February 15, 2023 - National Wisconsin Day | National Gumdrop Day

Welcome to February 15th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate getting serious about dairy and a smooth candy king. Wisconsin is one of the biggest dairy producers in the United States, each year generating over 30 billion pounds of milk-related foods. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the state takes butter very seriously. In fact, Wisconsin outlawed the sale of margarine for decades. During World War II, sales of margarine were allowed because of milk rationing. But it wasn’t allowed to be yellow in order to avoid confusing it with real butter. It took until 1967 before the state allowed the sale of yellow margarine. Even today there are Wisconsin laws intended to make the difference clear. On National Wisconsin Day, we toast the Badger State and all its natural beauty. But make sure it’s butter on that toast, my friend. Or else. Percy Truesdell was named the Gumdrop King for his improvement of the candy. Percy worked in the chemistry labs of Ohio State State University and it was here that he made a discovery. By adding the perfect amount of starch to the recipe, the once solid glob of sugar became a smooth, chewy confection. The original flavors of clove, allspice, cinnamon and spearmint are not as popular today but they do go nicely on gingerbread houses. Most people still prefer cherry, grape, orange and lemon and thanks to the Gumdrop King we can celebrate National Gumdrop Day without breaking our teeth. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices