June 16th, 2023

Fudge Day

The origins of Fudge Day are unknown, but it cannot be denied that celebrating this delicious, sweet treat is a great way to spend the day. Fudge is soft, smooth confectionary made by heating and mixing milk, butter and sugar. A variety of other ingredients can then be added to create assorted flavours of fudge. Some of the most popular flavours include chocolate and peanut butter.

The earliest documented mention of fudge can be found in a letter composed by Emelyn Hartridge, who was studying at Vassar College, located in Poughkeepsie, New York. The letter detailed that fudge had been made and sold in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1886. Other fudge recipes in the USA can be traced back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Mackinac Island fudge ice cream (vanilla ice cream blended with small chunks of fudge) is still sold on Mackinac Island in Michigan, and surrounding areas, where shops have been selling fudge to summer vacationers since the late nineteenth century.

Modern fudge recipes remain largely unaltered. On Fudge Day, why not try making your own fudge? You can use this basic recipe to have your own delicious treat to enjoy right in your own kitchen! Melt three cups (700g) of chocolate chips along with fourteen ounces (400g) of sweetened condensed milk and ¼ cup (30g) of butter or margarine in a large bowl in the microwave. Cook on medium heat for approximately four minutes, or until the chocolate chips have all melted, stirring a couple of times during cooking. Add in any extra ingredients (nuts, fruit, biscuits, marshmallows, etc.) required and stir well. Pour fudge mixture into a greased 8″x8″ glass dish and refrigerate until set. Simple, quick and tasty!

Fudge Day is the perfect excuse to try some crazy new flavours of fudge. You could sample maple and pecan, or chomp down some rocky road fudge. If you want to go really wild, mix up some particularly unusual flavours, like carrot and orange, liquorice fudge, or – for grown-ups only – tequila and lime. You could even hold competitions with work colleagues, friends or family to see who can come up with the most bizarre (but still edible!) variety of fudge. Happy fudge tasting!

Fresh Veggies Day

Five portions a day? Seven? Ten? Nutritionists agree that when it comes to fresh fruit and vegetables, most of us just aren’t getting enough. Make a change on Fresh Veggies Day, and invite family and neighbours around for a fun and surprising meat-free feast.

Originally, Fresh Veggies Day was celebrated in early summer, when the tastiest new-season vegetables start to become plentiful. With one eye on the weather, take a trip to your local farmers’ market or specialist food store and stock up on whatever is ripe – along with some free recipe ideas. For some early crops, you may even be able to go to a farm and pick your own: why not get some friends together and plan a day out?
Of course, most gardeners will tell you that nothing beats the pride, satisfaction and taste of home-grown veg. Seed clubs and gardening forums make it easy, and affordable, to cultivate your own weird and wonderful varieties.

Bloomsday

Bloomsday is a day to celebrate the life and works of Irish writer James Joyce. It falls on June 16th, the same day as Joyce's novel Ulysses takes place. Bloomsday is a time for reading excerpts from Ulysses, listening to music inspired by the book, and enjoying food and drink that are mentioned in the text.

Ulysses tells the story of Leopold Bloom's day in Dublin on June 16th, 1904. The novel is crammed full of allusions to classical literature, Irish culture, and current events. To truly appreciate all that Joyce packed into this book, it's important to read it aloud and discuss it with others on Bloomsday.

There are many different ways to enjoy Bloomsday celebrations. Some people choose to dress up like characters from Ulysses or prepare traditional Irish food items like bangers and mash or black pudding sandwiches. Others prefer simply to gather with friends at a pub or library and read excerpts from the book together while enjoying drinks and snacks inspired by its contents

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