Farming
What to Eat when Chewing is a Pain
One of my best friends, a newish mom, asked a while ago if I could post something about baby-friendly foods—things that don't require a lot of teeth. Ew, I thought, no thanks! I'm finicky about food texture, and I like my vegetables crisp, my pasta al dente, and my bagels chewy.But in the throes of...
February 05, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Swiftlet Nest Farming Proves Good for Business... Maybe Too Good
Up there on the weirdest-things-you-can-eat list has to be bird's nest soup. It would be weird enough just to eat your standard twiggy-grassy robin's nest, but this predominantly Chinese delicacy is made almost entirely from the goopy spit of a southeast Asian bird called a swiftlet (check out a co...
January 15, 2009 |
By Hugh Powell
Food Stuck in Teeth for 8,000 Years Alters View of Early Farming
Close on the heels of news about Ötzi the iceman's final meals come revelations about a diet even more ancient. New findings show that about 8,000 years ago, the inhabitants of the Nanchoc Valley in the lower Peruvian Andes were eating beans, peanuts, domesticated squash, and a fruit pod called pac...
December 15, 2008 |
By Hugh Powell
Turkeys Are Having a Pretty Bad Month
The NYTimes ran a story last week about the latest animal-abuse scandal reported by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The group has released what it says is an undercover video of a turkey-breeding farm in West Virginia where workers punch, kick and generally bully the birds in th...
November 26, 2008 |
By Amanda Bensen
A 'New Dawn' for Ugly Vegetables
Crooked carrots, rejoice! The European Union has peeled away the layer of bureaucracy that once kept cosmetically imperfect produce off store shelves. Marketing standards regarding the size and shape of 26 varieties of fruits and vegetables (complete list here) will be scrapped starting next summer...
November 24, 2008 |
By Amanda Bensen
Wish They All Could Be California Chicks...
You may have missed it in the frenzy of election-related news this month, but Californian voters just approved a proposition that could make your omelette more expensive (as well as more ethical). Pregnant pigs, veal calves, and egg-laying hens will all gain more rights in California under the Prev...
November 21, 2008 |
By Amanda Bensen
What Is American Food?
Pigeons and pork bellies, apparently. And don’t forget the sweetbreads…I was lucky enough to snag a seat (and a fork) at a recent dinner lecture organized by the Smithsonian Resident Associates at 701 Restaurant, here in DC. The topic, “What is American Food?” conjured images of meatloaf and apple ...
November 21, 2008 |
By Amanda Bensen
A Passion for Tomatoes
Whatever the variety—commercial hybrid or precious heirloom—the plump juicy "vegetable" has a place in our hearts
August 2008 |
By Arthur Allen
Berried Treasure
Why is horticulturalist Harry Jan Swartz so determined to grow an exotic strawberry beloved by Jane Austen?
July 2006 |
By David Karp
Steaming into the Future
An ungainly monster, the steam traction engine helped turn the buffalo's pasture into America's breadbasket
September 1998 |
By Diotima Booraem
