Peanuts, anyone?

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Georgia may be nicknamed the “Peach State,” but peanuts are, in fact, our state crop, and have been since 1995. Georgia’s two billion dollar industry produces 57 percent of the total U.S. peanut crop (that’s more than 1.7 million tons), with a total of about 3,500 peanut farmers, contributing more than 50,000 jobs across the state. That’s one important lil’ nut! Though if you want to get technical, peanuts are actually legumes like beans and peas.

And so, without further ado, here are a few neat-o peanut facts and ways to celebrate this protein-packed and ever-so-versatile food before the month is over.

All stacked up: Goobers, pindars, ground nuts, earth nuts, monkey nuts, grass nuts… whatever you call ‘em, Steven Satterfield, executive chef and co-owner of Westside’s Miller Union, is a fan. His 48-page love letter to peanuts (aptly titled Peanuts) was released this month as volume 26 of Short Stack, a series of small format cookbooks written by America’s top culinary talents. Within the pages are facts about peanuts and recipes like Satterfield’s famous peanut and honey tart. A celebration and book-signing takes place at Westside’s Cover Books on Thurs., March 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. Satterfield’s cookbook Root to Leaf is on shelves as well. www.shortstackeditions.com

Smooth like butter: It takes about 540 peanuts to make a standard 12 oz. jar of peanut butter. And what better way to celebrate Georgia peanuts than sinking a spoon into one of those jars? Jaime Foster’s Atlanta-based company, Georgia Grinders, makes handcrafted small batch jars of peanut butter. The creamy, crunchy nut butters are made from slow-roasted non-GMO peanuts from South Georgia and a pinch of sea salt. Jars are $6 each and sold at grocery stores and markets across the state. The best way to purchase, though, is by meeting Foster face-to-face at a local farmers market. Coincidentally, Peachtree Road Farmers Market opens the same day as peanut planting season: Sat., April 1. www.naturalmond.com

Or… hummus: Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one’s mouth, but what about peanut hummus? Chef/restaurateur Hugh Acheson serves a house-made boiled peanut hummus at his Midtown restaurant, Empire State South, as one of the appetizers from his menu's “In Jars” section (other options include pimento cheese and green garlic dip). The recipe for the creamy concoction is also included in his cookbook, A New Turn in the South. www.empirestatesouth.com 

Pean-art: Planter’s cartoon mascot Mr. Peanut was first introduced to the public via a newspaper ad back in 1917. Here in Georgia, people are still rather fond of drawing peanuts. Acheson’s Boiled Peanuts print is $15 on his website, and all proceeds go to Seed Life Skills, a non-profit empowering youth to be sustainable stewards of food and financial resources. Atlanta street poet Kyle Brooks aka BlackCat Tips, known for adding whimsy and happy vibes to our city’s streets with his folk art and murals, also designed a print for Seed Life Skills that is available on Acheson’s site. His smiley 8.5x11” Peanut Butta is $15. www.hughacheson.com/collections

Sweet treats: Candy manufacturers use 25 percent of the nation’s harvested peanuts. Here in the A, bean to bar chocolatier Kristen Hard makes a peanut brittle with cocoa nibs that is super addictive. Her company, Cacao Atlanta Chocolate Co., sources peanuts from Healthy Hollow Farms in Brooklet, Georgia. Then, they’re crushed and mixed with 60 percent dark chocolate to form Hard’s famous Dark 60 Crushed Peanut Brittle bar ($8.10). Bars are available online and at her shops in Buckhead and Virginia Highland. www.cacaoatlanta.com

Big nutz: Two peanut farmers have been elected president of the United States: Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter, and there are two places in Georgia to visit giant peanuts. The first is Jimmy Carter’s peanut in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, standing in front of E-Z Shop on Highway 45. The statue smiles down at visitors from a height of 13 feet. Meanwhile, the world’s largest peanut monument lives in Ashburn, Georgia, along I-75. Erected in 1975, just two years before Carter became president, it stands 20 feet tall and is just waiting to provide a backdrop for the perfect National Peanut Month Instagram. www.cityofashburn.net