California is an amazing state to live in. With beaches, deserts, forests, and mountains it is as diverse geographically as are the people who live here diverse in ethnicities and cultures. California has a lot to offer when it comes to food too. Here are some interesting and fun facts about California and food.
California grows about half of all the produce in the United States, and more than any other state does. With its vast central valley and other places in which to farm California is perfect for a variety of crops. California grows a whopping 99% of the country’s almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, grapes, kiwis, olives, peaches, pistachios, plums, pomegranates, rice and walnuts. We also grow most of the country’s broccoli, garlic, avocados, lettuce, tomatoes, pluots, strawberries, and spinach. When you stop to think about it, that’s a lot of food that California produces.
Every state has its flag, its state bird, and maybe a state animal. California has its state food, in fact it has several foods which are labeled State foods. Here are some of the California state symbols that you can actually eat:
- The state fruit is the Avocado
- The state grain is Rice
- The state nut is the Almond
- The state vegetable is the artichoke
Theses foods earned their titles partly because California grows more of them than any other state. It is amazing when you think about it, but California grows over 87% of avocados, 98% of almonds, and 100% all the artichokes in the whole country!
California’s schools benefit from all the food that is produced here. More than half of all schools in California (55%) serve healthy meals using high quality local and regional foods. Farm to School and other local food programs also help to reduce food waste because the food is fresher, requires less packaging, and is more appealing to students.
Now there’s another reason California is great, all the great food it produces!
