| Welcome once again for another week's round-up of eco-foodie news, tips, links & recipes. Each week I glean tasty bits from the various blogs & sites I follow outside of the Kos-verse and bring them together here for your perusal. If you have a good tasty bit to share let us know about it in the comments!
Instead of a mystery gadget this week I want to address hurricane/disaster issues here:
For all the East Coast folks who are keeping an eye on Hurricane Irene here's some links/reminders on being prepared:
NOAA's Disaster Supply List
Get a weather radio, it could save your life!
And if you are in an area that has been declared by the President a disaster area you may be eligible for emergency food benefits
USDA provides administrative funding to individual states, which operate their own D-SNAP programs. USDA funds 100 percent of the costs of D-SNAP benefits for eligible households. While program requirements vary somewhat from state to state, those eligible for D-SNAP typically must have experienced one of the following:
- Food damaged by disaster event or spoiled due to power outage
- Disaster-related expenses not expected to be reimbursed during the benefit period (e.g., home or business repairs, temporary shelter expenses, evacuation expenses, home/business protection, disaster-related personal injury including funeral expenses)
- Lost or inaccessible income, including reduction or termination of income, or a delay in receipt of income for half the benefit period
You can access a listing of state D-SNAP hotlines to obtain information on application sites in your area at:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/c...
So if you lose a refrigerator/freezer full of food because the power is out for an extended period of time you may qualify for funds to help you replace your lost food!
Ok, now onto our weekly tasty bits! |
News
Investing In East Africa's Long Term Food Security
The United States is providing longer-term support to partner governments through President Barack Obama's food security initiative, Feed the Future. In Ethiopia, a top priority is strengthening the value chain to help farmers sell their products at local and regional markets. In Kenya, the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, is supporting efforts to connect herders to local markets, improve animal health services, and help local institutions lobby for better trade policies.
Food's New Foot Soldiers
FoodCorps, which started last week, is symbolic of just what we need: a national service program that aims to improve nutrition education for children, develop school gardening projects and change what's being served on school lunch trays.
Plenty of growth in farmers market industry
In one form or another, farmers markets have been around for quite a while. But culturally, the timing is right for growth. Consumers are increasingly interested in eating locally and sustainably produced foods. Government programs that channel funds to small farmers also have helped.
Feds nix proposal to ban food stamps for sodas
Are food stamps contributing to America's obesity epidemic? Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City seems to think so - so he proposed a plan to stop people from using the stamps to purchase sugary soft drinks, teas, and sport drinks.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture rejected the proposal, saying it would be too big and complicated to implement. In addition, the department had concerns over its "potential viability and effectiveness."
Col. Sanders comes to Kenya
The major reason that neither golden arches or Whoppers are found in Nairobi is concern over the supply chain. The KFC investors worked with a Kenyan chicken supplier for more than a year to bring it up to the quality control standards demanded by KFC's parent company, Yum Brands Inc.
Janus Food Works in Oregon, Getting Youth Involved in Urban Agriculture
Janus Youth Programs has operated community-based programs for children, youth, and families in Oregon and Washington since 1972. They have a network of over 20 programs includes, including Janus Food Works, which employs 14 to 21 year-olds from Portland. The youth get involved in the planning, growing, selling, and donating of over 4,000 pounds of organic produce each year from the one-acre organic farm on Sauvie Island.
donQi Urban Wind Turbines Are on the Way
A donQi turbine was recently spotted in a home featured in September's issue of Dwell magazine, and it looks great. The donQi Urban Windmill is an attractive option for home energy generation, with the potential to recoup your investment in as few as 10 years without subsidies.
The Strange History of the Sunflower note: this article has some stunning photos so it is well worth the click!
It has been suggested that the sunflower was even domesticated before corn. It was during this time that the Cherokee and other Native Americans also began to farm sunflowers. They became an important part of the diet of these peoples as a good source of fat - which hunter gatherer societies needed to supplement the lean meat they would eat. Down south in Mexico the Aztecs were also cultivating the plant but also worshipped it. In their temples to the sun, the priestesses would wear headdresses made of sunflowers to give themselves the air of the divine. The past of the sunflower, then, already reveals some 'secrets'. Yet no one would have guessed what the future of the sunflower held - and the travels it would endure.
Scientists find lager beer's missing link - in Patagonia
Searching through collections of wild yeasts from Europe, researchers - including Hittinger and his collaborators - tried to identify lager's missing link but again and again were stumped. "There were a few candidates, but none fit particularly well," Hittinger said.
Team member Diego Libkind of the Institute for Biodiversity and Environment Research in Bariloche, Argentina, found S. eubayanus in galls on southern beech trees in Patagonia. The galls were particularly rich in sugar, which yeast like to colonize and consume.
Home & Garden
10 Ways to Get Your Community To Be More Sustainable
Freshen your home the frugal way
7 Tips To Maximize Your Efficiency Around The Home
Save Money by Using Just Half the Laundry Detergent Recommended
Practical Collections: Vintage Shaving Brushes
Bread Goes Stale About Six Times Faster in the Refrigerator
Drought Care: Water Where It Counts
Recipes
Use Cashews to Make Vegan Whipped Cream
Tomato Mango Salsa
How to Make Garlic Dill Pickles
Gingery Love: Three Ginger Salad
Warm Green Bean Salad with Shallots and Mustard
Baked Zucchini Sticks and Sweet Onion Dip
Lentils with Roasted Beets
Herby Goat Cheese Ball with Multigrain Baguette
Hazelnut plum crumb tart
Summer Breeze - a mixed berry cobbler crisp
Peach creme fraiche pie with a thyme butter crust |
