Labor Day is a day celebrating not labor itself, but the people who perform it, the laborers.  Peter J. McGuire, a New York City cabinet maker, first proposed the idea of Labor Day in 1882.  He intended it as a day for laborers to march in the streets, celebrating laborers while simultaneously demanding more rights for them.  It took another twelve years for Labor Day to actually be signed on as an official holiday by President Grover Cleveland--a president largely known for his distaste of organized labor.  By 1900 laborers started to use the day as a day of recreation, and though the unions resisted this trend by imposing fines and offering incentives, today Labor Day is a day of fun, sunshine, barbeques and picnics--everything opposed to labor! 

Whatever your plans are for Labor Day, include a visit to the nearest Farm, Farmer's or U-Pick Market. We'd like to share a few all- American recipes with you in the hopes of making your day just a little more fulfilling.

We also want to encourage a safe Labor Day weekend, particularly if you are grilling out or having a picnic.  In either case, take a brief look at our outdoor food safety pages and familiarize yourself with the tips you find there--you never know, they could mean the difference between a really good Labor Day and a really bad one!