Buy Me Some Peanuts And Cracker Jack

Peanuts were growing in the US in the 1800s but were mainly used for oil and fodder for animals. As a food for consumption, it was considered a poor man's food--that is until the Civil War. The peanut was discovered as a convenient snack for the troops on both sides. Eventually the roasted peanut became a popular snack sold on street corners, at the circus and then baseball games.

With the more recent growth in peanut allergies, some ball parks actually have peanut-free areas where families can enjoy the game without the worry of peanut dust in the air. FYI, Americans consume more than 600 million pounds of peanuts a year.

While popcorn has been around for thousands of years it wasn't until 1893 when a couple of popcorn makers, Federick and Louis Rueckheim, decided to add a twist to the same old, same old. They began experimenting with adding molasses and peanuts to the popcorn and created a sweet/salty mix. In 1893 they introduced it at the World's Fair in Chicago. One of the people who tasted it said it was "crackerjack," a slang term of the times that meant "awesome." The name stuck.

The Rueckheims discovered a method of keeping the coated popcorn from sticking together which, it is said, is secret to this day.

The first Cracker Jack box to have a prize in it appeared in 1912. Since then more than 23 billion prizes have been found in the delicious mix. Some of the vintage prizes have been valued at $7,000. Wish I had kept some of those. By the way, July 5 is Cracker Jack Day!