food

Economy

Signing Up For Food Stamps: The Choice And The Stigma

2:25pm April 25, 2013

Forty-seven million Americans now rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. For many people, the decision to sign up is fraught with conflicting feelings about taking government assistance.

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Missouri farmer Gary Riedel says wet weather will put him about a month behind last year's planting.

For Corn, Fickle Weather Makes For Uncertain Yields

9:06am April 24, 2013

by Abbie Fentress Swanson

Corn production was down last year thanks to drought. This year, conditions are too cold and wet for farmers to plant the crop. Without a break in the clouds pretty soon, there may be another shortage of the crop at harvest time.

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Science

Pouring Over The Science Of Coffee

6:55am April 22, 2013

Brewing coffee is a neverending science project, according to barista Sam Penix, owner of Everyman Espresso in New York City. Grind-size, brew method, coffee beans (which are really seeds), water temperature can all affect the flavors that end up in your cup. Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking, explains some of the chemistry of coffee.

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Matt Lee (left) and Ted Lee (right) grew up in Charleston, S.C. After leaving the South as young adults, they founded a mail-order food company, The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanut Catalogue. They have written two previous cookbooks of Southern cuisine.

Books

A 'Charleston Kitchen' Full Of Foraged And Forgotten Foods

10:26pm April 18, 2013

by NPR Staff

The Lee bothers, Matt and Ted, have written two cookbooks about Southern cuisine, but now they've turned their attention to a more specific region: Charleston, the city they grew up in. Their new book contains recipes and stories from a seafood-centric community with a rich culinary history.

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Red Meat's Heart Risk Goes Beyond The Fat

1:03pm April 12, 2013

Reporting in Nature Medicine, researchers write that a chemical in red meat, L-carnitine, may up the risk of heart disease in people and mice--but only in frequent red-meat eaters. Study author Stanley Hazen of the Cleveland Clinic explains how diet changes the gut's bacterial flora, and how that can affect heart health.

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Thick jets of processed sewage arc out 30 to 40 feet from giant moving spreaders at Birmingham Farm in Kansas City, Mo.

Cities Turn Sewage Into 'Black Gold' For Local Farms

12:07pm April 12, 2013

by Frank Morris

Cities are finding beneficial and lucrative ways to dispose of solid waste, while also helping farmers. But a lot of sewage still ends up in landfills or being processed at big, industrial incinerators.

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Rep. Walz Wins Congressional Casserole Challenge

11:22am April 12, 2013

The Minnesota delegation held its third annual "hotdish off" cooking competition. Nine lawmakers entered, but only one could bring home the trophy. Rep. Tim Walz won handily with a casserole made of cheddar cheese, tater tots and bratwurst.

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Bill Smith's Atlantic Beach Pie is based on a recipe for lemon pie, a staple of the North Carolina coast.

A North Carolina Pie That Elicits An 'Oh My God' Response

5:49pm April 11, 2013

by NPR Staff

Atlantic Beach Pie is a salty and citrusy staple of the coast. Katie Workman, author of The Mom 100 Cookbook, shared the recipe for All Things Considered's Found Recipe series.

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Young soybeans, often known as edamame, are firmer than peas. Cookbook author Fuchsia Dunlop says they make an easy and delicious dinner when stir-fried.

A Simple Chinese Twist On Young Soybeans

8:20pm April 04, 2013

by NPR Staff

Fuchsia Dunlop shares a "Found Recipe" for stir-fried snow vegetable with green soybeans, a dish she enjoyed in the countryside near Shanghai.

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Demonstrators from the Fast Food Forward rally protest Thursday outside a Wendy's restaurant in New York City.

National

NYC's Fast-Food Workers Strike, Demand 'Living Wages'

8:20pm April 04, 2013

by Joel Rose

Fast-food workers in New York City are on strike for the second time in six months, demanding higher wages that they can live on. Workers complain that $7.25 an hour, New York's current minimum wage, is not enough to live in the city.

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