Iced Tea Day
June 10
The 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis was a landmark in pop-up public attractions: More than 200,000 people streamed in on the first day alone to view over 1500 newly-erected buildings housing advancements in art and technology. As the Fair extended into the summer months, visitors began to look for cooler drinks for refreshment. A vendor named Richard Blechynden solved his poor hot-tea sales by pouring his tea over ice. Because the exhibits attracted people from across the country, the drink’s popularity followed them back home. On any given day, more than one half of the American population drinks tea. On a regional basis, the South and Northeast have the greatest concentration of tea drinkers. Approximately 75-80% of tea consumed in America is iced.
Herbs & Spices Day
June 10
Herbs are the green, leafy parts of plants. They are most efficacious and flavorsome when used fresh, and they are mostly grown in temperate to hot regions. Spices are derived from any part of a plant that is not a leaf: for example, cloves are flower buds, cinnamon is bark, ginger is a root, peppercorns are berries, nigella is seed, cumin is a fruit, saffron is stigmas, cardamom is pods and seeds, and asafetida is a gum. Spices are usually used in small amounts, are best used dry (the drying process often enhances the flavor), and most grow in subtropical or tropical climates. One single plant can be both an herb and a spice. Aromatic seeds like dill are a spice, while dill leaves are an herb. However, coriander and parsley roots, garlic and fennel bulbs are all regarded as herbs rather than spices.
Today’s Birthdays of Note….
Judy Garland – Singer & Actress – born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota
Tara Lipinski – Ice Skater & TV Commentator – born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
