Thanksgiving: Thank a Farmer

As Thanksgiving approaches, homes across the United States will be filled with family, football, love, and delicious food. Did you know: the average household in America spends over $300 on the ingredients for the perfect Thanksgiving dinner? When I think about my family’s traditions, that number doesn’t come as a shock.

My grandma usually starts prepping the meal WEEKS prior to the special holiday. She makes lists of exactly what she will cook, the places she’ll shop, and the amount of each ingredient she needs to purchase. As a homesick college student, I’m already excited to smell and experience the taste of her homemade rolls, 7-up jello salad, green bean casserole, and of course…the turkey.

Now, those are just some of my favorite dishes that Gram makes. I do realize, not every fam.….actually, my family is probably the only one that makes a 7-Up Jello Salad. Still, there are “staple” dishes for a Thanksgiving meal that we’ve ALL probably eaten in our lives. These are things like turkey, sweet potatoes, rolls, and the infamous green bean casserole.

I was reading up on some “Thanksgiving Statistics” from the USDA Census and some of the numbers blew my mind. So, I thought I would share them with you.

Did you know, the United States produces 2.4 billion pounds of sweet potatoes…just for Thanksgiving dinner?

What's you favorite way to eat sweet potatoes?

Even more shocking – over 856 million pounds of cranberries are produced for the holiday.

Admit it: when you see these commercials, you just want to swim in the bog. Or is that just me?

The United States agricultural industry produces over 650,000 tons of green beans JUST for Thanksgiving dinners. That’s a lot of casseroles, if you ask me.

"I brought the green bean casserole!"

1.06 billion pounds of pumpkin are produced to fulfill our sweet teeth.

And finally,

242 million turkeys are raised, cooked, and placed at the center of our tables.

The average turkey purchased at Thanksgiving weighs 15 pounds.

None of this could happen without the hard work and dedication of our American farmers. As the backbone of our country, they work 365 days a year to produce the food on our plates. While many of us have this special holiday off work and school, a farmer never gets to request a day off.

So, when you sit down at the dinner table and praise the Lord for all that you’ve been blessed with; don’t forget to thank a farmer. 

God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving!