24. Pistachios

Pistachios have shifted from a niche import in the US to a booming domestic crop, with production surging more than sixfold since the 1990s. Sawyer Clark, who once puzzled over his grandpa cracking the "weird green nuts," now manages assets for a large pistachio farm in California's Central Valley, where nearly all US pistachios are grown.

Rise of American Pistachios

Pistachios originated in regions like Iran and Turkey, with trees there dating back 1,500 years. They arrived in the US in the late 1800s, sold in vending machines, but Iran dominated supply until the 1970s. Disruptions from Iranian policies and the 1979 revolution cut imports, opening doors for California growers. Immigrants familiar with Middle Eastern farming recognized the Central Valley's Mediterranean climate—hot days, cool nights, deep soils, and water infrastructure—as ideal.

Today, the US produces over half the world's pistachios, harvesting nearly 900 million pounds last year and projecting 1.5 billion this year, up from 250 million in the 1990s. The crop thrives on a 175-mile Central Valley stretch, with 950 producers like Goldleaf Farming, which manages 12,000 acres across nuts including pistachios yielding up to 3,000 pounds per acre in good years.