Category Archives: History and Culture

Eat Your Tree!

OK, maybe don’t eat it, but…you can use your Christmas tree to flavor your food. That’s the message from Denmark, espoused in this NYT op-ed. I don’t have much experience with Christmas trees, but it sounds like a neat idea. After all, spruce and fir needles seem very rosemary-ish. Why not deploy them as an […]

December 27, 2010 | Also posted in International | Comments closed

Be Thankful, Not Wasteful

I hinted at this on Monday, but I wanted to throw down an expanded call to action for Thanksgiving and after: Be Thankful, Not Wasteful Thanksgiving celebrates abundance. And we should absolutely enjoy the celebration. At the same time, I don’t think we honor anyone or anything by wasting food. I’m calling on you to […]

November 24, 2010 | Posted in History and Culture | Comments closed

Turkey Week Project

It’s that time of year again–when I start thinking about the glorious Thanksgiving…leftovers! If you’re like me, you might be craving that day-after sandwich as much as the day-of dinner. Yet, with all of our abundance, though, comes the threat of waste. That’s why I’m hoping you guys will submit some advice here and on […]

November 22, 2010 | Also posted in Events, Household | Comments closed

Jack-O-Landfill?

I biked past a church pumpkin patch yesterday and was surprised to see a relatively stocked supply, despite the day-after timing. That got me thinking about our pumpkins’ fates. Pumpkins are the most wasted food in homes (by weight), as detailed in a soon-to-be published study that shall remain nameless. Yet, I can’t get too […]

November 2, 2010 | Also posted in Composting | Comments closed

“Much Garbage Can Waste” (even in 1918!)

Daniel from the WhoFarm sent this gem of an old article my way and made my Sunday. The 1918 article details The Federal Food Board’s quest to get to the bottom of how much food households were wasting. The stakes were high, of course, as America in the middle of World War I. The article […]

November 1, 2010 | Posted in History and Culture | Comments closed

Book Time: Empires of Food

A mutual friend put me in touch with Evan Fraser, co-author of Empires of Food, and I’m really glad that she did. Fraser sent a copy of the recently published book and I’ve been steadily enjoying it. And I’m not alone there. To be honest, when I saw the subtitle “Feast, Famine, and the Rise […]

September 1, 2010 | Posted in History and Culture | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Beginning of the end or end of the beginning? Euro robots can power up on food waste. Crazy stuff! What’s next–humans that can turn bytes into bites?! — — A few weeks back, I linked to Eureka Recycling’s cool bike composting program, but here’s an updated report on the Minnesota project via Treehugger. — — […]

August 13, 2010 | Also posted in Composting, Energy, Friday Buffet, International | Comments closed

A Different Passover Story

My wife, son and I were invited to a Passover seder at our friends’ house and were tasked with bringing a dessert or two. I flipped through a Passover cookbook and decided on chocolate macaroons. It only had five ingredients, and macaroons are always the best Passover dessert. The recipe called for 3 egg whites, coconut, ground almonds, some sugar and chocolate. Keep that in mind. […]

March 31, 2010 | Also posted in Household, Personal | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

This Treehugger piece uses some neat illustrations to depict the impact of food waste. And the full set of infographics are even cooler. — — Unfortunately, this WWII poster mixes an anti-waste message with lame sexism. — — Are you part of the hard core apple club? A fifth grade group on a trip learns […]

March 12, 2010 | Also posted in Energy, Friday Buffet, School, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Hoppin’ into 2010

Black-eyed peas are thought to be good luck, which might explain the band’s success. It definitely explains why the legumes are eaten through the South on New Year’s Day. One theory–the one found on Wikipedia–posits that the tradition dates back to the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and that Sephardic Jews brought the tradition with them […]

January 1, 2010 | Also posted in Household, Personal | Comments closed