World Honey Bee Day is the third Saturday in August and brings a buzzing celebration for beekeepers, honey lovers, and all blooming things.
The day recognizes both the honey bee and the beekeepers who tend the hives. It also encourages everyone to enjoy and buy locally grown honey.
Another important part of the day includes learning about honey bees and providing them with a supportive environment. When we plant wildflowers, orchards, and other flowering plants, we support pollinators such as honey bees. They depend on the nectar of a variety of plants for their survival. Conversely, we depend on honeybees for our survival, too! Without their pollinating abilities, many nutritious plants wouldn’t reproduce.
Besides, their delicious honey is an added bonus. We enjoy it in our baking, teas, and confections.
Honey bees do sting, but only if they perceive a threat – damage to their hive or being swatted at. Since they seek sweet nectar, sugary drinks and sweets will attract honey bees when flowers are not blooming yet. So, keep your beverages covered. If a honey bee comes close, either hold still or move slowly away. The honey bee will fly along to the next sweet thing as long as it doesn’t feel threatened.
World Honey Bee Day began as National Honey Bee Day in 2009 with a proclamation issued by the Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas J. Vilsek. The day grew rapidly bringing awareness to the benefits and environmental needs of honey bees.
4 Honey Bee FAQ
What does a beekeeper do?Also known as an Apiarist, a beekeeper is responsible for maintaining hives. This may include inspecting for disease and other issues, replace the queen bee if needed, provide forage or bee food, offer pollination services, and harvest honey.
How many honey bees live in one hive?One honey bee colony can have a population of 20,000 to 60,000 bees.
How much honey does one hive produce?It all depends on the availability of nectar and the health of the hive. Season of drought, rain, or disease will impact a hive. When conditions are ideal a healthy hive can produce up to 200 pounds of honey per year.
How many queens does a honey bee colony have?One. If the queen dies, the hive or the beekeeper will replace her. The hive also consists of male bees called drones and female worker bees.
6 WAYS TO CELEBRATE WORLD HONEY BEE DAY
Collect and spread local wildflower seeds to promote honey bee pollination.
Flavors of honey vary depending on the variety of flowers and nectar available to the bees.
Clover, alfalfa, lavender, orange, and chestnut are just a few to choose from.
Replace your usual sweetener with honey for the day. Taste the difference!
Give the gift of honey to a friend, neighbor, co-worker or family member.
Share your sweet honey stories on social media tagging #WorldHoneyBeeDay.
Woven into the fabric of this state’s historic landscape, we find revolutionaries, innovators, and philosophers. On August 10th, National Connecticut Day recognizes the contributions of the fifth state to join the United States of America.
Like other colonies of the region, the Dutch first explored and founded trading posts in Connecticut. In 1633, Puritans from Massachusetts established the first permanent settlement. From the outset, the industry established a means to prosperity in the colony. Production of brass buttons and munitions placed the colony in a position to later supply the Revolutionary Army. The colonial governor of Connecticut, Jonathan Trumbull, was the only governor who supported independence.
All three Connecticut delegates to the first Continental Congress continued their representation of the colony at the Second Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence.
In fact, Roger Sherman is the only person to have signed the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. Eliphalet Dyer served the state of Connecticut as chief justice after the revolution.
Silas Deane served as a spy during the war and was for a time branded a traitor along with another Connecticut native, Benedict Arnold. He died penniless, but decades later in 1840, his granddaughter would petition Congress to review his records. His name would be cleared.
Connecticut’s small but full landscape holds countless revolutionary stories and adventures along New England’s National Scenic Trail. Through every season and every era, there’s something for every generation to enjoy!
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalConnecticutDay
Explore all the adventures Connecticut has to offer and share your favorites by using #NationalConnecticutDay on social media.
We celebrate National Passion Fruit Day each year on August 9. Join us today as we celebrate the delightful sweet and tangy flavor of the tropical fruit known as passion fruit. We also want to promote and honor the hard working farmers and growers that provide passion fruit to consumers in the United States.
Passion fruit is a tropical fruit belonging to the Passifloraceae family, which is a combination of flowering plants that has over 750 species. Passion fruit is native to South America, specifically in regions of Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. The fruit grows abundantly in South America because of the tropical climate, where warm temperatures and rainfall attribute to the abundant growth of the fruit. South America has extremely fertile soil, which provides essential nutrients that promote healthy growth. Interestingly, pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and birds also contribute to the successful growth of passionfruit in the region. However, passion fruit does grow in other parts of the world, including central America, Africa, Australia, and even Hawaii.
A Story About Passion Fruit
There is a legend in Hawaiian mythology about the goddess Pele, the deity of volcanoes and fire, and the passion fruit vine. According to the legend, Pele had a sister named Hi’iaka, who was a hula dancer and a healer. One day, Hi’iaka went on a journey to fetch Pele’s lover, Lohi’au, from a distant island. On her journey, Hi’iaka encountered many obstacles and temptations. During her travels, she came across a beautiful passion fruit vine laden with ripe, delicious fruits. She was drawn to the vine’s enchanting aroma and decided to take a short break to enjoy the fruits. However, this delay caused her mission to be prolonged, which angered Pele when she finally returned. To this day, it is said that Pele, in her jealousy and rage, turned the passion fruit vine into lava rocks and scattered them across the Hawaiian islands. The legend serves as a reminder of the importance of perseverance and staying focused on one’s goals, as even a brief distraction can lead to undesirable consequences. These legends add depth and cultural significance to the humble passion fruit, making it more than just a delightful tropical fruit. The stories tie the fruit to themes of sacrifice, love, and perseverance, adding a touch of mystique and wonder to its allure.
What is Passion Fruit? Passion fruit is a small, round or oval-shaped tropical fruit with big flavor. The outer portion of the fruit is either purple or yellow and has a wrinkly skin. Inside, you will find a jelly-like pulp with tons of little black seeds. Don’t worry, the black seeds are very edible! Purple passion fruit is more common and has a tarter flavor. Yellow passion fruit is larger than the purple fruit and is also sweeter.
Eating passion fruit provides high amounts of nutrients. For example, passion fruit contains vitamins C and A, calcium, and iron. All of which promote a healthy immune system, heart health, and assist with digestion.
The pulp of passion fruit can be used in juices, smoothies, salads, and even desserts. In fact, passion fruit is often used as a sauce and topping for a variety of dishes.
When Spanish missionaries named the passion fruit flower. When they first saw a passion fruit plant, they were amazed by the beautiful flowers and the way they appeared. To them, the flower structure was a symbolic element of the crucifixion of Christ, which included the crown of the thorn and the nails.
Passion fruit tastes best when it’s skin is slightly wrinkled. This means the inside is ripe and juicy. Eating passion fruit before the skin is wrinkly will result in the fruit tasting a bit tart or sour.
A passion fruit plant is a climbing vine that grows upwards extremely fast to get full sunlight. An average passion fruit plant can grow up to 20 feet high.
A PASSION FRUIT CELEBRATION
Passion fruit adds delicious flavor to a variety of food and drinks. You can add passion fruit and a little sweetener to a glass of ice water to create a refreshing summertime drink. If you enjoy homemade ice cream or sorbet, consider adding it to your recipe. Our favorite is passion fruit salad dressing. Simply add the pulp to your vinaigrette recipe and turn your salad into a tropical paradise for your taste buds.
Trying new food is always exciting. If you have never tried passion fruit, it’s time to visit your local fruit market or grocery store and pick a few up to sample.
Make National Passion Fruit Day a family celebration by hosting a tropical-themed party. Have platters of passion fruit and other various tropical fruits to eat, along with other foods native to tropical islands. Label each different platter so your guests know what you are eating.
We love to hear stories and see photos of people celebrating National Passion Fruit Day. Tag #NatinalPassionFruitDay on social media to share your photos, videos, and recipes with the world!
World Chocolate Day on July 7th each year indulges in one of the world’s favorite treats. Whether it is chocolate milk, hot chocolate, a chocolate candy bar, chocolate cake, brownies, or something covered in chocolate, this day is for chocolate lovers.
How is chocolate made?
Chocolate comes from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia and grows in Mexico, Central America, and Northern South America. The earliest known documentation of using cacao seeds is from around 1100 BC.
Since cacao tree seeds have a very intense, bitter taste, they must be fermented to develop the flavor.
Once fermented, the beans are dried, cleaned, and roasted. After roasting, the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs. The cacao nibs are then ground into cocoa mass, which is pure chocolate in rough form. The cocoa mass is usually liquefied then molded with or without other ingredients. At this point in the process, it is called chocolate liquor. The chocolate liquor may then be processed into two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter.
Unsweetened baking chocolate – cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions.
Sweet chocolate – cocoa solids, cocoa butter or other fat and sugar.
Milk chocolate – sweet chocolate with milk powder or condensed milk.
White chocolate – cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids.
Visit your favorite restaurant and indulge in a delicious chocolate dessert. Another idea is to host a chocolate tasting party. Invite friends to bring their best chocolate recipes to share. Here are a few recipes to try. Explore chocolates from around the world, too. Post photos on social media using #WorldChocolateDay.
Hot Diggity Dog! Or should I say dogs! July is National Hot Dog Month according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. Grab your dogs and toppings, because here are some interesting bits on an American classic!
Now that the weather has warmed up and gotten nice outside, grilling season is upon us yet again. Time to fire up those grills and buy some juicy hamburgers, sausages, and hot dogs, of course!
The exact origins of hot dogs are unknown, but likely their predecessor was brought over by immigrants. What we do know, however, is how they are made, and what goes into them. Hot dogs are usually pork or beef, but they can be made from poultry as well. The meat is put into a machine to be finely ground until it resembles a paste or batter (don’t look it up, trust us).
Spices and flavorings are added for flavor, and some brands add sugar or corn syrup for sweetness. Some brands also add preservatives to extend the shelf life of the product. After the meat has been finely ground, it is sent to a machine that pumps the meat into the casings. Some brands use cellulose casings, but others still use a traditional natural casing. After being injected with meat, the casings go through another machine to link the casings into strands of hot dogs.
Afterward, the strands of hot dogs are sent to an oven to cook. During this stage, smoke may be used to add extra flavor. After cooking, the dogs are showered in water to let them cool before being sent to packaging. If a cellulose casing was used, the hot dogs are sent to another machine to remove the casing. Then they are cut into individual dogs, packaged and sealed ready to be shipped to a store near you.
Joey Chestnut currently holds the world record in hot dog eating by eating 69 hot dogs (and buns) in 10 minutes
The Tokyo Dog food truck located in Seattle, WA holds the record for the most expensive hot dog, costing $169
The longest hot dog on record, made by Novex SA of Paraguay in 2011, is 668 ft. and 7.62 in. (203.80m.)
HISTORY
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce first named the first observance of National Hot Dog Month in July, 1956. Since then, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council has begun promoting the month.
Invite some friends over and throw some hot dogs on the grill. It’s a great time to have an easy meal and enjoy a leisurely time catching up with people we don’t get to see very often. While you’re at it, try different toppings. Get inspired and throw a hot dog buffet and have each guest bring a different ingredient. What imaginative hot dog combinations will your guests design? Use #NationalHotDogMonth to share on social media.
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