If you had millions of pounds of cheese—along with butter and dry-milk powders—where would you keep it? If you’re the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the answer is obvious: in a…
Tag: Food & Lifestyle
10 New Cookbooks We’ve Been Cooking From This Spring
Spring is always an exciting time for new cookbooks, and this year’s releases are particularly thrilling. Whether you’re looking for inspiration for what to do with your bounty of fresh spring vegetables…
How High-Pressure Processing Is Helping Remote Farmers Bring Fresher Foods to Market
Humans have invented myriad ways to make the most out of an abundant harvest. Pickling, drying and canning are effective in killing microbes and stretching expiration dates, although each has its limits…
They’ve Come a Long Way, But Gene Banks Still Lack Protections for Certain Crops
Gene banks, conservatory preserves where crop seeds are collected and archived for future uses, have been integral to keeping crop diversity alive for centuries. The crop varieties stored within them are important…
A Botanist-Bartender’s Ode to the Dandelion
The idea of a spring tonic is one that spans many cultures throughout time. This phenomenon was partially born out of necessity, since, historically, people needed something nutritious—be it food, drink or…
Designing Food Labels For the Visually Impaired
It all started with a classic box of holiday chocolates. You know the kind: a molded plastic tray filled with chocolates of different shapes and designs. What’s the first thing you do…
It’s Time to Celebrate Our Gardening Failures
There’s a particular feeling—a mixture of astonishment and smug satisfaction—that pops up the first time you successfully grow something. Whether it’s plucking a perfectly red tomato from your very own vine or…
How to Harvest Seaweed Sustainably
Seaweeds are among the fastest‑growing organisms on the planet and are very regenerative if they are harvested properly. The number one rule for harvesting sustainably is: do not rip the seaweed from…
The Pandemic’s Gardening Boom Shows How Gardening Can Cultivate Public Health
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. As lockdowns went into effect in the spring of 2020 to slow the spread of the coronavirus, reports emerged…
Your Cup of Coffee Is Brought to You By the Birds and the Bees
The birds and the bees both do it. That is, they team up to protect and pollinate coffee bean plants. Without the duo, as researchers recently found, coffee plants would be far…