Category Archives: Uncategorized

Perilous Pickles, Renegade Relishes, and the Case of Contamination

pickle-in-bottle

In an attempt, perhaps, to provide some relief from the continuing coronavirus crisis, we’re looking today at a topic that is lighter, zestier, and altogether divorced from all things connected with hand sanitizer or bathroom tissue. Today, in fact, we’re talking about a consumable that is greeted variously with delight or dismay, reluctance or reverence. […]

Is the Push for Profit Jeopardizing the Safety of Marijuana?

marijuana_greenhouse

In a casual perusal of the shelves at our local bookstore, it was hard not to notice a prominent display groaning with investment ‘how-to’ guides. Maybe it’s because folks are mindful of the upcoming tax season and ruminating hopefully on where to plant their anticipated windfall. Or maybe those who observe Lent are watching their […]

The Case of the Un-Contaminated Catfish

catfish

Long before the world was introduced to flippy chains, mobius balls, and traditional fidget spinners, those with excess energy or just a bad case of the jitters were forced to find other outlets for their nervous excitement. And one of these has recently come to be characterized as an extreme recreational activity. Banned in many […]

It’s a Wrap! Food Packaging Innovations

It’s a Wrap! Food Packaging Innovations

On the paradise island of Maui in the Hawaiian archepeligo, a small farm nestles at the foot of the Mauna Kahālāwai, a mountain range where – it is said – the gods reside. On the luxuriant viridian hillside, cacao pods ripen gently on trees first imported by German immigrants in the 19th century and, complemented […]

Can a New Apple Hybrid Last 10 Months in the Fridge?

Apple in an empty fridge.

Finally, we have entered into the ‘Holiday Season.’ Those exciting few weeks when the world glistens with a twinkling sprinkling of icy magic, or – depending on your perspective (and number of children, we suppose) – when we step nervously into the Most Expensive Time of the Year. In culinary terms, the weeks between Thanksgiving […]

Radical Sustainability – Pond Scum as the New Alt-Protein (An Update)

Duck Weed

Even outside of St. Patrick’s Day with its shamrock milkshakes, leprechaun cupcakes, and the always popular viridian beer (with drinkers green to the gills the following day), we hear a lot about green these days. Look in any paper or online news source and you’ll find myriad articles on becoming more green, green-washing, and most […]

Could Methanol Lurk in your Favorite Cocktail?

Could Methanol Lurk in your Favorite Cocktail?

We’ve said it before but we’ll say it again, when it comes to de-stressing from the week, many folks like to kick back with a glass of wine, a chilled beer, or a creative cocktail. And unless it is medically contraindicated, drinking in moderation can be a pleasant and social experience. Assuming, of course, that […]

How Space-Grown Beef Could Feed the Planet

space food update

Just when you think that the news regarding space exploration couldn’t get much more exciting, recent events at the International Space Station (ISS) have seen NASA reaching another  milestone. On Friday last week, two American astronauts, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, became the first to engage in all-female EVA – Extravehicular Activity – commonly known […]

How HACCP Scoff-Laws Jeopardize Public Health

Sigh, it’s happened again. In a week of general shock and awe, no fewer than four news items stand out in terms of food safety and contamination control. The first is a statement that appeared in the Annals of Internal Medicine, a publication of the American College of Physicians, and the second, a proposed new […]

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