By Alastair Bland, NPR A week without water can easily kill the average person. But a garden that goes unwatered for months may produce sweeter, more flavorful fruits than anything available in most mainstream supermarkets — even in the scorching heat of a California summer. Commercial growers call it “dry farming,” and throughout the state, […]
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By T. Susan Chang, NPR At this time of year, we all love tomatoes. Many of us claim we’ll “take a big juicy tomato and bite into it like it’s an apple,” although you won’t often see that happen in actual fact. Yet, even people who love a juicy fresh tomato also are likely to […]
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What’s in Your Extra Virgin Olive Oil? is the subject of a Sept. 19 lecture at Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences in Incline Village. Selina Wang of the UC Davis Olive Center will present her research exposing the poor quality of olive oil available to U.S. consumers, showing that 65 percent of imported olive oil […]
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By Kathryn Reed Unconventional. That’s exactly what the owner of Gunbarrel Tavern & Eatery wants to be. “We are here to give the finger to standard ideas about what a menu is supposed to be. We try to do things different … to not abide by anything you have to do,” Alex Cox said. Cox […]
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By Kristen Leigh Painter, Denver Post The standard 12-ounce beer can is being squeezed off store shelves as beverage makers try to one-up each other not only with what’s inside their cans but what the can itself looks like. Consumers can now choose from cans with temperature-sensitive ink indicating a drinkable chill, wider tops meant […]
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By Michael Moyer, Scientific American Taste is not what you think. Every schoolchild learns that it is one of the five senses, a partner of smell and sight and touch, a consequence of food flitting over taste buds that send important signals — sweet or bitter, nutrient or poison? — to the brain. Were it […]
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By Justin Bachman, Bloomberg Businessweek Food destined for the U.S. would be inspected abroad and importers would be held more accountable for ensuring its safety, under new rules proposed by the Food and Drug Administration. Federal regulators are pushing to tackle a problem that has long plagued the food supply: too few inspectors facing more […]
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By Kathryn Reed Summer is such a good time for salads. And with all this smoke in the air, who really wants to get the kitchen hot or to fire up the barbecue. And with all the warm days we’ve been having, they are also a nice alternative. The one below, though, isn’t ideal for […]
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Chefs are sharpening their knives for the second annual Sierra Chef Challenge, which is part of the 4th annual Sample the Sierra festival. While the event is supposed to showcase what El Dorado County has to offer, the meat for the cook-off is coming from Reno’s Sierra Meat & Seafood Company and the mystery box […]
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By Deena Prichep, NPR If you’ve been to a fancy restaurant, you’ve probably seen a sommelier — those wine experts who make sure you get the best possible match for your meal. But what if you don’t want a Chardonnay or Pinot? What if you want a nice cold beer? A new program is working […]
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