The 10 Tastiest June Food Holidays To Kick Off Your Summer!
Quick! What do you think of when you think of summer foods? If you’re like most people, then you’re probably thinking of BBQ, ice cream, picnic foods such as sandwiches and hot dogs, and fast food like hamburgers. You also might be thinking about some of the best-selling fruits of summer, which are cherries, blueberries, strawberries, and watermelon. We know those are all of the foods that we think about when we think about summer. And that’s the understanding we had about this season as we began looking for the best June food holidays.
We quickly learned that there aren’t a lot of food holidays dedicated to what we think are “summer foods,” at least not in the month of June. It seems as if the barbecue and picnic food holidays come later in the season, as do holidays dedicated to watermelons, blueberries, and cherries. What we did find however were some great holidays dedicated to strawberry-based foods, ice cream, and other foods that people might enjoy during this month. So without further ado, allow us to introduce to all of you The 10 Tastiest June Food Holidays To Kick Off Your Summer!
National Rocky Road Day (June 2nd)
We’re going to ease everyone into this month by introducing National Rocky Road Day to everyone. Although June is when the summer months officially begin, at this point in the month it’s still Spring, so we think a day dedicated to rocky road works out just fine. Especially when that rocky road ice cream is paired with a nice German chocolate cake. Now, that’s how you kick off a month!
National Veggie Burger Day (June 5th)
When we think of summer, we think of hamburgers and cheeseburgers. They just seem to go hand in hand with summer. However, since we still haven’t made it into Summer, we’ll all have to settle for a veggie burger during National Veggie Burger Day. Don’t worry, over the past decade, veggie burgers have really come a long way, and many of them are indistinguishable from hamburgers made with real beef. Don’t believe us? Well, there’s only one way to know for sure, and that’s by celebrating this day and picking up some veggie burgers. Try ’em, we’re sure you’ll like them.
National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day (June 9th)
We promised a strawberry-related holiday and we delivered. We’d like to introduce everyone to this day. A day called National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day. Anyone who has never tried eating a slice of this type of pie is missing out. What makes it so special? Well, let us just say that strawberry rhubarb pie tastes a whole lot like summer, so if that’s what you want, go ahead and observe this sweet, sweet holiday.
National Iced Tea Day (June 10th)
Everyone knows that you can’t go all through summer with a nice glass of iced tea—preferably a sweet tea. Iced tea and summer go hand in hand. We love to make up a pitcher of tea, and just sit out on our front porch during the hot summer months. Although June isn’t as hot as the rest of the summer months, it’s a good time to start making pitchers of tea.
National Corn on the Cob Day (June 11th)
Corn on the cob is a vegetable that people will be enjoying all summer long, so we’re definitely going to call it a summer food. You can’t go to any picnic or cookout across the United States without coming across corn. Ears of corn can be found at barbecues, family get-togethers, picnics, and anywhere else where people are enjoying good company and good food. So grab an ear or two and let’s get this party started.
National Strawberry Shortcake Day (June 14th)
Once again, the humble strawberry makes its appearance in a June holiday. This day is dedicated to strawberry shortcake — one of the quintessential desserts of summer. Made with soft spongy angel food cake variation, sweet strawberries, some kind of strawberry jam, and whipped cream. It’s a light and airy, although quite sweet, dessert that just screams summer fun!
National Vanilla Milkshake Day/ National Ice Cream Soda Day (June 20th)
Okay, we know that we’re kind of cheating on this list because we’re actually combining National Vanilla Milkshake Day and National Ice Cream Soda Day on this list together. But come on. Both of these holidays are observed on the same day and both of them use ice cream. So our question is: why wouldn’t you observe both of these holidays? At this point in the month, it’s almost officially summer, so let’s have some fun.
Onion Ring Day (June 22nd)
Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and hot dogs might not be officially represented in this list of June holidays, but one of their main companions does. And this food is the humble onion ring. Although many people tend to choose French fries over onion rings most of the time, they just so happen to be our favorite summer food. Who could resist those tender rings of onion in a crispy fried batter? Well, we know we can’t. It’s the best way to officially kick off the summer months.
National Catfish Day (June 25th)
Summer is the time when people start pulling catfish out of rivers all across the U.S. Which is a good thing because there are a lot of summer cookouts that have to be supplied. It doesn’t matter if a person enjoys baked catfish or fried catfish, or if they eat it as the main protein of a meal, or if it’s just another ingredient in a gumbo or casserole. All that matters is that catfish is the fish of summer, and it’s absolutely delicious when it’s cooked right.
National Bomb Pop Day (June 29th)
Why is National Bomb Pop Day on this list? Well, because this Popsicle is the epitome of summer. Many of us have fond memories of chasing down our local ice cream truck and dropping all of the money in our pocket on bomb pops—particularly the red, white, and blue ones. They just taste like summer and they should be enjoyed by everyone.
Of course, as is always the case, there are a few holidays that we couldn’t include on this list. One, because many of the other food holidays aren’t “summer foods” and two, because we can only make these lists so long. Maybe we’ll cover some of them in the future, but until we do, we hope the following list helps everyone make their summer celebrations a little more fun.