MARCH 31ST is......

NATIONAL TATER DAY
National Tater Day is observed annually on March 31. This day is set aside to celebrate the potato that is loved by almost everyone and provides us with essential vitamins, minerals and fiber.
There are numerous ways to fix and enjoy the potato:
Baked – Boiled – Steamed – Roasted – Mashed – Fried – Grilled – Scalloped – French Fries – Cottage Fries – Hash Browns – In Stew – In Soup – Potato Salad – Potato Dumplings – Potato Pancakes – Anyway You Like Them!!
This day may have originally had a different meaning. At the beginning of April, there is a celebration of the sweet potato (Tater Day) in parts of Kentucky. Sweet potatoes are one of the main cash crops in that area. Tater Day started way back in the early 1840s with the trading and selling of sweet potatoes. It is the oldest continuous trade day in the United States.
Worldwide, there are more than four thousand potato varieties.
Since the time potatoes were shipped from Europe to the colonies in the early 17th century, their consumption has been a major part of the North American diet.
A Few Potato Facts
There are over 100 potato varieties in the United States and more than 4,000 worldwide. Potatoes were shipped from Europe to the colonies in the early 1600s and today they are a large part of the typical American diet. They are full of vitamin C and antioxidants, and they have more potassium than a banana.
So let’s all give potatoes some recognition by making them the star of the meal rather than a side dish. Try the following breakfast recipe if you want some inspiration. Served with OJ and coffee, this will start your day off just right.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Have your potato, tater or spud the way you like it. Use #NationalTaterDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
In Benton, Kentucky, where this unofficial national holiday is best known, games, floats, carnival rides, mule pulls, sweet potato-eating contests and “who can grow the biggest potato” competitions are the order of the day. Sweet potatoes are one of the main cash crops of that region, and National Tater Day is a day of celebration there. But why limit it to Kentucky? We all love potatoes, both sweet and not, so let’s celebrate this holiday in style with some fries, wedges, mashed potatoes or whatever happens to be your favorite tater dish.

Enjoy!