"The Daily Green" news and stories

We try to keep on top of the latest food recalls around these parts, but occasionally we miss one or two. However, Consumer Union, the company that publishes Consumer Reports, has made it a whole lot easier to stay on top of current consumer recalls. They've launched a website called Not In My Cart that gathers recall notices from three federal agencies and posts them for all to see. This way we'll all be able to find out easily and quickly if we need to pull cans of soup off our shelves or toss those burgers that are in the freezer.

Via The Daily Green

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In my mind, it all started when Doc Brown introduced us to the idea that you might be able to run your car on food waste, at the very end of the original Back to the Future when he threw a banana peel and a beer can into the Mr. Fusion attachment. Ever since then, scientists have been working on ways to create fuel out of food byproducts (they may have been looking to do this before BttF came on the scene, but I'm sort of a pop culture girl, so that's my first reference).

US scientists at Syracuse University are now looking to turn whey (Little Miss Muffet, sat on her tuffet...), the liquid substance leftover from cheesemaking, into vehicle fuel. Whey is rich in lactose (dairy sugar) and since other sugary biofuels have been successfully created from food (ethanol for instances) researches think that whey could be the next frontier.

Via The Daily Green
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Despite the fact that I grew up in a house in which my mom regularly canned jam, I find that most methods of canning and food storage to be mysterious and slightly intimidating. I have a fear that anything I can will end up infused with botulism and will kill my loved ones and myself. So I don't can (fears don't have to be reasonable). However, I am intrigued by the process and am in awe of people who tackle the task (especially when it includes the scary water bath portion).

It seems like these days it is becoming increasingly popular to can your own food, as it's a good way to keep some of the summer bounty available for winter, especially if you are trying to eat a local diet. The Daily Green has put up a terrific and helpful (and fear calming) post, written by Alisa Smith of the 100 Mile Diet, chock full of tips and information about canning technique. It's enough to make me put aside my fears, buy a case of jars, obtain a flat of tomatoes and start canning.