SEE ALSO: New York Food Festivals

NEW YORK Food Trivia and Facts

FARMS & FARMERS
New York: approximate land area of 30,162,489 acres.
Farmland is 7,174,743 acres or 23.8% of total land.
Organic agriculture accounts for about 170,125 acres.
Number of Farms: 36,352
Principle Farm Operators:
Men: 29,664 Women: 6,688
(2013 - USDA Economic Research Service: www.ers.usda.gov )
[2007-2008 latest available data]

POPULATION & HUNGER
New York has a total population of: 19,465,197
Urban population: 17,905,899
Rural population: 1,559,298
Food insecure households*: 13.3%
Households with very low food security*: 5.1%
*Food insecurity - Limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.
Very low food security - At times during the year, eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted and food intake reduced because the household lacked money and other resources for food.
(2013 - USDA Economic Research Service: www.ers.usda.gov )
(Population & Food Security data: 2011)

The 'Big Apple' got its name in the 1920s from the horse racing courses in New York City and its surrounding area. There were many big money races at these race tracks, and an 'apple' was something desirable - hence the big money tracks had a 'big apple'.
Late in the 1920s jazz musicians started to use the term for New York City as a whole, and the term spread gradually spread. In the 1970s the city used the term extensively in a tourism campaign, and this revived and spread it's use to the rest of the world.

• In 1976 the Apple (Genus Malus) was designated as the Official State Fruit of New York.
• In 1987 the Apple Muffin was designated as the Official State Muffin.

• According to the Michelin Guide (2008) there are about 23,000 restaurants in New York City, with a total of 54 Michelin stars.
• In 1925 there were about 17,000 restaurants in New York City.

In 2005 New York cabbage production was 456 million pounds, second only to California with 466 million pounds.

The month and day are uncertain (probably August 24), but the year 1853 is certain. Native American Chef George Crum invented potato chips at Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Supposedly a particularly fussy customer kept sending his french fries back to the kitchen as being too thick. Finally, Chef Crum decided to cut the potatoes paper thin; and to his ultimate surprise, the customer loved them! Saratoga Chips, later called Potato Chips, were born.

The first cattle ranch in the US was started in 1747 at Montauk on Long Island, New York.

Peter Minuit (1580-1638) established the first public brewery in America at the Market Field in lower Manhattan.

In 2006 the Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) was designated as the Official State Reptile and the Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) was designated as the Official State Marine or Salt Water Fish.

The Brook or Speckled Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) is the Official State Fresh-Water Fish (designated official Fish in 1975; changed to official Freshwater Fish in 2006).

In 1989 the Ladybug (Coccinella novemnotata) was designated as the Official State Insect.

In 1988 the Bay Scallop (Argopecten irradians) was designated as the Official State Shell.

In 1981 Milk was named as the Official State Beverage.

In 1975 the Beaver (Castor canadensis) was designated as the Official State Animal.

In 1956 the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum Marsh) was designated as the Official State Tree of New York.

In 1955 the Rose was designated as the Official State Flower. ("The rose shall be the official flower of the state in any color or combination of colors common to it.")

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