Thread:61Storm/@comment-29709319-20190621035327/@comment-29709319-20190803004842

National Themes For August 3: 🇺🇸National Georgia Day, National Watermelon Day, National Grab Some Nuts Day, International Beer Day, National Disc Golf Day, National Jamaican Patty Day, National Mustard Day, and Mead Day.

🇺🇸National Georgia Day! Georgia was the 4th state to enter the Union. Georgia’s founder, James Oglethorpe, settled the colony’s first capital, Savannah. Georgia would go on to have four more capitals, Augusta, Louisville, Milledgeville and finally, Atlanta. Georgia initially prohibited slavery in 1735. Of the 13 original colonies, Georgia was the only state to do so. The prohibition lasted 15 years. Leading up the Revolution, Georgia leaned toward supporting the crown and was the single colony not in attendance at the First Continental Congress. During the Second Continental Congress, Georgia first sent one delegate, Lyman Hall. However, Hall didn’t vote because he only represented a single parish in Georgia. The colony later sent Button Gwinnett and George Walton as official delegates. All three signed the Declaration of Independence. Wars were destructive for Georgia. Her people and the economy suffered, and the resistance to social change persisted. During the 20th century, industrial and technological advancements found a niche in Georgia’s economy. A hub for airlines, military bases and international corporations, Georgia rebounded once more. When it comes to Georgia, words that come to mind include home-cookin’ and comfort food. Just about anything can be fried, including okra, green tomatoes, chicken, seafood and Vidalia onions. Those sweet onions grow in Vidalia, Georgia and nowhere else by law. Georgia is home to Coca-Cola and enjoying salty peanuts go back to the Civil War era. When the air is cool, a Brunswick stew is in order. With tomatoes, lima beans, corn, okra, potatoes, and chicken, beef or any game to be had, this one-dish meal will warm the whole family up on cold, Southern evening.

🍉National Watermelon Day recognizes this refreshing summertime treat. Watermelon is 92% water, which is why it is so satisfying in the summer heat. Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a particular kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center. Pepos are derived from an inferior ovary and are characteristic of the Cucurbitaceae. The watermelon fruit, loosely considered a type of melon – although not in the genus Cucumis – has a smooth exterior rind (usually green with dark green stripes or yellow spots) and a juicy, sweet interior flesh (usually deep red to pink, but sometimes orange, yellow, or white). The fruit was likely first cultivated for its ability to hold plentiful water in a desert landscape, especially since the wild melon was bitter or tasteless. Seeds and art found in tombs of Pharaohs furnish substantial evidence of the watermelon’s value. Cultivation and breeding brought out the better qualities of sweet and tender fruit we enjoy today. Watermelons can grow enormous, and you will find competitions across the country which award prizes each year for the largest one. The Guinness Book of World Records states that the heaviest watermelon weighed 262 pounds.

🥜National Grab Some Nuts Day! Botanically an almond and cashew aren’t considered nuts, once they’re in the can, it’s hard to tell the difference. The same goes for walnuts and peanuts, even though they have the word “nut” in their names. Despite the confusion, these nuts, legumes, seeds, and drupes continue to find their way into our daily diets. Whether we add them to salads or into our baking, we love nuts. Depending on the kind, they add necessary good fats to our diets, minerals and nutrients we might otherwise be missing. In the right quantities, they improve our health and make things taste better, too. These little bountiful nuggets contain beneficial nutrients, have a long shelf life and can be quite portable. They add a nice crunch to snacks and desserts as well as satisfying meals.

🍺International Beer Day brings the world together celebrating the beers of all cultures on one remarkable day. This is a day for beer lovers everywhere. In backyards, taverns, pubs, and breweries all over, people celebrate beer’s greatness while showing gratitude to their bartender and waitstaff.

⛳️National Disc Golf Day! Requiring less equipment than traditional golf, disc golf shares the common goal of reaching each target with the fewest number of strokes, or to put it more accurately, throws. Instead of clubs and a ball, the only gear necessary is a disc or frisbee. Starting from a tee pad, which is generally a rectangular area made of anything from rubber to cement or even brick, the player progresses down the fairway after each throw. From where the disc lands, the player throws again and repeats until the disc lands in the target. The total number of throws a player takes to get the disc into the target is equal to the score for that hole. Disc golf has been played since the late 1960s and became a formalized sport in the 1970s. In the beginning, targets were nothing more than tree trunks or wooden posts cemented into the ground. As the game progressed, trees and posts were replaced with metal baskets with chains, with the chains helping to catch the discs. Those metal baskets, originally called a “Disc Golf Pole Hole”, are now the modern day targets with dozens of design variations being used. As a growing international sport, the number of courses is increasing all the time. In August of 2015, the International Olympic Committee granted full recognition to Flying Disc sports providing a global platform for the sport. The Professional Disc Golf Association founded National Disc Golf Day to celebrate one of the fastest growing sports in the world. August is a significant month for the sport of disc golf. The first patent was issued on a chain catching device to “Steady” Ed Headrick on August 12th, 1977 which changed the future of the sport. It is now a standard for course design. Additionally, on August 2, 1974, disc golfers in the Rochester, NY area decided to make their annual City of Rochester Disc Golf Championship a big national tournament to find out just how many other people around the country were playing disc golf. They called the event the American Flying Disc Open, and to attract the attention of the frisbee community; they put up a brand new 1974 automobile to be awarded to the winner!

🇯🇲National Jamaican Patty Day! A Jamaican patty is defined as a “turnover style pastry” which can have a variety of fillings such as seasoned ground beef, chicken, seafood or vegetables. The crust is ideally flaky in texture, half-moon in shape, and the fillings are usually spicy, but milder varieties are available. The Jamaican Patty as we know it today, was born from the English Cornish Pastry, a similar concoction that came to Jamaica during the colonial days. It also bears a resemblance to the Spanish empanada. The patty has become a staple among Jamaicans, acting as a quick “grab-n-go” or “meal-on-the-run” type of snack.

🍃National Mustard Day! Used in a variety of cuisine, mustard comes from the seeds of a mustard plant (white or yellow mustard, Sinapis hirta; brown or Indian mustard, Brassica juncea; or black mustard, B. nigra). The whole, ground, cracked, or bruised mustard seeds are mixed with water, salt, lemon juice, or other liquids and sometimes other flavorings and spices to create a paste or sauce. The color ranges from bright yellow to dark brown. Commonly paired with meats and cheeses, mustard adds zing to sandwiches, salads, hamburgers, and hot dogs. Mustard also spices up many dressings, glazes, sauces, soups, and marinades. As a cream or a seed, mustard is used in the cuisine of India, the Mediterranean, northern and southeastern Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa. As a result, cooks reach for the spice and condiment more often than almost any other in the world. National Mustard Day is celebrated annually at the National Mustard Museum. The Mustard Museum has been the official sponsor of this event since 1991. In 2010, the event was moved to the current home of the Museum in Downtown Middleton, Wisconsin. This event has raised thousands of dollars for local charity.

🍺Mead Day! One of the world’s oldest fermented beverages, mead is also called honey wine, ambrosia or nectar. A craftsman combines honey, water, and yeast to make mead. With honey production in high gear, Mead Day shines a spotlight on its key ingredient and the time-honored craft surrounding it. Mead has been known to be called the “ancestor of all fermented drinks.” The flavor of mead varies depending on the ingredients added to the fermentation. Anything from seasonal fruits, herbs, and blossoms can be added. Some mead makers carbonate their beverage like beer, sparkling cider or wine. For a more hoppy flavor, makers add hops to the recipe. Producers distill mead for a more liqueur quality producing a brandy. American Homebrewers Association (AHA) created Mead Day in 2002.

Lots to choose from today. I think I would like to try that Jamaican Patty, maybe with some mustard for dipping and a Mead. I never tried mead. And a round of disc golf sounds like fun.

Warm hugs!💕🐶🐶🌤