Hey, Cookie Kids! 

Do you flip for the Chocolate Chip Cookies? Who doesn’t?! These appealing discs of dough and chips have magical powers that are sure to make your mouth water. Today is Chocolate Chip Cookie day—a day that’s sure to have you preheating the oven and mixing ingredients. Break out the flour, sugar, and—of course—the chocolate chips and let’s get bakin’! 

Easily the most popular of all the cookies, I’d be stunned to find anyone reading this Blog post who has never had one before. Can you imagine a world without the Chocolate Chip Cookie? Unfortunate as it may be, many folks have lived their whole lives without ever knowing the taste of this delectable treat! After all, the recipe was only created in the late 1930s. 

It was Ruth Wakefield, an experienced baker with a degree in household arts, who made the original Chocolate Chip Cookie. Ruth ran the reputable Toll House restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts where she first conceptualized this new cookie with melted chocolate chunks. 

She put out her ‘Tried and True’ cookbook in 1938 which introduced the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe to the world. The recipe blew up! Within a year, this cookie got so popular that it was mentioned on a radio program hosted by Betty Crocker. As if the cookie needed any help, this radio mention really did solidify this cookie’s reputation as a cultural smash! 

Many origin stories have been proposed for how Ruth came up with this cookie. Some have said it happened by chance when some chocolate fell into her cookie batter. Others suggested that chocolate was a quick replacement ingredient that just proved to be amazing. These are just stories, though. 

The truth is that Ruth was an absolute perfectionist when it came to her craft. She knew the art of baking very well. This iconic cookie was no happy accident! It’s the result of Ruth’s know-how for making a recipe and testing it carefully. Be sure to indulge for Chocolate Chip Cookie day and say a little thank you to Ruth for her incredible recipe! As always, thanks for reading! 

 

- John

Hi, Camp Fans! 

Never fear; the All Natural Moso Purifying Bag is ready to bust up those bad smells that can sometimes get trapped in a closet or maybe your footlocker trunk! Made from 100% bamboo charcoal, this bag is a perfect odor eliminator! This fragrance free bag will remove all odor, bacteria, allergens, excessive moisture, and harmful pollutants in an area as large as 90 square feet. 

Derived directly from the bamboo plant, the main ingredient in a charcoal bag is called Activated Charcoal. Here’s how it works: 

When you burn bamboo, there’s not enough air to allow it to combust into flames. As a result, the carbon inside the bamboo distills into the coals that remain. When the charcoal interacts with steam, activation occurs—the surface area of the carbon molecules gets much bigger and develops deep pockets where dirt, oils, and other undesirable stank gets trapped. 

Activated charcoal is said to have been used by the Egyptians for as long as 6,000 years ago. It wasn’t used for air purification, though, but rather for smelting ores to create bronze. Around 3,500 years back, they started using it for healing ailments and, in doing so, discovered that it would absorb unpleasant odors. Further use for it was found about 2,500 years ago as a means of water purification with antiseptic properties. 

Keep only what you want in your footlocker! Throw a charcoal bag in your trunk to prevent mold and mildew and keep things clean and odorless! Care for a Moso Air Purifying Bag couldn’t be easier; simply set it out in the sun for an hour once a month and the bag is ready to use again! This bag is non-toxic and eco-friendly—safe around pets and children—and will last you up to two years.  

As always, thanks for reading and happy camping! 

 

- John

Hey, Health Heads! 

Did you know that today is a double holiday? Two different celebrations rolled into one day. It is both Watermelon Day as well as Avocado Day! Two very summery treats also turn out to be very healthy foods. Both the watermelon and avocado are quite unsuspected but technically accurate members of the berry club! That’s right. They’re both technically berries. 

A surprising sidenote is that strawberries don’t actually qualify as berries. You can read more about that confusing matter on this previous Blog post containing some little known strawberry facts. 

We know full well that watermelons and avocadoes are somewhat iconic of the summer season. That’s why you can find these popping and cute prints depicting these delectable pieces of produce on select products here at Everything Summer Camp! 

Watermelons

That high contrast from the deep green of the rind to the pink with black polka dot seeds throughout is a head turning print that we love to dress one of our Designer Trunks. Of course, you can find watermelons elsewhere on our site like icons on nameplates and name labels along with our iScream Rhinestone Watermelon Decal! 

Avocados

The main ingredient of guacamole, avocados are a wonderfully versatile food. Avocado toast is one of my favorites in the morning! With so many lovers across the board, we figured we better put this trendy theme on a laundry bag! 

 

Dish up some avocados and watermelon slices for yourself today to celebrate BOTH Watermelon Day and Avocado Day! Enjoy these delicious foods and pick out some of our products that feature these foods! Have fun shopping our online site with plenty more fun products like these and, as always, thanks for reading. 

 

- John

Hey, Paperbackers! 

Do you find yourself often enough glued between the front and back of a soft, handheld novel? Today ought to be just your cup of tea! Find your favorite spot to read and plant your face in your favorite soft cover because today is Paperback Day! It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting under a shady tree or curled up in a nice, big chair—it’s what you’re reading that counts. After all, books offer a whole different world to which you can escape! 

Of course, you can’t curl up as comfortably with a hard cover book the same way you can with the casual portability of a paperback. And that means people didn’t know the joy of truly getting cozy with a good book until the paperback revolution came around in the 1950s. 

We have Allen Lane, a publisher in England to thank for this revolution. He used money out of his own pocket to launch the Penguin Books imprint in 1935. The softcover saw immediate success in the local area, but it didn’t take too long to sweep the world! 

Paperback popularity went through the roof in a very short period. They were cheap to produce and gave way to dime novels—a quickly produced book of typically low quality printing and writing. However, many paperbacks were simply reprints of their hard cover original. 

No matter what the content, softcover books shoehorned their way into places where a hardcover dared not go such as newspaper stands, drugstores, airports, hotel lobbies, etc. Books were now an item that people would buy on impulse! 

Softcover books are great to pack along for camp and any other summer travels you may have planned. Be sure to peruse our selection of Choose Your Own Adventure Books, the Camp Confidential Series, Mad Libs, as well as summer camp guidebooks, available right here at Everything Summer Camp and happy Paperback Day! As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans. 

 

- John

Hey, Camp Folks! 

Share Your Camp Story is back! For this contest we’ll be picking ten random winners. Our randomized winner for first place will receive our top prize of a $300 gift card to use on our online store! Three more winners will receive $100 gift cards to our site. And six random winners will receive $50 gift cards. All other participants will get a $20 gift card to make everyone a winner! We can’t wait to hear what a blast you all had this summer!  

What to Write
There’s an endless list of things you can share for your submission—a list of everything you ate while at camp, for instance. But the best submissions are written about the parts of camp that meant the most to you. 

Take your time to really set the scene for us. Tell us about your most memorable moment or talk about all the great people you met. Maybe you want to write about the camp you went to and why you think it’s the best! 

Not just for Kids
Parents and Grandparents are more than welcome to send in their own submissions too. Seeing your child head off to camp may have you reminiscing about your own camp stay from way back when. Tell us all about it! 

Maybe your child isn't interested in sending us a submission. Feel free to submit for them. Give us your perspective on how your child's camp stay went!  

Write or Record
Send us your camp story as a written submission or a video if you're so inclined. You can simply tell your camp story to a camera, upload your recorded video to YouTube, and leave a link to your video in place of your written submission!

No matter what you choose to share, we’d love to hear it! Include your first and last name as well as the name of the camp you visited and how long you’ve been going to camp. Submissions must be 150 words to qualify, but go for more if want! If you're submitting a video, make sure the video is at least one minute and thirty seconds. 

Submit your entry by clicking here. There is no entry fee. If you're under the age of 18, you'll need permission from your parent or guardian to participate in this Contest. We’re taking submissions from now until the very last minute of August. 

Tell us how camp went and submit your stories to be shared right here on the Blog! Check out the entry form for further details and, as always, thanks for reading! 

- John