Get Crackin’, Toby!!

It’s National Pistachio Day!!! And I’m celebrating!!!!!

I bet you’re wondering how I squeezed myself into this pistachio!!!

 

Oh, yes, Stephen Colbert, I am wonderful!!!

 

No, I will NOT wear a pistachio on my head and dance Gangnam-style!!

Get Crackin’, America!!!

 

February 26th recognizes all things pistachio.  It’s National Pistachio Day!  It is a day that has been set aside for all pistachio lovers to eat their favorite nut all day long.  For those who do not eat pistachios, buy some and give them to someone who does.  Crack them open and eat them up or enjoy them in ice cream or your favorite pistachio dessert!

Pistachios arrived in the United States sometime in the 1880s but they have been cultivated in the Middle East since Biblical times.

The pistachio tree grows to about 20 feet tall needing little or no rain and must have high heat.  In Iran, they claim they have pistachio trees still living that are 700 years old!  A new tree takes between 7 and 10 years to mature and bear fruit.

Pistachio Facts:

•  All pistachio shells are naturally beige in color.  Some companies dye nuts red or green if nuts are inferior or for consumer demand.
• California produces about 300 million pounds of pistachios each year, accounting for 98 percent of America’s production.
• Pistachio shells typically split naturally when ripe.
• The kernels are often eaten whole, either fresh or roasted and either salted or unsalted.
• In the Middle East people call the pistachio the smiling nut.
• In China people call the pistachio the happy nut.

Source: NationalCalendarDay