happy summer!!

A Taste of Summer
(brought to you by MSN Encarta)
Summer means a whole new season of foods. Like mom always said, an educated eater is a happy eater, so enjoy these interesting facts about some favorite American summer foods.

1. Corn on the cob: Did you know that corn is the largest crop in the United States? The origin of cultivated corn is unknown, however.

2. Watermelons originally came from the Kalahari Desert region in Africa, which is interesting because the average watermelon is 92 percent water.

3. Peaches: During the mid-1980s, world peach production totaled about 5.5 million metric tons per year. The highest peach-producing countries were the United States and Italy.

4. The strawberry is actually a member of the rose family. Each strawberry contains approximately 200 seeds.

5. Fresh fish: The first person to write in English about using a fishing rod was Dame Juliana Berners, whose Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle (1496) remained the basis of fishing knowledge in England for 150 years.

6. Lemonade: President Rutherford B. Hayes's wifeLucy was called Lemonade Lucy because she was a staunch advocate of the temperance movement and would not serve strong drinks at the White House.

7. Barbecue: The word barbecue comes from the Arawak word barbakoa, meaning "frame of sticks."

8. One of the world's most popular desserts, ice cream was most likely first created in China, around 2000 BC.

9. Tomatoes: Up until the mid-19th century, many cultures thought the tomato was poisonous. Today tomatoes are one of the most widely cultivated crops.

10. What's a cookout without potato salad? Americans sure must eat a lot of it: The U.S. potato harvest in 1999 yielded 21.7 million metric tons of potatoes!

Here's wishing you a fun, happy, safe summer!