With a gourmet cup of coffee costing almost as much as a luncheon sandwich these days, more and more people are making their coffee at home from an "old fashioned" drip coffee machine. Thanks to Starbucks and other vendors out there, coffee from a can or a jar just doesn't work anymore. Coffee has become second most valuable item of international trade, just behind petroleum. Worldwide, coffee lovers drink 2.25 billion cups a DAY! To satisfy that thirst, world's coffee growers, each year, produce about 6 million tons of green coffee beans and ship them to thousands of coffee roasters around globe. People who drink coffee range from those interested only in caffeine "buzz," to true aficionado, who, like wine connieseurs, are concerned with color, taste, quality and aroma.

Whether you order a cup a "joe", some hot "java" or a caffe macchiato, primary ingredient remains coffee bean. Coffee begins on a tree in a warm climate where rainfall is about 50 inches a year, soil is well drained and preferably volcanic (this is why Hawaiian Kona coffee is so highly prized). The fruit of coffee plant is called a "cherry" and is appropriately red in color. The heart of cherry, generally two beans, is separated from husk by hand and then air and sun dried. Separating bean from its outer husk, called "hulling" is done either mechanically or by hand. These green beans, as they are now known, have a shelf life of about two years.

By: Lara Velez

HISTORY

Before I begin with history of peanuts you should probably know that peanut is not a nut. The "pea"nut is actually more closely related to pea. It is a member of legumes family. Also, peanuts do not grow in trees like nuts do. They grow on ground. They start out as flowers, and eventually wind up burrowing underground. Under ground is where they become a delicious peanut.

OK - so where did these little guys come from you ask? Well, they are thought to have originated in South America...possibly Brazil or Peru. When Portuguese began to explore "The New World," they took peanuts back home with them. Portuguese traders took them as far as Asia and Africa.

In United States, peanuts became popular during Civil War. Then around 1900's many mechanical devices were invented to help with processing of peanuts. As a result their popularity increased even more. Speaking of inventions...George Washington Carver invented over 300 uses for peanut, including; medicine, ink, soap, shampoo, ice-cream, and axle grease.

Today, peanuts are eaten all over world. They have become a huge money making industry. In United States alone they contribute well over 4 billion dollars yearly to economy

PEANUT TRIVIA

Americans consume 700 million pounds or 3.3 pounds per person, of peanut butter per year….that's enough to coat floor of Grand Canyon.

To enhance flavor of a cola drink, Southerners put peanuts into bottle.

There are approximately 810 peanuts in an 18 oz. jar of peanut butter. The peanut is unusual because it flowers above ground, but fruits below ground.