For Bagel lovers (of which I am one), having a special day to celebrate the tasty bagel is delightful.
National Bagel Day is celebrated yearly on January 15.
History of Bagels
Bagels have a long history extending back nearly 500 years to the Jewish families of Poland in the 1600s. They were brought to America by the large Polish-Jewish immigration in the 1800s and thrived in New York City where many of the immigrants settled.
The 'bagel brunch' we still enjoy today began in the early 1900s. It's nearly the same as it was then, consisting of the popular lox, cream cheese, capers, tomatoes and red onions. Other flavors and toppings have evolved over time. It began as a plain bread roll made from yeasted wheat dough that is shaped by hand into a ring, briefly boiled in water, then baked, resulting in a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned exterior. Today the basic plain bagel also comes in a variety of flavors, including poppy seed, sesame seed, cinnamon raisin, bagels with berries, and the Everything Bagel.
A Few Fun Bagel Facts
The first bagel began in the 1300s as a Polish obwarzanek, which was a thin, boiled, then baked ring of dough.
In 1610, The first written records about bagels was traced to Krakow, Poland, stating that bagels should be gifted to women soon after childbirth. (A new baby, a new bagel).
By the early 1900s, bagels became wildly popular in the Jewish-immigrant communities of New York City.
By the 1950s, Bagels became an American Staple. Today Bagels are sold in supermarkets everywhere and surpass the donut as an essential breakfast item.
Summary
The original bagel today is still most popular acquired fresh from a bakery the day you wish to eat them. But it is also handy to buy store-bought packages to have available anytime a bagel is desired.
Since bagels have their own special day, be sure to have some bagels on hand for January 15th to celebrate the official 'Bagel Day'.
*Bagel Day Holiday Review is written by Wednesday Elf
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
I hope you all had a wonderful, Peaceful Christmas.
Now feels like the time for me to start the gardening year. At first the
feeling is slow, almost imperceptible, but its there and each day the days are getting just that little bit longer and the
prospect of getting out there more appealing.
The shortest day in terms of daylight hours where I live is over
and despite the cold weather and seemingly bleak outlook, if you listen and
look carefully you can feel nature starting to wake up.
Now is the day if I am home, that I venture out into the
garden. During most of December I rarely go into the garden, we have heavy, wet
clay soil and when rainy it only gets muddy and then compacted if I tread
on it. In freezing weather it really is hard like a stone. I can do a lot
more harm than good gardening at this time in our
garden. So generally for most of December the garden and I have a break from each
other.
However today I look and listen and I can feel my soul wanting to
reconnect with the garden. There is often not too much to look at now and all the winter jobs are
done. However, as I gaze around I look for tiny signs of growth and appreciate the bones of the garden.
The evergreens that are always there, are so reliable, so constant and
without the distraction of colour and flowers, they come into their own
right now.
Holly Types And Growing Needs
The best at this time of year is the Holly. Although Holly can be
deciduous, we grow only the evergreen type. The Holly tree is a symbol of
winter and festivity and many of us cut and bring in Holly branches to decorate our homes in
winter.
The holly tree,common Holly, or to give it is rather pretty Latin name Ilex aquifolium, is an evergreen shrub or tree that can potentially
grow up to around 15 meters plus or about 50 feet tall though you can prune to
keep it more manageable.
There are also many smaller varieties reaching up to half that size such
as Ilex aquifolium 'Silver Mermaid' 6m x 4m (approx 20 x 13 feet) or
even smaller sizes suitable for a pot like Ilex aquifolium
'Hascombensis' 2.5m x 1.5m (approx 8 x 5 feet). These are more suitable
for a small garden or if you simply want a smaller tree with less
maintenance. Some even have lovely variagated leaves such as Ilex x
altaclerensis 'Golden King' 6m x 3m (approx 20 x 10 feet), which is a female
variety and does produce red berries.
Holly Berries can be colours mostly from red to yellow and orange on
different varieties. A Holly Plant is generally either male or female so to get those beautiful
berries you will need a female tree with male tree nearby. However
some of the male varieties even though there are no berries, have really
gorgeous leaves and habits and are worth growing.
Holly is grown in gardens both domestic and stately, woodland and hedgerows
mainly. It can be a specimum plant glorious on its own or grown as part of a pretty
inpenetrable spiky hedge which is excellent for security. We grow it alone
and as part of our mixed hedge. It is also found in the wild where the
common Holly can grow very tall and wide indeed if unchecked.
Holly is beautiful with often very dark green, glossy, and usually very
spiky sometimes variagated leaves. It can have small white flowers in Spring, though most will not be grown
for the flowers. The main feature of the female Holly is the beautiful berries that really brighten up the day and look spectacular against the dark
green leaves.
It prefers to grow in a sunny or semi shade position on moist but well
drained soil. It is not fussy about soil being happy in loam, chalk, sand or
clay and acid, neutral or alkaline soil type. It can cope well in an exposed
site or a sheltered position and is content to face any way except
north.
I have only space to mention a few varieties of Holly here. If you want
Holly in your own garden there are so many varieties offering different
sizes and features it is best to research what is suitable for your garden
and needs.
Uses Of The Holly Tree
The Holly tree is a very valuable tree for its many uses.
As the wood is hard, heavy, and fine-grained, it is good for making
furniture, carving, and inlay work. Leaves and berries are wonderful for
crafting projects whether it is using real Holly or artificial
Holly.
It can be used for Christmas or New year decorations including wreaths, and table centre
pieces or a winter display to brighten up a dull corner.
At a time when flowers are rare in the garden and expensive to buy, a
display of Holly in a vase is a beautiful alternative through out
winter.
Holly For Nature
For nature Holly is an extremely valuable tree. The spiky leaves provide
safe shelter all year round and nesting sites.
The Winter time berries are food for birds and small mammals and
the flowers in Spring attract bees and pollinators.
Even its roots help to stabilise the soil and prevent erosion.
Holly In Mythology and Symbolism
The Holly tree has a rich history of mythology and symbolism.
For many of us Holly is a part of the Holiday festivities bringing in
boughs of Holly real or artificial for home decor and is a symbol of
joy. When we bring in Holly into our homes it is also supposed to
protect from evil spirits and lightning, and to bring prosperity and good luck!
Holly has associations with the sun god and the winter solstice, and was considered a sacred plant by the Druids, Romans, and
Celts. It was believed to have magical powers, such as healing,
protection, and fertility. It was also a symbol of peace, joy and goodwill, and was used to
make crowns and gifts.
The Holly was adopted by Christianity, as a symbol of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection with the crown of thorns
representing blood and eternal life.
We even have songs about Holly such as "The Holly And The Ivy", perfectly
performed here by Kings College, Cambridge UK.
So the holly tree is a stunning plant in nature and in our gardens that has
history, mythology and many benefits for us and wildlife.
To step outside into the garden on a crisp cold day in the midst of
winter or wrap up and enjoy a winter walk and see a glorious Holly tree
covered in gorgeous berries is a highlight of the season and one I always
look forward to.