If an alluring aroma of spices is tempting your senses on September 4th, that is because it is National Spice Blend Day. Home cooks and professional chefs alike know herbs and spices bring our favorite foods alive on our palates. That is why every recipe, every food blog, and every cook stresses the importance of quality herbs and spices for everything you cook.
National Spice Blend Day celebrates the unique combinations of flavors found in handpicked spice blends worldwide. Does a little smoky paprika, cumin, and rosemary tantalize your senses? Did you know there are four main types of cinnamon, each with different flavor profiles? Depending on where the cinnamon grows, the warmth, sweetness, and color change. When you blend it with nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, and other spices, it brings an extra special touch to your baking and other recipes.
Herbs are also vital to every kitchen, and just like spices, the Earth has created a bountiful variety! Worldwide, so many kinds of Basil grows it would be impossible to list them all, but each one imbues unique characteristics worth exploring. When this herb is combined with curry or Mediterranean blends, you know you’re cooking for a celebration.
With only a few examples, we know we have your creative and gastric juices flowing for National Spice Blend Day!
NATIONAL SPICE BLEND DAY HISTORY
Angel Gregorio, owner and founder of The SpiceSuite, founded National Spice Blend Day in 2021 to commemorate The SpiceSuite’s 6th anniversary on September 4th. The celebration also recognizes all the world’s spices and how they contribute to a neverending creative food experience.
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalSpiceBlendDay
Demonstrate how you use spice blends to enhance your creativity in the kitchen. We know you bring diverse flavors to your tables every day, and that’s one of the number one reasons to celebrate. Otherways to celebrate National Spice Blend Day include:
One excellent way to encounter all these spicy possibilities is by visiting The SpiceSuite. When you celebrate, be to share your experience on social media by using #NationalSpiceBlendDay.
Dabble in a creative cooking experience by taking a cooking class.
Learn more about the best spices to use with your favorite foods.
Become a culinary adventurer by exploring new spice blends from around the world.
National Delaware Day on July 13, recognizes the First State to declare independence from the British. Rich in history, Delaware’s lands once belonged to New York and later Pennsylvania. But the independent spirit of this beautiful coastal countryside is more than just legendary.
The Delaware River and Bay derived their names from the 12th Baron del la Warr, Thomas West, a governor of Virginia. The name later carried over to the land as well.
During the Second Continental Congress, Delaware’s delegates created a bit of suspense for the history books! Read more under Caesar Rodney and George Read.
Delaware became official in 1776 when the 13 colonies declared their independence from the British government and Delaware adopted its first territorial state constitution.
First State
Delaware is proud of its First State status. With that comes many other firsts. Delaware boasts the earliest Swedish settlers in 1638 who built the Old Swedes Church which still stands. Now known as the Holy Trinity Church, it is one of the oldest churches in America. Swedish settlers built the first log cabins on American soil, too.
The Stars and Stripes flew for the first time during the Revolutionary War during the only battle to take place on Delaware soil.
Shipbuilding became big business first in Delaware in 1840. The first iron shipbuilding yard in the United States was founded in Delaware by Samuel Harlan of Betts, Pussey, and Harlan – machinery makers.
From ships to rails, Job H. Jackson and Jacob F. Sharp founded the Jackson and Sharp Company of Wilmington in 1863. By 1871 they built the first narrow-gauge railcar in the United States.
The coastal state also lays claim to the first bathing beauty contest in 1880. To attract business to a summer festival, the competition was held at Rehoboth Beach. Thomas Edison was one of the judges.
From land to sea, Delaware satisfies the appetite all season long. Once known as the best producer of peaches until a blight wiped out the orchards in the late 1800s, the state is making a comeback, and the peach blossom is their state flower.
Summer boardwalks and beaches fill with the salty sweetness of taffy and crab cakes made from the regions’ blue crab.
The world’s largest maker of scrapple, RAPA Scrapple Company, calls Bridgeville, Delaware home. Also the home of the World Champion Pumpkin Chunkin competition in the heartland of the state, an autumn drive will fill your basket with fresh produce, poultry and the season’s best baked and canned goods the farmers’ markets can produce.
Through all the years — and sometimes tears — National Onion Day on June 27 recognizes the flavor and aroma the bulb of the allium family brings to numerous recipes.
Whether we choose a sweet, white, red, or the ever-favorite yellow, we count on the onion to enhance the flavor of our savory recipes. They pair well with meats and salads, making the ever-versatile onion a cooking powerhouse. Added to eggs or pickled, it’s the required seasoning next to our salt and pepper.
While the onion packs in the flavor with very few calories, it’s also rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. Add onions to every meal to increase your dietary fiber and vitamin B6. As a bonus, you won’t be adding any cholesterol. With so many varieties to choose from, onions provide plenty of opportunities for us to relish the benefits.
As an industry, onions add $6 billion to U.S. markets. From farm to distribution to grocers and restaurants, onions generate economic growth throughout the year.
The National Onion Association founded National Onion Day on June 27, 2019, to honor the anniversary of the association. They represent almost 500 onion growers, shippers, packers and associated members across the country and officially incorporated on June 27, 1913, in Ohio. The association celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013.
Be sure to add fresh onion for a punch of flavor to your favorite dish. No matter how you slice it, the onion brings some of the best flavors together! Whether you like to caramelize it or pickle it, tell us how you love to cook with onions!
National Herbs and Spices Day is observed annually on June 10.
It is the season for fresh herbs and spices. They are an essential part of flavorful cooking as well as fun and easy to grow.
Raising your own herbs can be a form of relaxing therapy. Herbs and spices have been used for many hundreds of years, and besides making our food delicious, each has its specific health benefits. Growing your own herbs and spices is a great way to add fresh variety to your food. Herbs raised in your home add an aromatic and natural fragrance to the air.
Basil, Rosemary, Nutmeg, Garlic, Sage, Tyme, Oregano, Italian, Greek, Cajun, Blackening, Fennel, Chili Powder, Dill, Red Pepper Flakes, Ginger, Paprika, Cinnamon, are among my most used almost every meal. Lavender, Vanilla, Anise, Bay Leaf and Tumeric on occasion as well. It’s a good bet in combination with onions, you’ll find on our table daily. A good mix make Beef Stew, Taco’s and Tex Mex, My Greek Turkey bake, Asian Pork Chops, and don’t forget Spaghetti and My Easy Chili.
I find myself adding to or finessing flavors even if I use a pre-packaged spice mix. Having a hood sense of these help me not only make up my own delicious creations, but help judge recipes to try. I’m happy to be surprised of course although things calling for heavy amounts of Parsley, Cilantro, or heavy amounts of cayenne are things we try to avoid.
June kicks off National Country Cooking Month and a time when we spend more time with family. Whether we’re taking vacations or visiting relatives, we almost always get to savor some country cooking.
Digging into the stick-to-your-ribs biscuits and gravy for breakfast always starts the day off right. Don’t forget fried chicken with some watermelon and green beans on the side at lunch. Wrap up the day with a good ol’ barbeque and a little bit of apple pie and homemade ice cream.
There’s so much more to country cooking. The soul and heart that goes into it, and a whole lot of love. The people who cook the meals we love the most have been making them for our parents and sometimes our grandparents, too. We pass the recipes and the techniques done from generation to generation.
As I was born and raised in Florida Country Cooking inevitably includes Southern Traditions. Banana Pudding, Chicken N’ Dumplings, Sweet Iced Tea, Country Fried Steaks with Gravy, just to name a few. While I am not related to the likes of The Pioneer Woman or Paula Dean some of those traditions will definitely grace our table.
In each serving, we add the seasoning of love and good memories. That’s what country cooking is all about.
