Isn’t it funny how we celebrate a day dedicated to the American labor movement and the social and economic achievements of workers by taking a day off from work? Of course, I’m talking about Labor Day, which is coming up on Monday, September 1.
Not that I’m complaining about having a three-day weekend. For me, the day will be celebrated by firing up the grill, forgetting about the yard work (I’ll actually do it the day before) and eating way more food than I probably should.
That menu will include the usual assortment of burgers, hot dogs and, of course, watermelon.
When most folks think about watermelon holidays, they probably think of Memorial Day and Independence Day, but Labor Day isn’t far behind. Watermelon shippers will supply close to 170 million pounds of the fruit to Americans in the 10 days before Labor Day.
More than 100 million of those pounds are produced by just three states: Indiana (41 million pounds), California (35 million pounds) and Texas (33 million pounds). Surprised that a northern state like Indiana leads the way? I was, too, but apparently Indiana is among the nation’s leaders in all sorts of crops.
But, regardless of where the watermelon comes from, one thing’s for sure: No matter where you live in this great country of ours, you’ll be able to find the ultimate Labor Day treat in a grocery store near you!
UP NEXT: The 2014 Watermelon Carving Contest winners!