Celebrating March Holidays at 501 on First

Along with springtime, March brings celebrations in its wake. St. Patrick’s Day, Johnny Appleseed Day, and Pi Day are all observed in March, and we’ve got some recipes to help you celebrate at your apartment here at 501 on First in Rochester, MN. So break out your green, shamrocks, try one of these apple-based dessert and pie recipes, and don’t forget to celebrate the first day of spring! We have some ideas to get your imagination going.

Johnny Appleseed Day — Choose the day you want to celebrate, March 11th or September 26th. It’s a toss-up according to those who care — some call for celebration on his birthday, September 26th, and some on his alleged death date, March 11th. Whichever day you celebrate, raise a glass of cider in his honor.

John Chapman was the real-life Johnny Appleseed who lived in the American midwest. He was an eccentric frontier man who made it his life’s work to establish orchards throughout the area. Nova, Ohio is home to a 176-year-old apple tree, the last known to be planted by Johnny Appleseed himself. It grows tart green apples, which are now used for applesauce and baking in addition to cider making. And, because we’ve been talking about apples, we’ll also share this link to more than four dozen apple pie recipes.

Pi Day — The talk of apple pie recipes brings up another March celebration, Pi Day, which happens on 3.14 (March 14th). To help you celebrate, we’ve got some pie recipes that are perfectly suitable for celebrating the day. Let the pi/pie puns begin. In fact, we’ll get it started with a riddle. Who was the roundest knight at King Arthur’s table? Sir Cumference. He ate too much pi.

Pizza Pie: this recipe features step-by-step directions and pictures so you can create the perfect pizza. Top with pepperoni in the pi symbol, and you’ll be ready for a pi party.

Triple Berry Pie is a favorite for many. The blogger of this recipe says this pie is perfect for any time you crave a fruity pie, whether it’s a holiday dedicated to pie or not! It has less sugar than most berry pies, she says, so it’s not overly sweet. If you love the sweet, tart taste of berries in a flaky, buttery crust, you’re in for a treat once you make this pie! To be extra fancy, make a lattice top following the directions from this tutorial: How to Make a Lattice Top for a Pie Crust.

St. Patrick’s Day — Celebrated all over the world on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day is observed in the United States with parades, green fountains, wearin’ of the green, eating Irish foods, and drinking green beer. We’ve rounded up some excellent Irish food recipes for you to try, plus we checked in with Yelp to suggest some local places to get a pint in the Rochester, MN area.  

Irish Soda Bread, a recipe direct from the Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread, is the real deal, and this website has a multitude of other Irish dishes to try.

Whichever holidays you celebrate this spring, we’d love to hear about it. Please feel free to share your favorite March holiday traditions in the comment section!