May 4th holidays

The bizzare May 4th holidays are:

Bird Day
National Candied Orange Peel Day
Renewal Day

I love the candied orange peel! I had them a few times when I was little, but never really thought about them until now. And now I find out there's a holiday dedicated to it! Here's a recipe for them from the Food Network:

Candied Orange
From Food Network Kitchens
Show: How To Boil Water
Episode: Homemade Candy

6 thick-skinned Valencia or navel oranges
4 1/2 cups sugar, plus extra for rolling
1 1/2 cups water

Cut tops and bottoms off of the orange and score the orange into quarters, cutting down only into the peel and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and pith of the orange in large pieces, use the orange for another recipe. Cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 1 or 2 more times depending up how assertive you want the orange peels to be. (Test kitchen liked the texture of a 3 time blanch best, it also mellowed the bitterness. But it is a matter of preference.) Remove the orange peels from the pan.

Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 9 minutes
(If you took the sugar's temperature with a candy thermometer it would be at the soft thread stage, 230 to 234 degrees F.) Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. Cook until the peels get translucent, about 45 minutes. Resist the urge to stir the peels or you may introduce sugar crystals into the syrup. If necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around. Drain the peels, (save the syrup for ice tea.) Roll the peels in sugar and dry on a rack, for 4 to 5 hours. Return to the sugar to store.

Cook's Note: One way to use orange peels is to stuff a dried date with a piece of orange peel and almond, then dip the entire thing into dark chocolate.

Renewal Day was a new one to me. Apparently it's about renewing the things in your life that have gotten "out of sorts" and/or old. Be they friendships or family connections or even marriages, this is a day to renew things that are important. Or, if all the relationships in your life are kosher, maybe you could stand to renew something about yourself or your home. Holiday Insights suggests the following items to renew:

your nails

your hair color and/or style

your figure

your hardwood floors

the shine on your car

your driver's license

a favorite magazine subscription

And Bird Day, well, it's a holiday to celebrate our feathered friends and to build "conservation training and awareness." Basically, just like it sounds. It's all about the birds (note: I did not say for the birds!)

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[ READER COMMENTS ]

1

Gwen said:

May 4th is also Towel Day in honor of Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Luke Skywalker Day: May the Fourth be with you
And Tolkien Reading Day. It's the day Sauron was defeated by the Hobbit calendar.(In some places its also National Nerd Pride Day)!

Posted at 10:59 AM, on May 4 2010

May 4th holidays

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