The 2 US Presidents Known For Their Peanut Farms
Peanuts are a favorite food for snacking. Whether it's at a ballgame or after a workout, peanuts are a go-to food for many Americans. Per WebMD, the average American eats about 6 pounds of these legumes every year, and half of all peanuts gobbled up are in the form of a favorite spread: peanut butter. Amen. Still, we like them in their original form too. Just ask lovers of the hamburger chain Five Guys who like to grab a handful and snack while their burgers are cooking; however, per Fox, don't try and take those peanuts with your takeout — that is a Five Guys foul.
That said, peanuts grown in America have quite a bit of history attached to them. According to the National Peanut Board, commercially grown peanuts found their way to American farms in the 1800s, with Virginia leading the way. They helped sustain soldiers during the country's Civil War. And later in the century, showman and politician PT Barnum would help propel their popularity as a game-time snack when vendors would yell out, "Hot roasted peanuts!" in an effort to sell them to circus goers. But PT Barnum is just one famous pol with peanut ties. There are also two United States Presidents known for their peanut farms.
3rd and 39th
Many people know the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, was a peanut farmer before his term. In 1953, when Carter's father passed away, he took the reigns of his family's peanut farm and warehouse in Plains, GA, per CNBC. Upon taking office, Carter placed his peanut business in a blind trust. However, by the time he left office in 1981, he found his company $1 million in debt, and he and Mrs. Carter had to sell it. Following in the footsteps of one of our nation's Founding Fathers, Carter is only the second man to sit in the oval office to have an affinity for this nut.
According to Carter's website, our third president was also a peanut farmer and a botanist. Thomas Jefferson is known for being a lover of macaroni and cheese (via Eating Well), but he was also the first U.S. President to grow peanuts and helped them gain popularity in the States during his term in the early 1800s. To this day, Jefferson's estate is known for its gardens, but it was notably expansive in its heyday, as Jefferson loved fresh-grown fruits and vegetables, per the Monticello website. Food historian Karen Hess even labeled Jefferson "our most illustrious epicure, in fact, our only epicurean President."