See also: Pennsylvania Food Festivals

PENNSYLVANIA Food Trivia & Facts

FARMS & FARMERS
Pennsylvania: land area of 28,631,687 acres
Farmland is 7,809,244 acres or 27.3% of total land
Organic agriculture accounts for about 46,992 acres
Number of Farms: 63,163
Principle Farm Operators:
Men: 54,613 Women: 8,550
(2013 - USDA Economic Research Service: www.ers.usda.gov )
[2007-2008 latest available data]

POPULATION & HUNGER
Pennsylvania has a total population of: 12,742,886
Urban population: 10,727,174
Rural population: 2,015,712
Food insecure households*: 12.5%
Households with very low food security*: 5.0%
*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)

In 1924, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture boasted that 85% of U.S. mushrooms were grown in Pennsylvania. Today the state still accounts for more than 60% of U.S. mushroom production.

Philadelphia is the home of the cheesesteak sandwich, the water ice, soft pretzels, and TastyKakes.

Kennett Square, Pennsylvania is the Mushroom Capital of the World and home to the Phillips Mushroom Museum. The museum was established in 1972, and chronicles three generations of the mushroom-farming Phillips family.

Kane, Pennsylvania is known as the Black Cherry Capital of the World.

In Hazleton, Pennsylvania it is illegal to drink a carbonated beverage while lecturing in a school auditorium.

According to several sources, one of Pennsylvania's leading imports in recent years has been trash. In 1996, Pennsylvania imported more trash for its landfills that what the state produced on its own. The state sent some 6.7 million tons of Pennsylvania garbage to its landfills, and imported 7.9 million tons of trash from other states and countries.

In 1931 Pennsylvania adopted Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) as the Official State Tree.

In 1931 the Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) was adopted as the Official State Game Bird.

In 1959 the Whitetail Deer (Odocoileus virginanus) was adopted as the Official State Animal.

In 1970 the Brook Trout (Salvelinius fontinalis) was adopted as the Official State Fish.

In 1982 Milk was adopted as the Official State Beverage

The following was sent in by Thomas Evans (9/2008)
The Clark family made the Clark Bar, a chocolate covered peanut butter nugget candy bar, in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company has closed but the Clark Bar Neon sign is still is a lit on top of the company building and has become a landmark in the city of Pittsburgh.
Also you may include the chain of deli shops in the Pittsburgh area called Isaly's ( I Shall Allways Love You), noted for their Sky Scrapper ice cream cones (my favorite as a child) and fresh chipped chopped ham! By the way there was a great dairy based in the city of Mckeesport, Pennsylvania, where I was born (12 miles outside the city of Pittsburgh) called Menzi Dairy. Very historic and their logo is pure artwork. Many a child drank from their red and white milk cartons at school and orange drink also!
Thank you,
Thomas Evans
Former resident of Pittsburgh, now a retired chef in Alexandria, Louisiana.

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