Arts

Hungry bugs and warmer temperatures mean pine trees aren't producing as many seeds as they once did, driving up the cost of Italian pine nuts to $120 per pound in some cases. Cookbook author Julia della Croce found a colorful — and delicious — alternative in pistachios.

At a "quinoa summit" this week, farmers from around the world are trading tips on how to turn this ancient Andean grain into a large-scale crop. Some Andean farmers who currently grow quinoa are asking, "What happens to us?"

This weekend, AMC begins showing the final episodes of its acclaimed drama series, and launches a new one: Low Winter Sun. Meanwhile, HBO presents its newest made-for-TV movie — this one a comedy, starring and co-written by Larry David.

 

First we start off with some authentic sounds of New Orleans, and for that we go way back to the early beginnings of jazz. It's a style of music known as Dixieland, and the Muddy River Jazz Band was here to tell it Live in Studio A. Writer, journalist, documentary filmmaker, food historian and New Orleans native Lolis Eric Elie keeps the gumbo train going next with a look at his city's history and its evolving cuisine post Katrina from fabulous Phu to tremendous tacos New Orleans' style. He's got a new book Treme: Stories and Recipes from the Heart of New Orleans and he's here to share recipes. And Arts Greensboro's fearless leader Mr. Tom Philion joins David Ford with a sneak preview of 17 Days Arts and Culture Festival. All of this on Triad Arts Weekend.  

 

When she was 24, Piper Kerman dated a woman who was part of a drug smuggling ring. Years later, after being named as part of that ring, Kerman served time in a federal prison and at one point shared a cell with her former girlfriend. Her memoir of that experience inspired the Netflix series.

For many years, University of North Carolina School of the Arts Social Studies teacher, Jonathan Milner, has led students to remote parts of the world. They have traveled to places like Nairobi, Kenya where he and his students fed AIDS orphaned infants and children. 

Milner's most recent trip was a result of his previous work with Partners in Health, a medical advocacy group out of Boston. Last December Jonathan Milner, his wife Cary Clifford, and their nine year old son, Owen, traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.