Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 7

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

Another day, another set of states (and food items) for Tony. He always does a great job of coming up with interesting facts:

• MontanaThe Triple Divide Peak is located in Glacier National Park. It is the only spot in North America where water drains into three different bodies of water: the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean (via the Gulf of Mexico), and the Hudson Bay.
• Rhode IslandIs the smallest U.S. state by area (only 37 by 48 miles), but it packs in over 400 miles of coastline. Its official name used to be the longest in the country (The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations) before voters shortened it in 2020.
• AlabamaThe origin of the word Alabama is come from the words “Alba and Amo”. Alba refers to vegetables, herbs, and plants; Amo refers to gatherer or picker. The combination of these words “vegetation pickers” describes the Alabama Indians who were the early settlers in the region.
• HawaiiMauna Kea on the Big Island is technically the tallest mountain on the planet. Measuring from its base on the ocean floor, it reaches over 33,500 feet, which is nearly a mile taller than Mt. Everest.
• Arizona People lived in the area that’s now Arizona at least 20,000 years ago, before written history. But in the 1200s, this civilization disappeared, probably due to a drought. Much later, Native American tribes such as the Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, and Apache lived on the land. Today, 22 tribes still reside on reservations in the state.

Tony also did a great job coming up with a meal. I always appreciate having breakfast for dinner, and his Montana potato hash really hit the spot. He fried potatoes, onions and bell peppers in a cast-iron skillet, added corn kernels, and lima beans, and topped each serving with a fried egg.

Entree

You may notice that the above photo includes a jar of huckleberry preserves, Montana's state fruit. I knew nothing about huckleberries, but Google told me that the berries primarily grow in the mountainous regions of the northwestern part of the country. They cannot be commercially cultivated and must be hand picked in the wild.

I had some preserves on toast, then went back for more. Thank goodness there's still a large portion of the jar left, because I see more huckleberry preserves in my future!

Yummy!