Even if you’re not a fan of numbers, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate Pi Day on March 14.
Eaters across the U.S. celebrate this national holiday typically not by penciling in equations, but instead by grabbing a fork and digging into a slice of pie that features the first fruits of spring.
Not only does March 14 mark the day that the mathematical number pi (symbol π) coincides with the calendar date that matches the figure’s approximate value of 3.14, but the date also marks Albert Einstein’s birthday.
To celebrate the many aspects of this holiday, the USDA Economic Research Service tallied the value of the most popular fruits, vegetables and tree nuts included in America’s most iconic desert. Pulling value of production for the highest-ranking pie filling commodities from 2021 cash receipts, here’s how pie filling crops stack up.
Top U.S. pie fillings crops, ranked by value of production
Apples — Exceeded $3.03 billion.
Blueberries — Reached $1.1 billion.
Cherries — $950 million.
Peaches —$624 million.
Pecans —$551 million.
Pears — $373 million.
Pumpkins — $231 million.
The infographic and pie filling production values chart were drawn from the USDA Economic Research Service’s “Fruit and Tree Nuts and Vegetables and Pulses Yearbook Tables.”
