April 2 is Peanut Butter and Jelly Day

Peanut Butter was first created by blending together ground shelled peanuts, vegetable oil and salt. Peanut Butter is the leading use of peanuts in the USA. Americans eat 3 lbs. of peanut butter per person every year. It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter. The peanuts are first shelled, then roasted and the skins removed. Then they are ground into a smooth butter spread. Peanut butter must be at least 90 percent peanuts with no artificial sweeteners, colors or preservatives to officially be labeled peanut butter. It is sold as either "crunchy" or "smooth"/"creamy". It is used as a key ingredient in the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. For more information about peanut butter, check out our blog about Peanut Butter.

The peanut butter and jelly sandwich, (PB&J) also known as a peanut butter and jam sandwich in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, is a sandwich which includes a layer of peanut butter and either jam or jelly on bread, commonlly between two slices, but sometimes eated open-faced, that is, with peanut butter and jam or jelly on each of two slices, eaten without putting the two slices together and without folding each slices of bread. the sandwich has the advantage that it does not contain any perishable ingredients, so it does not require refrigeration in hot weather, making it suitable for lunch bags. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich is very popular with both adults and children in the US and Canada. A 2002 survey showed the average American will have eaten 1500 of the sandwiches before graduating from high school. It's the classic salty-meets-sweet pairing that's found in many cuisines. Think of Chinese dishes like sweet and sour pork or American snacks Cracker Jacks.

The Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich is a high energy food, peanut butter being high in calories and fat, and jelly in sugar. Americans eat enough peanut butter in a year to make more than 10 billion peanut butter in a year to make more than 10 billion peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

The Virginia Marketplace is proud to sell all natural Virginia peanut butter from The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg. Their peanut butter is just that- peanuts, and maybe a pinch of salt. No added sugars. It can be purchased in several varieties: smooth, crunchy, salt free smooth or a try a sampler of all three.

We also offer a wide variety of preserves from Graves Mountain. Graves Mountain Lodge is nestled deep in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Syria, Virginia. Graves Mountain Lodge established its cannery in 1980. They use family recipes to make theri old-fashioned preserves unmatched for their quality and goodness. They cook their preserves in open kettles. The batches are kept small and each product is made as needed. They use the finest quality fruit, pure cane sugar and all natural seasonings in creating a product they feel is as good as "Grandma used to make." Most famous for the apple butter they make delicious preserves and jelly as well. We offer Strawberry, Peach, Seedless Blackberry, Seedless Red Raspberry, Cherry and Peach Brandy Preserves as well as Apple Butter and Green Pepper Jelly. They are available in groups of three, in samplers, in gift boxes and in gift baskets and as part of are other gourmet Virgina Marketplace Gift Baskets.