It's National Pickle Day!

Hi!  Winnie Griggs here.  I have a "National Day of" calendar and I like to check out all the fun or unusual commemorations noted there, and it's true today is National Pickle Day.  (It's also National Spicy Guacamole Day for those who might be interested in that bit of trivia).  It's difficult to imagine who might lobby for these special recognition days, but since it is the pickle's special day, I thought I'd dig out and share some fun facts about this popular garnishment and snack item.

• Pickles have been around for thousands of years - since at least 2030 BC in fact.  It was at this time
  
  that cucumbers were brought from India to the Tigris Valley.  There they were first preserved and consumed as pickles
• The ancient Egyptians consumed pickles, not only for their nutritional value, but also because they believed it enhanced beauty.  In fact, Cleopatra credited her good looks to her full diet of pickles!
• Both Julius Caesar and Napoleon fed pickles to their armies believing it would offer strength and good health to the troops
• Amerigo Vespucci, the man America got its name from, was a pickle merchant.
• The word pickle is derived from the Dutch word pekel, which means brine.
• During WWII, the US government commandeered 40% of all US pickle production to be used in rations for the troops.
• Drinking pickle brine is a common hangover cure in Poland
• The first annual pickle day was celebrated in 2001 in New York City.
• In The United States, over 2.5 BILLION pounds are consumed annually.
• The record for the world's largest pickle is held by Vlasic.  This award winning pickle weighed nearly five pounds and measured 16 inches in length and had a 3-1/2 inch diameter. That's about 10 times the size of a 'normal' pickle.
• More than half of the cucumbers grown in the US go into pickle production.
• In Connecticut, in order for a pickle to earn the name pickle, it must bounce! 

There were many more of these fun facts that I uncovered in my research, but I think I'll stop there.

So are you a pickle fan or not?  And which of these bits of pickle trivia surprised you the most?

GIVEAWAY ALERT:  Since I'm excited about my new release, Her Holiday Family, I'd like to giveaway a copy to one person who leaves a comment on this blog today.

HER HOLIDAY FAMILY

What happens when a straight-laced young widow’s home is invaded by ten rambunctious orphans and their handsome caretaker just in time for the holidays...

Reserved widow Eileen Pierce never considered herself the kind of woman who was cut out to be a mother. She wouldn't know what to do with one child, much less ten. But when handyman Simon Tucker is stranded in town with a group of young orphans just before Thanksgiving, she discovers she can't just turn them away.

Simon knows there's more to Eileen than meets the eye. Though his easygoing demeanor immediately clashes with her buttoned-up propriety, Simon's kindness soon melts Eileen's stern facade. Simon and the children have already upended Eileen's quiet, orderly life. Will they do the same to her guarded heart?