food

Clearly, he's as surprised by the allegations as the rest of us.

Economy

Dirty Spuds? Alleged Potato Cartel Accused Of Price Fixing

4:09pm June 18, 2013

by Maria Godoy

A civil lawsuit that shifted into U.S. district court in Idaho last week alleges that the United Potato Growers of America has become a veritable OPEC of spuds. The group is accused of using high-tech, strong-arm tactics to inflate potato prices.

Queue Listen Now

"A Gift for the Grangers" was a recruitment poster for the National Grange printed in 1873. Grange membership around this period was estimated by some to be as high as 2 million. Today it's less than 200,000.

National

New Blood Sparks Identity Crisis For Fraternal Group Of Farmers

6:12pm June 14, 2013

by Jeff Brady

A fraternal agriculture organization known as the Grange must bring in younger members to survive. But the new generation's interest in environmental issues and food politics is clashing with the Grange's support of industrial farms.

Queue Listen Now

With Climate Change, No Happy Clams

4:13pm June 14, 2013

Carbon emissions are slowly acidifying ocean waters, forcing marine life to adapt. Oysters and other shellfish, for example, may have a harder time building their shells, according to NOAA's Richard Feely. At Quilcene, Washington's Taylor Shellfish Hatchery, research director Benoit Eudeline says he's already seeing those effects.

Queue Listen Now

At left: Beyond Eggs' egg-substitute product, a powder made of pulverized plant-based compounds. Right: Mother Nature's version.

Why Bill Gates Is Investing In Chicken-Less Eggs

1:34pm June 14, 2013

by Allison Aubrey

Investors like Gates are betting that our planet can't sustain the current rate of growth in animal-based foods for too much longer. Products like Beyond Eggs, a plant-based substitute, are designed to fill the void.

Queue Listen Now

Thai fish sauce, juniper berries and jam

What's A Juniper Berry And How Do I Cook With It?

11:29am June 14, 2013

After teaching cooking classes for 20 years, Victoria Dougherty says she has ended up with some pretty random ingredients in her classroom cupboard — like juniper berries and fish sauce. Chef Raghavan Iyer offers some advice.

Queue Listen Now

Jeremy Jackson wanted to rethink his grandma Mildred's famous Strawberry Cake recipe, which uses boxed cake mix and Jell-O. His updated cupcake version is shown on the right.

Arts

Saving Grandma's Strawberry Cake From The Clutches Of Jell-O

6:35pm June 13, 2013

by Serri Graslie

Postwar marketing of convenience foods pushed our grandmothers to take many shortcuts in the kitchen that modern foodies might find unpalatable. Many involved Jell-O. Cookbook author Jeremy Jackson updated his grandma Mildred's famous strawberry cake recipe to remove this old-school secret ingredient.

Queue Listen Now

A central Illinois farmer plants corn seed into the evening in Farmingdale, Ill.

National

As Drought Turns To Flood, Farmers Get 'Weather Whiplash'

6:20pm June 12, 2013

by Peggy Lowe

In the past three years, Midwestern farmers have seen flooding, then record-setting drought, and now flooding again. "As much as we think we have things cornered and we know what's going to be happening, you just don't know what will happen," a meteorologist says.

Queue Listen Now

Thierry Chopin from the University of New Brunswick examines a raft that holds strings of seaweed. The seaweed grows around pens of farmed salmon and soaks up some of the nutrients that would otherwise pollute the Bay of Fundy.

How To Clean Up Fish Farms And Raise More Seafood At The Same Time

5:38pm June 10, 2013

by Richard Harris

Coastal fish farms are a major source of the seafood we eat, but all the fish waste they generate takes a toll on the environment. So a researcher in Canada is trying to clean up fish farms by creating an ecosystem where fish waste gets taken up by other valuable seafood commodities, like shellfish and kelp.

Queue Listen Now

Coca-Cola advertisements have gone up in tea shops around the former Myanmar capital since the sanctions were lifted.

World News

How To Sell Coke To People Who Have Never Had A Sip

3:05pm June 10, 2013

by Robert Smith

Coca-Cola is returning to Myanmar after 60 years. They'd been kept out of the country by international sanctions. This week they officially opened their new plant outside of Yangon.

Queue Listen Now

Stefan Larsson serves up bison sloppy Joes and juniper-smoked bison tenderloin, which will be offered at the Yellowstone National Park this summer. Each park will have different menus featuring local foods.

National

Hold The Hot Dog: National Park Visitors Can Feast On Bison Burgers

8:29pm June 07, 2013

by Allison Aubrey

If a family vacation to Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons makes you fear for your waistline — or for your palate — there's good news: The National Park Service is revamping its menus to offer more healthful, local and fancier fare. How does a jumbo lump crab cake or almond-baked chicken sound to you?

Queue Listen Now