Vegetarian. Vegan. Bland. Unsatisfying. Rabbit food.
Those descriptors are exactly what plant-forward eating does not have to be. The food industry is abuzz about the huge rise in plant-based everything—from burgers to butter. This global trend isn’t about removing meat or animal products from the plate. But “plant forward” instead praises plant foods, like produce, peanuts and other nuts, legumes and more, and encourages making them part of our diets more often.
The home garden has become a hugely popular way to help pass the time, while also allowing people to grow food they can actually enjoy eating. Tomatoes, peppers, various leafy greens, and peas are some of the common plants that may be found in home gardens today, but have you ever considered growing peanuts at home?
Women have been a vital part of farming from the early days of agriculture. Tough, hardworking, caring and smart, female farmers make up 36 percent of American farmers and ranchers, and the numbers are growing. Fifty-six percent of all farms have at least one female decision-maker, and from 2012 to 2017, the number of female producers increased 27 percent.
In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, we’re highlighting female peanut growers who do the essential jobs of running family-owned operations, spending long hours on tractors in the field, keeping the farms’ finances in order, getting family fed and everything in between, all while developing as leaders in the industry.
You probably remember George Washington Carver from elementary school. He was the man made famous by his more than 300 inventive uses for peanuts. What you may not know is the role that his many inventions played in promoting sustainability.
More Americans than ever are interested in eating plant-based foods high in protein. You may be surprised to learn that there’s a lot of protein hiding in your pantry. To include more plant-based protein foods in your meals, consider the following items we have shared with you.
Farming is an enterprise based on all kinds of variables, requiring tenacity and resilience. Some years are more difficult than others due to weather, volatile markets, and external forces peanut producers are unable to control. Still, these stewards of the land continue to plant, cultivate, and harvest their crops day after day and year after year. Why? Because farmers are in the business of hope.
To eat consciously is not about diets, fads, or hard-and-fast rules. It’s about having straightforward, accurate information to make smart, thoughtful choices amid the chaos of conflicting news and marketing hype. Find out more in this Q&A with author, Sophie Egan.
We hear about sustainability a lot these days. But what does sustainability mean to peanut farmers? To some peanut farmers it’s taking care of their land for their future grandchildren, or making sure they stay in business each year to feed their family and community. But in a nutshell, sustainability means enriching the land, our communities and people’s health.