Fun Facts for the Fourth

Hope you had a happy Fourth of July! Perhaps, like me, you’re still reminiscing about the food, fun and fireworks. It was a blast. ...

Did you grill out? If so, you were not alone. What did you eat? Ever wonder where that food came from? I did some research and I've come up with some answers.



1.Let's begin with a basic. Did you know that if you’re a U.S. citizen, you’re one of an estimated 309.6 million people?
2. Of that almost 310 million group, 76 million said they took part in a barbeque in 2009. Chances are many of those cookouts occurred during this mid-summer holiday.

3.You may have snacked on watermelon. Most likely that melon came from Florida which produced 818 million pounds of the tasty fruit.
4.Perhaps you enjoyed hot dogs and pork sausages. Those pork products likely came from Iowa. On March 1, 2010, farms in the Hawkeye state were feeding 18.9 million four-legged contributors (hogs and pigs).
5.If you dined on beef, those burgers or steaks probably came from Texas, which provides one-sixth of America's beef products.
6.Maybe you ate barbecued chicken. That chicken likely came from one of six states: Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi or Texas.
7.If you opted for baked beans with your main course, those beans may have come from North Dakota, which produces 34% of the dry, edible beans consumed in the U.S.
8.Did you top your burgers and hotdogs with ketchup? The tomatoes used to make ketchup more than likely came from California, which accounted for 95% of the processed tomato production in 2009.
9.How about corn on the cob, another grilling favorite? Many of us enjoyed those juicy, crunchy yellow kernels. About 66% of the sweet corn grown comes from five states: Florida, California, Georgia, Washington and New York.
10.Probably you also sampled either potato chips, potato salad or French fries at your barbecue. Half the potatoes grown in the U. S. come from Idaho or Washington state.
11.If you ate healthy at your barbeque, perhaps sampling only a salad, you may have garnished your lettuce with fresh tomatoes. About 70%of the fresh tomatoes sold are farmed in, yes, California -- along with Florida.
12.Speaking of lettuce for salad, you can thank California. Over 25% of all the lettuce raised in the nation comes from the Golden state.
13.After your satisfying meal, no doubt you watched a fireworks display. Those fireworks most likely came from China. In 2009, Americans shelled out $217 million on those dazzling explosions in the night sky.

Ah, those good times of the Fourth. I hope this holiday brought you plenty of fine food and friends. What did you eat? What did you do? Let me know. I’d like to hear from you.

Sources
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb10-ff12.html