As one of the founding colonies, our home state of Massachusetts takes the Fourth of July very seriously. That’s why there are over 40 distinct fireworks displays around the state! If you are spending your holiday in Massachusetts, you can find a great list of all the fireworks listed on BostonCentral.com (http://www.bostoncentral.com/events/massachusetts_fireworks_2010/p5389.php)
The Boston Pops Firework Spectacular is known as America’s Premier Independence Day Celebration. It is now in its 39th year and receives over 500,000 visitors. Seven million viewers will tune into the national broadcast on CBS, which starts at 10 p.m. on July 4th. Jennifer Hudson will be the featured performer. You can download the official July 4th iTunes playlist at www.July4th.org.
In terms of the number of celebrants, the U.S.census says in July 1776, when the congress signed the Declaration of Independence, 2.5 million people celebrated by preparing for battle. Today, nearly 314 million people will celebrate with fireworks, parades and of course barbecues!
At Fourth of July cookouts around the country, they’ll be plenty of pork hot dogs and sausages and the USDA National Agricultural Statistics says almost a third of those meats originated in Iowa.
If your Fourth of July shopping will lean towards beef, over pork, you can thank those cattle ranchers in Texas, which accounts for about 1/6th of the nation’s total production with Nebraska and Kansas also contributing relevant shares of steak, hamburgers and other grilling favorites.
If you’re plans include potato salad or potato chips this Independence Day, you’ll likely be appreciating the great produce from Idaho and Washington states which supply approximately half of the nation’s potatoes.
And for those coleslaw and sauerkraut lovers, the simple cabbage grows across many states including right here in our home state. According to the Pioneer Valley Growers’ Association, Cabbage is high in vitamin C and folate and provides a fair amount of fiber and is low in calories. There are any numbers of ways to prepare cabbage, but we’re partial to using it for coleslaw using our Coleslaw Mix.
Of course, while Concord Foods is partial to all types of produce, for the Fourth of July, we can think of nothing more refreshing then serving guests smoothies with fresh strawberries and bananas.
For those of you wanting a treat with a bigger bite, nothing is more fun than Candy Apples made with our easy to use Candy Apple Kits.
Whatever you do to celebrate this Fourth of July, we hope you have fun, keep safe, give thanks to our soldiers for continuing to keep our country safe, and certainly, enjoy great food.