It's Leap Day, and zoos and animal organizations across the world are kicking off "Year of the Frog," which aims to highlight the impact of global warming and pollution on our amphibian friends. In honor of the cause, here's a rundown of some notable frog-themed foods (though nothing containing actual frog, that seemed a bit crass):

Freddo Frog - An Australian treat since the 1930s, this chocolate cartoon frog is made by Cadbury and comes in different flavors and fillings. Weird note: I bought an aquatic frog from the pet store when I was seventeen and named him Freddo, with no knowledge of the Australian candy connection. Guess it's just a good name for a frog. Freddo's still alive.

Haribo Frogs - the white, marshmallowy underbellies are my favorite part of these lime-flavored German gummies.

Frogaroni - frog-shaped pasta, in regular and spinach green.

Frog Cake - Little sponge cakes coated in fondant and decorated with froggy features are a specialty of the South Australian city of Adelaide.

Any other favorites?

What do you do if you happen to have a bountiful harvest of 24,000 peaches?

If you're BMF Sydney, you create a sculpture of a naked woman in the middle of Sydney, Australia. The sculpture is "Ella," the peachy interpretation of Ella Baché's new skin care line with the slogan, "Skin Good Enough To Eat." Whether you'd actually want to eat skin care products out of the bottles is up to you. Let's hope that BMF Sydney does something useful with those peaches afterwards.

[via: Neatorama]

What do you do if you're in the Australian outback and have a feral camel problem? You start a camel meat business, of course. That's what Garry Dann did. He started Territory Camel to help deal with the feral camels in the area, and he's even begun getting feral camels from other parts of Australia brought to his processing plant. This has the added benefit of employing large numbers of indigenous people.

Territory Camel mainly makes camel steaks and sausages. For now their products are sold only in Australia, though Mr. Dann is trying to get tier 1 accreditation from Australian Quarantine Inspection Service. That would allow him to pursue an export market, mainly to Middle Eastern Countrys where camel meat is more acceptable.

A spokesman for the company said that, while getting people to try the camel meat is a challenge, once the hurdle has been jumped the "yuck factor is dispelled". They say that camel meat actually tastes like beef, so much so that even experienced cattlemen can't tell the difference. Not only that, but the meat is also low in cholesterol. This sounds like another strange food on my list of things to try. Yum!

[Via ColdMud]

Not only did thieves in Australia steal 17 tons of ham from a warehouse in Sydney, they left a note on the wall that said "Thanks, Merry Christmas."

Ouch.

The ham was stolen from the Zammit Ham and Bacon Curers company via a hole the thieves cut in the wall. The ham was worth $100,000. No one knows how the crooks got 17 tons of ham out of there though. I'm guessing elves, or maybe a relative of The Grinch?

Two food recalls in one post (no waiting)!

Dairy State Foods has recalled their Minnie's Bake Shop Chocolate Chunk Cookies (7 oz.) because they might contain macadamia nuts, which could be dangerous for people who are allergic to nuts. The cookies went to Florida stores and have the UPC 400136148117 and a date of March 2008.

Meanwhile, in Australia, Yoplait has recalled several flavors of their yoghurt, including Yoplait vanilla, vanilla and banana, and peach and pear, as well as Elivae fig and honey, vanilla, and strawberry flavors. The yoghurt might have pieces of metal inside. (Note: not sure if this a worldwide recall or just in Australia, but the two news sources I found are ABC News in Australia and AdelaideNow.

I always feel weird about "taste testing" bottled waters because to me, all water tastes like...water. Sure there are subtle variations that are borne out of where the water originates, if it was bottled at the source, and even the type of packaging it's in, but to me, these are normally undetectable.

What I'm trying to say is you should most definitely take my "review" here with a trace amount of sodium.

I wasn't sure how to feel about Tasmanian Rain because it's touted as bottled rain water. Where I live, if you drink rain water, you'll probably erode the lining of your intestines (I live in Los Angeles). However, the Tasmanian Rain water is collected in Tasmania Australia, "The Edge of the World," where the air is the purest in world. Thats' quite a claim, but the promise is that the air has been scientifically proven to be the purest in the world because it crosses three oceans by the winds of the Antarctic and never touches the ground before it's collected.

Hey, if the Tasmanian Devil has that much energy, the water there must be good!

Our friends down under in Australia are enjoying some lovely summer weather, while many of us are still looking for a way to add another layer to our outfits without looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Watermelon is one of the iconic foods of summer and is something that, in addition to shorts and t-shirts, we're all looking forward to enjoying in a few months. And by "enjoying" it, we mean eating it, although not everyone shares our idea of what to do with a watermelon. In Australia this week, a world record for watermelon smashing was set by a melon picker in Queensland, who smashed open 40 watermelons in 60 seconds - with his head.

The watermelon smashing even is just one part of the biannual Water Melon Festival. Other highlights include water(melon) skiing and a largest watermelon contest. You can see a video clip of some of the highlights, including the watermelon speed-smashing, here.

Willy Volk at our sister site Gadling has some great ideas for what to do on Valentine's Day, especially if you are a chocolate lover. He has made a list of places that are featuring chocolate tours in various locations around the world, so if you happen to be anywhere near one of them, I highly recommend checking it out. One example:

London's Chocolate Ecstasy Tours offers 4-hour long tours (guided by a Chocolate Ecstasy Chocoholic Guide), through London's side streets and alleys. Participants sample chocolates, enjoy chocoholic chats, take a lavish hot chocolate break, enjoy special prices on the ultimate chocolate luxuries, and receive a goody bag!

If you don't find yourself in Boston, Australia, London, or any of the places he has named, phone around to your local Chocolatier and see if they are offering any special tours or events on Valentine's Day.

Ever working to improve their image and put their best foot forward with the public, McDonald's has introduced nine meals to its Australian menus that have all been given the seal of approval by the National Heart Foundation. It's an historic event, to be sure, since the company has never had their approval before and fast food is not known for being heart-healthy - or healthy in general, for that matter. The meals include salads, Chicken McNuggets and some hamburgers, but no french fries.

Critics say that the "the Heart Foundation should feel 'duped'" for going along with McDonald's "marketing ploy." While it is true that McDonald's is paying to get the NHF's approval - fees that go towards testing the food, according to the NHF - the organization is still placing their reputation on the line and has no reason not to support the fast food company if their meals meet the NHF's standards. And if some regular McDonald's eaters switch to healthier fare, that's a positive change whether it came from a "marketing ploy" or not.

I believe that I mentioned one of my favorite things - although I had quite a lot of "favorites" to be perfectly honest - from the Fancy Foods Show were the meat pies that I had at the Vili's Gourmet booth. Meat pies are a favorite Australian snack food, the sort of thing that you'll find at pubs, random takeaways and - of course - at any major sporting event. They exactly what they sound like, too: small pastries that are filled with a thick mixture of meat and gravy. It's important that the filling be thick enough not to run out all over the eater, since the pies are usually eaten by hand and they are best when topped of with a bit of tomato sauce (ketchup).

Today (January 26th) is Australia Day and one way that some of our friends down in summery Australia are celebrating is with Vegemite gelato.

The combination sounds slightly horrifying to anyone who doesn't already love Vegemite, the salty brewers' yeast paste that, like Marmite, is popular on toast in many parts of the world, but for those who enjoy its flavor, the combination is proving to be a popular seller for its creator. Gherardo Deflorian is from Italy and has a gelato shop, Gelateria Cremona, in Brisbane. Not a fan of Vegemite himself, he thought that the flavor would be unique, a little controversial and a bit more interesting than the same old flavors that everyone uses. He had to have his customers taste the gelato in progress, as he just couldn't stomach the concoction himself, but it has been met with positive feedback from gelato (and Vegemite) fans who say that "it reminds them of when they were little and they had Vegemite on toast with butter."

Jacob's Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut Cuvee is from Australia and is 12% abv. This is an elegant sparkling wine made from Chardonnay (80%) and Pinot Noir (20%) grapes. It has won multiple awards over the past few years with many international awards just this year in 2006 alone.

It is a light straw color with a hint of green to it. The aromas are of mild toast, nuts, and hints of citrus. It has nice acid, good fruit, and is medium dry, but not too sharp. The taste is of citrus, hints of pineapple, green apple peel, grapefruit, and grassy herbal notes. The finish is crisp, smooth, soft, and quite clean so that it leaves you wanting to take another sip. Price: around $!2 in the NYC area.

Aside from willpower and peer pressure, there are few things that can actually dissuade someone who really wants to drink from drinking. That's why AA has a 12-step program, not a 1-step one. But some scientists in Australia have just announced that they have a drug that may stop people from drinking. The compound blocks the production of a chemical called orexin that induces euphoria. So far, the compound has only been tested on rats, but it was remarkably successful in stopping the compulsion to drink alcohol in rats that had developed/were forced to develop an addition to it. In fact, they completely stopped drinking it when offered.

The theory is that the pleasurable effects of drinking, or the perceived pleasure that triggers the orexin system, are what drive the cravings and taking that away eliminates the reason for the craving to exist. Presumably, the drinker would still feel the effects of the alcohol, but there would no longer be any type of "high." Scientists also think that a similar treatment could be developed to treat other addictions, such as binge eating.

Obviously, it still has a long way to go before something like this will be available to the public, but it certainly sounds like it could help some people eliminate a step or two if they have a drinking problem.

Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Rutherglen Muscadelle NV (non-vintage) is a Tokay style dessert wine made in Rutherglen, Australia and is 18.5%abv. It has a rather unique deep orange color that is very attractive and a nice medium/heavy body. The aroma is mild with hints of mollasses and a faint touch that I haven't noticed in other dessert wines of a nice, winy soy sauce. The taste is that of molasses and black tea brewed with slightly bitter rose petals, followed by rich buckwheat honey, and again that hint of soy sauce. It's a very nice combination of flavors. I found it locally for $17 for a 375 ml. bottle.

It is made with a blend of six to ten-year-old Muscadelle wines. This is a mildly fortified wine with the fermentation process being halted early with the addition of small amounts of neutral spirits and then the wine is aged in wooden casks in the solera. The solera style is a wine making method used in the production of Spanish sherry where some of the old wines are drawn off for bottling and then the rest are topped up by wines from the next oldest level and so on.

The wine makers say that the wine will keep for months if sealed and while I know it won't last that long in my house, it has lasted for several weeks with me partaking of a small glass every now and then as the whim strikes.

Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Rutherglen Muscat NV (non-vintage) from Rutherglen, Australia is18.5%abv. and comes in a 375ml. bottle. It has a medium body with an orange/dark amber color. It has a lovely aroma of flowers, oranges, and honey with a complementary taste of dates, honey, spices, and oranges. I could sip on this floral, decadent wine all day long, but at 18.5% abv. I probably wouldn't be able to write after a few hours. I was able to find it locally in NYC for around $17 a bottle which is a great price for this quality of wine. The wine makers say that the wine will keep for months if sealed and I have found that over the past few weeks it has kept very well indeed.

The Chambers Winery has been a family owned and run business since it was started in 1858. The wine making and care of the "old material" (solera style aged wines) have been handed down from father to son through five generations, and for the last 40 years have rested with Bill Chambers.

The solera style is a wine making method used in the production of Spanish sherry where some of the old wines are drawn off for bottling and then the rest are topped up by wines from the next oldest level and so on. Wines in a solera may be decades or hundreds of years old. This is a mildly fortified wine with the fermentation process being halted early with the addition of small amounts of neutral spirits and then the wine is aged in wood in the solera.

The Rutherglen Muscat is the entry level of four Muscat's that Chambers produces. Rutherglen, Classic, Grand, and the incredibly pricey, and as the name says, Rare. The Rare Muscat is indeed so rare that distributors for whole countries may only get 1-2 bottles every few years. So don't count on my doing a review on it anytime soon unless one of you Slashfoodies gives me a bottle for the holidays.

By the way don't get the names Muscat and Muscadelle mixed up due to the similar names. They are different grapes with their own unique flavor profiles. The Muscadelle tends to have molasses and tea flavors and the Muscat has a more floral aroma and honey and caramel flavors.