Saturday, April 30, 2016

Heard it Through the Grapevine

Here we are at the end of another month with one third of the year already gone. Before you know it, Christmas will be in the air. In fact, today's foodie fun is quite well known around the holiday season...cakes, pies, cookies, snacks, etc. But, you do not have to wait until the holidays to enjoy this foodie. Either one of them for on this day, there are TWO!

April 30 is...

National Raisin Day

It takes more than 4 tons of grapes to produce 1 ton of raisins.

Raisins existed as far back as ancient times. History indicates that raisins were discovered for the first time by accident when they were found in the dried form on vines as early as 2000 BC in Persia and Eqypt. Then, in 1873, a freak California hot spell caused the usual plump grapes to wither on the vine. One account reported an enterprising grocer in the San Francisco area advertised the shriveled grapes a "Peruvian Delicacies". For sure, California is grape country. In 2015, California's grape acreage totaled 918,000 with the majority of the acreage bearing fruit. Acreage of raisin-type grapes totaled 186,000 acres, of which 184,000 were bearing and 2,000 were non-bearing. Selma, California in Fresno County is the Raisin Capital of the World. Check it out...In This Town, the Raisin Is 'Who We Are'.

April 30 is also...

National Oatmeal Cookie DAY

Some sites report this celebration on March 19. If you celebrated on that day, guess what? You get to celebrate again! Bake 'em & eat 'em!

Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

We could not have oatmeal without the oats! Of course, you know that. Oats were one of the earliest cereals cultivated by man. They were known in ancient China as long ago as 7,000 B.C. The ancient Greeks were the first people known to have made a recognizable porridge (cereal) from oats. Not a cereal eater but a cookie lover? Oatmeal cookies are the #1 non-cereal usage for oatmeal, followed by meatloaf and fruit crisp. Bet if you open your pantry, a box of oatmeal is front and center. Seventy-five percent of U.S. households have oatmeal on hand.

So, why not celebrate both National Raisin Day and Oatmeal Cookie Day by baking up a batch of your favorite oatmeal cookies! While raisins and nuts are usually optional ingredients, on this day, you can leave out the nuts but don't forget to add the raisins!