Doug Smith: Cucumber Salad

HAPPY LABOR DAY

Why do we celebrate LABOR DAY?

story and recipe by Doug Smith

The holiday is rooted in the late 1800s when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions American workers have made to our country’s strength and success. Labor Day didn’t start as a national holiday but as a local holiday. Then the state of New York became the first to introduce a bill making it a state-wide holiday. Oregon quickly followed and was first to pass a law recognizing Labor Day as a state-wide holiday in 1887. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted simulator legislation, and on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday. “American labor has raised the nation’s standard of living and contributed to the greatest production the world has ever known and the labor movement has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership – the American worker.” President Grover Cleveland Congress chose Monday for Labor Day because this would ensure a 3 day weekend. This extra day gave the workers more time with their families. The long weekend was so coveted that congress passed The Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968. This changed several holidays to ensure they would always be observed on Mondays so that federal employees could have more three-day weekends. The Act, signed into law on June 28, 1968, moved Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, and Columbus Day to fixed Mondays each year. With Labor Day upon us, let’s plan our picnics, grill-outs, or that last trip to the beach. The long weekend not only celebrates the American worker but also is a time of change. Summer has come to a close, school has started and our thoughts turn to fall. Get more from Doug Smith by following him on Facebook and Instagram at "Doug the Food Guy". Find Doug the FoodGuy on Spotify and Apple podcasts @The Pizzeria & Enzo Show

cucumber salad

Ingredients:

• 4 medium cucumbers sliced • 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar • 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil • 3 spring onions • 1/2 lemon • 1/2 a fresh red chili (optional) • 5 or 6 fresh mint leaves

Method:

1. Halve and quarter cucumber, cut into chunks, slice spring onions including the top, slice mint leaves. 2. Place the cucumber, onion, and mint in a mixing bowl, add balsamic vinegar, drizzle 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, juice of half lemon, toss well. 3. Garnish with finely sliced chili pepper.