1st- 7th July, is the Great British Pea Week , is an annual celebration of peas! It aims to increase awareness and understanding of the provenance and heritage of peas, giving British consumers a reason to celebrate the little green nutritional wonders during harvesting time.
Great British Pea Week was launched by the Yes Peas! campaign to recognise the industry-wide effort made by experts across the pea vining sector, which produces 2 billion portions of peas for the UK market and beyond each year.
Head to the Great British Pea Week website here for more details.
7th July is World Chocolate Day – people around the world raid their cupboards, treating themselves to some chocolate. Whether it be dark, milk or white chocolate, World Chocolate Day is a great excuse to enjoy the delights of cocoa, either with a comforting favourite or by trying some new flavours! Who needs an excuse to eat chocolate anyway!!!
World Chocolate Day is actually a relatively new event, first celebrated back in 2009. The date of July 7th was specifically chosen, because it was on this day in the year 1550 that chocolate arrived in Europe.
Chocolate comes from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree, an exotic tree that’s been cultivated for over 3 millennia in Central America, Northern South America, and Mexico. It was first cultivated over 4000 years ago in Mesoamerica (modern-day Mexico) and was used by The Olmec, one of the most ancient civilisations in Latin America. They are thought to have been the first to turn the cocoa plant into a bitter chocolate drink, and they used it in rituals and for medicine.
16th July is National Cherry Day – this will be the 11th year of celebrating the humble cherry. And National Cherry Day was originally started back in 2008 to raise awareness of Britain’s cherries. Do you know that during the 20th century, Britain lost 90% of its cherry orchards? This is because following the wars, cherry orchards were planted over with more vital crops to feed the people.
So, the good folks at CherryAid started a campaign to get more cherries grown in the UK. And whilst we still import 95% of all cherries, we’re now producing much more of these little red delights, which is good news.
If you’re a fan of cherries (and who isn’t, really), don’t forget to celebrate National Cherry Day on July 16. This delicious holiday originated in the United Kingdom but has since been adopted by other countries such as the United States.
The term “cherry” can refer to the fruit of many plants that belong to the genus Prunus, but commercially available cherries are typically obtained from cultivars of two cherry species: sweet cherry (Prunus avium) and sour cherry (Prunus cerasus). Most cherry cultivars that are eaten fresh belong to the species Prunus avium, whereas sour cherries are used mainly in cooking.
21st July is National Ice-cream Day – A dessert as scrumptious and versatile as this deserves to be celebrated, and National Ice Cream Day gives you the perfect excuse to do so! Ice Cream Day gives you the perfect excuse to indulge in this sweet treat and to experiment with different ways of enjoying it. #IceCreamDay
Thanks to President Reagan, we celebrate National Ice Cream Day every third Sunday in July, meaning July 21 this year. Reagan wanted to commemorate a treat enjoyed by over 90 percent of the US population. In 1984, he decreed a day for ice cream, and his proclamation actually glorified the dairy industry in America.
July is National Baked Bean Month! It’s no surprise since picnics, barbeques and summertime gatherings almost always offer up this popular side dish. Hot dogs, hamburgers or grilled chicken are hard to imagine without a steaming plate of sweet and savory beans to go with them.
National Blueberry month is July and since its introduction in 1974, National Blueberry Month has offered us an opportunity to pause and enjoy the simple, delicious and nutritious goodness in every boost of blue.
While much has changed in the last 50 years, the timeless appeal of blueberries has not. You can enjoy them all day long, fresh or frozen, in sweet or savory recipes. It’s always a good time to grab a boost of blue – check out the website for more.
National Caesar Salad Day commemorates a time-honoured tradition on July 4th. Although a classic Caesar salad dressing includes a few ingredients that make some people a bit squeamish, it’s still one of the most popular salads around. And the flavor is undeniably a name-making recipe.
Using a raw (or coddled) egg and Worcestershire sauce as the main ingredients, Chef Caesar Cardini developed a salad that has stood the test of time. He added parmesan, dijon mustard, and lemon juice for brightness. A dash of salt brings all the flavors together. Beautifully, the ingredients rest on a bed of romaine lettuce with croutons. Once garnished with freshly grated parmesan, the salad is ready to be served.
Source: Peas Twinkl Any Day Guide National TOday Fruts & Vegs Blueberries SeaWay News
