, especially after the weather begins to cool down. But our Arizona crops in summer love our high temperatures as they make their final growth push before harvest time this fall. Arizona cotton is one example.

Daily between Thanksgiving and Easter, 1,500 to 2,000 refrigerated semi-truckloads of leafy greens leave Yuma to deliver all over America and Canada, so all of us can enjoy our leafy greens during the wintertime.

Arizona is an excellent place to grow alfalfa because of our climate that allows for up to 10 harvests of quality alfalfa per year, compared to 3 to 4 cuttings in the Midwest. Arizona alfalfa grows green and beautiful all year long.

It’s Fall, our favorite time of year. Go to Fill Your Plate.org and check out all the farms you can visit to celebrate all the fall festivities and pick out your Arizona-grown pumpkin. Our farms open to the public include country stores, corn mazes and more to make this season shine.